Pascal Gross second among Dream Team midfielders after masterclass against Arsenal

ONE could make a compelling case that Pascal Gross (£3.7m) has been the best player in the Premier League so far this season. The 35-year-old midfielder produced another fantastic all-round performance on Saturday as Brighton shocked the top flight with a 3-0 win over Arsenal. A man in form Credit: Dream Team It has been a long time since the Gunners were outplayed to the extent they were by the Seagulls at the Amex. Gross was at the heart of everything the hosts did well and provided the catalyst for the statement victory with a pinpoint finish from 20 yards out in the 31st minute. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Just before half time, Charalampos Kostoulas (£2.9m) continued his good form with a similarly accurate effort from distance to double Brighton’s lead just seconds after Arsenal squandered a golden chance to equalise. Gross then turned provider in the 57th minute when his inviting corner was headed home by Chema Andres (£2.9m). At the end of 90 minutes, the former Germany international banked 13 points, his third consecutive double-digit haul. Incredibly, Gross is now second among Dream Team midfielders overall with 59 points to his name. Eight goal involvements and counting Credit: Getty MOST POINTS AMONG DREAM TEAM MIDFIELDERS 67 pts – Cole Palmer (£5.6m) 59 pts – Pascal Gross (£3.7m) 57 pts – Morgan Rogers (£5.7m) 55 pts – Rayan Cherki (£5.3m) 55 pts – Bruno Fernandes (£7m) Most read in Football This list really puts Gross’s efforts into context; he is mixing with some of the most expensive assets in the game. And he’s also the odd the one out in terms of popularity. Brighton’s No13 features in 4.3% of teams at the time of writing; the next least-selected midfielder of those listed above is Cherki with an ownership of 16.5%. That being said, Gross is likely to be an extremely popular recruit over the international break. Not only has he been among the best performers so far, his Gameweek 6 double header of Sunderland (a) and Kauno Zalgiris (h) looks mightily appealing on paper. Kostoulas also cashed in against the defending champions Credit: Getty The Conference League has been a fruitful source of points for English clubs since its inception and Dream Team managers will expect more of the same in 2026/27 — Brighton are the bookies’ favourites to lift the trophy. It remains to be seen to what extent Fabian Hurzeler rotates his squad in Europe but the 33-year-old tactician has been reluctant to go without Gross in any fixture since the midfielder rejoined Brighton in January. The aforementioned Kostoulas will also be on the radar of many Dream Team bosses. The Greek striker has registered three goals and three assists across his last three outings, earning 36 points in the process. He’s now level with Alexander Isak (£6.4m) on 46 points, joint-fourth among players in his position but just one point behind third-placed Jorgen Strand Larsen (£3.4m). Kostoulas currently appears in just 0.7% of teams! Comment now