'Me of course' – Brighton's £4.5m attacking talent says he's the man to watch at Qatar World Cup

Mitoma’s appearances for Brighton have excited fans already. Tony Bloom and the board have gained a huge amount of confidence from fans for their shrewd business and consistent success, and Mitoma’s £4.5m transfer from the J League in Japan to England is just another prize capture.

A direct player, who thrives on one-v-one opportunities, Mitoma has looked not only comfortable, but threatening on the left-hand side of every pitch he has played on.

In Brighton’s 4-1 win against Chelsea, one that will undoubtedly become revered in the club’s history, Mitoma was deployed specifically to isolate and take on visiting defender Trevoh Chalobah, and found huge and influential success.

He assisted Leandro Trossard’s opening goal and played a significant part in a game that was all together historic, euphoric and stunning football. Mitoma has certainly impressed Albion fans and staff alike, and will no doubt feature far more regularly for the remainder of the season, especially if he can find form at this winter’s World Cup.

Just three months after joining Brighton on a four-year-deal in 2021, Mitoma made his international debut for Japan in a World Cup qualifier against Australia. The 25-year-old was brought into the action in the 86th minute with the score at 0-0. He then went on to score the only two goals of the game, cutting in from the left and securing Japan’s place at the 2022 World Cup. An emphatic performance from a blistering talent that will surely play a significant part for Japan at the World Cup.

He absolutely recognizes the importance of the tournament to his country. Speaking in an interview last week, Mitoma made it clear that the World Cup “is the biggest stage…[in Japan], your results and performance will be talked about for the next four years."

With this in mind, he is keen to take his country to unexplored territory in the tournament, with Japan having only ever reached the Round of 16. He sees success as “reach[ing] the quarter finals or better”, as “Japan catch[es] up with the rest of the world.”

But the tournament is also undeniably important for his own career. When asked who were the Japanese players to look out for, Mitoma replied (with tongue in cheek) “of course, me!”

The chance to play a leading role for his team, on one of the biggest stages in world football is surely something that can kick start a season, let alone further fuel an already promising run of form.

The winger has three goals in his last six international games, a goalscoring record that is arguably the only thing missing from his start at Brighton. “Obviously it's not easy to score a goal in the Premier League, but I also feel that I have to start scoring and contributing more, sooner rather than later.

"It’s just that for some reason my goal scoring rate for the national team has been quite efficient, but I’d like to emphasise that I’m not really a natural goal scorer.”

This World Cup, and time in a system which appears to be conducive to his ability in front of goal, could be a perfect opportunity for Mitoma to refine his timing, technique, composure and everything else that provides a footballer that clinical, goalscoring edge.

Given game time, Brighton could well have a player returning in the new year with more experience, more confidence and potentially even a growing addiction to finding the back of the net. An itch that Brighton fans and staff will hope he can scratch on a regular basis as the Seagulls progress through the season.