Not many people took notice of Julio Enciso’s arrival when Brighton & Hove Albion brought him in for a measly £9.5 million from Club Libertad but half a season later and it seems like he’s a regular in the weekly highlight reels. Goals, assists or just pure on-the-ball brilliance proved to be more than enough for people to start opening their eyes to the brilliant Paraguayan.
Julio Enciso has only 7 starts in the Premier League this season but he already managed to score 4 goals while adding another 2 assists to his name. He’s come off the bench 13 times on top of that but he’s already come up with the goods against Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea with another at AFC Bournemouth in a total of ~800 minutes in the league.
POSITION AND PLAYSTYLE
He draws parallels to Coutinho, both for his fierce shot and the low centre of gravity while mostly cutting in from the left. Albeit Enciso is a more powerful runner and eats up space as he wishes.
Sneaky dribbler, he loves taking people on and creating chaos. Whatever you do, don’t let him have uncontested shots. Kepa and Ederson know. He generates so much power on those shots of his and they’re usually on target. The path of the ball in the air is a delight to watch and he looks like he already polished his shooting technique at 20.
His most recent wondergoal was voted as the Best Premier League Goal of the Season:
A goal that even had the opposition fans applauding 😅#PLAwards | @julioEnciso33 pic.twitter.com/qtRZ59ASjK
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 4, 2023
He’s definitely most comfortable in the middle and final third of the pitch, where his dribbling and ability to pull people out of position is a manager’s dream for opening spaces. He loves combining with others and enjoys receiving the ball further away from the 1st phase in the buildup. De Zerbi is incredible at teaching his midfielders/attackers when to slide off defenders in order to receive and he seems to be taking the instructions well so far.
Attacking midfielder who likes cutting in from the left but also running off people. He loves a give-and-go and it’s no coincidence that he’s become a key man in De Zerbi’s side ever since breaking into the first eleven.
JULIO ENCISO – KEY FOR THE FUTURE
Brighton are destined to lose two of their key players in MacAllister and Caicedo and others will need to step up and take responsibility in their absence. Roberto De Zerbi knows he has a diamond on his hands and Enciso will only develop more and more with time. It’s vital he keeps his feet on the ground and for Brighton to not overplay him next season with all the European games coming up.
I personally feel he should stick around at Brighton for a few more seasons even though the offers that come in for him may be tempting. It’s crucial he doesn’t try to rush his development by forcing a move but he should already know this by now.
Julio Enciso truly is a star in the making and I’m happy we’ll get to watch even more of him next season in what’s likely to be a more involved role at the club. Brighton have one of the most interesting projects in Europe and plenty of people will be tuning into their games next season. Exciting times ahead for the Seagulls!
