Lewis Dunk cools £40m transfer rumours and says he wants to succeed Bruno as Brighton club captain

Brighton defender Lewis Dunk is keen to succeed Bruno as the club captain on a full-time basis.
Bruno hands Lewis Dunk the armband last seasonBruno hands Lewis Dunk the armband last season
Bruno hands Lewis Dunk the armband last season

Dunk, 27, took the armband for Albion last season in the absence of the Spaniard, who has now finished his playing career and was recently appointed as the club’s senior player development coach.

Dunk, who has been linked with a £40m move to Leicester if Harry Maguire departs, is keen to take the extra responsibility.

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It’s a statement that appears to signal Dunk’s commitment to Albion for the coming season and will no doubt encourage fans who want their key defender to remain at the Amex. Dunk, however has yet to discuss the issue with new manager Graham Potter.

“We haven’t spoken about the captaincy yet, but fingers crossed we’ll have that chat and hopefully I’ll take the armband — we’ll wait and see,” said Dunk, speaking to the club’s website ahead of their pre-season training camp in Austria.

“Bruno is a tough person to follow, but we’d be slightly different captains. He was more of a talker on the pitch, whereas I’m more about showing how much it means.

“I try to lead by example on the pitch and get everyone to follow. Of course I still have to do the talking on and off the field as well, but I think I’d enjoy having the extra responsibility.

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“Last year I had the armband quite a lot when Bruno wasn’t playing and it gives you that extra boost.

“There’s slightly more pressure, because everyone’s looking at you, you’re the captain and you’ve got to lead by example.”

Bruno was an inspirational character at Brighton following his move to the south coast from Valencia in 2012. He made 225 appearances for the Seagulls and Dunk is delighted the 38-year-old will remain with the first team in a coaching capacity as they prepare for their third season in the Premier League.

“We were all buzzing to know Bruno was staying on. We knew what impact he had in this changing room, so to still be around the training ground and working with us every day is going to be unreal.

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“With the experience he’s got in the game, he’s going to help people massively and we can all still learn a lot off him. It’s great to know he’s there for each and every one of us.”

Brighton’s first game of the 2019-20 Premier League season is at Watford on August 10.