Everything Brighton fans need to know about Olivier Boscagli

Brighton have agreed a deal to sign French centre-back Olivier Boscagli on the expiry of his contract in July.

The PSV Eindhoven defender, who Brighton have previously tried to sign in the summer of 2024, is highly regarded in the Netherlands for his on-the-ball capabilities.

Who actually is Olivier Boscagli?

Whilst not the tallest, Boscagli, 27, excels in possession, with his signature long passes being one of PSV’s most vital qualities in breaking the opposition press and progressing the ball up the pitch. 

Boscagli takes a lot of responsibility in possession, trying to impact build-up and chance creation as high up the pitch as he can without being caught out. He ranks in the top percentiles across Europe’s top leagues for passes attempted, progressive passes, and shot-creating actions among centre-backs.

Not only in passing but ball carrying as well, Boscagli’s driving runs with the ball up the pitch are something no centre-back should have so much success with, mirroring Igor Julio in approach but eclipsing the Brazilian in execution.

As left of a back three or predominantly in a back four, Boscagli is one of the leaders of a relatively young PSV team that have just gone back-to-back for Eredivisie titles. 

Whilst not being the most air-tight defender nor the quickest, he organises the defence well and remains composed. His reading of the game makes him a great interceptor and gives him a yard of extra space where his lack of pace may otherwise cost him.

What should we watch out for?

On the negative side, physically he’s very limited; he’s a pretty average dueller and doesn’t often out-strength an opponent.

With Ryan Flamingo next to him it disguises these weaknesses as his centre back partner is an exceptional dueller and physically very capable, however at Brighton where we can struggle physically, and in the Premier League where the general athleticism beats out the Eredivisie, it’s a call for concern. 

Aerially he’s not the most proficient but given his height, he could be worse. Defending wide areas he can struggle to compensate for his lack of pace and even at PSV’s best I’ve seen him beaten when isolated various times. 

Overall, in a team that has an abundance of the ball but needs some slight variance in build-up and chance creation, Boscagli will have ticked a lot of boxes for the Brighton recruitment team.

If we transition to a back three-team, he could cement his place firmly in the mix.

Due to my defensive concerns, given he’s a defender, I have reservations, but for a transfer fee less than the spare change down the side of my bed, it’s a tidy bit of business.

It does raise some questions over the futures of Eiran Cashin and Igor Julio, perhaps.

His experience will be valuable and he’ll be a solid addition to the core squad. If it were to work out, it’s pretty much as low risk as you can get.