Tim Sherwood likens Brighton star to Kai Havertz after Tottenham defeat

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Tim Sherwood has likened Georginio Rutter to Arsenal’s Kai Havertz after Brighton’s victory over Tottenham on Sunday.

The 22-year-old joined Brighton in a £40 million deal from Leeds in the summer having scored just seven goals in 48 Championship appearances last season.

Rutter was handed his fourth Premier League start of the season on Sunday and scored Brighton’s equaliser in their 3-2 win at home to Spurs.

Havertz, meanwhile, has been one of Arsenal’s standout performers so far this season and Sherwood believes Rutter shares similar characteristics to the Germany international.

‘They [Brighton] don’t get it wrong,’ Sherwood told Premier League Productions after the game.

‘They don’t get it wrong with managers either as well as players, give them the credit for that.

‘Albeit in the Championship with Leeds with the numbers, but if he [Rutter] can continue like that and get the confidence from scoring in the Premier League.

‘I can’t pigeon-hole him, I don’t know what he is but certainly a good technical player, he finished that one [against Tottenham] brilliantly.

‘He is very similar to Kai Havertz, he’s not a No.9, not a No.10, he’s a bit of both.’

Meanwhile, former Brighton striker Glenn Murray says the club’s use of data was key behind their decision to sign Rutter from Leeds in the summer.

‘He’s starting to find his feet in a Brighton shirt in the Premier League as well,’ Murray said.

‘He’s a funny one, you can’t really put him in a box, Rutter, he reminds me a little bit of Havertz, not quite a No.9, not quite a No.10, but he’s a big physical presence, he’s just an issue, he always causes a problem.

‘There were questions asked and eyebrows raised when they paid £40 million for a lad who had only scored six in the Championship last year, but apparently on the data sheet that Brighton use for recruitment his numbers were off the chart in the final third, like final third entries, forward passes, things like that.

‘That’s why the club felt so strongly to go and pay that amount of money for him.’

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