Adam Lallana looks highlight of Albion's summer window

It has been that sort of strange – hopefully unique – year.

Adam Lallana had said his Liverpool farewells and mentally drawn a line under that chapter of his career by the time Albion walked out in their new kit at Burnley on the final afternoon of 2019-20.

His arrival represented a flying start, as did that of Joel Veltman for less than £1 million.

What we probably did not realise back then was that it would be the extent of significant incoming business at a first-team level.

That is if you exclude Ben White, who is new to the squad but not to the club.

White stayed – but he was always going to, despite hopeful clamour from some Leeds fans.

Lallana has shown glimpses of what he can add, in both home matches and even when he went on fairly late at Newcastle.

Veltman has not had significant chance to shine in the Prem as yet.

You get the feeling neither have really got going, especially Veltman. But that is fine. It is a long, long season.

At the time, the deals were seen as Albion acting quickly.

Actually, transfers don’t happen that quickly. Not usually. Not if you are doing your research and going for players other clubs want.

The “sudden” swoop for Veltman was two years in the making.

Albion had been on to Lallana since midway through the previous season.

Had those two players come into the club yesterday, it would have been hailed as an exciting deadline day.

Instead, three outgoing loan deals – two of them for players who first signed for the club from the Polish league – represented a predictably quiet final day.

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Only Burnley appear to have spent less than Albion this window, and that was the money they sent south in return for Dale Stephens. And only Clarets fans seemed more disappointed than Seagulls followers.

Is that fair? Or is it surprising the way the market has NOT obviously slowed down in some areas, despite the pandemic?

The timing can be important in perception of transfer business.

Would Albion fans have been less demanding had the window closed two weeks previously, after the win at Newcastle?

Did watching the feats of Ollie Watkins for Aston Villa against Liverpool on Sunday evening make it tougher to accept Albion would not be making a similar addition?

Villa have certainly found some money amid the pandemic if you also include the arrival of Emiliano Martinez and Matty Cash plus the big further investment in Jack Grealish.

As it is, there will be concerns among Albion fans.

But the public message from Graham Potter that he is happy with his squad is one reinforced by what we are told more privately by club sources.

Albion went into January comfortable with their attacking resources and that did not change this summer.

Lallana when he really gets into his stride should be an asset and make others better too.

Eight goals from four games should be seen as encouraging.

But, if anything, it is scant reward for the possession Albion have enjoyed, the near misses they have suffered and the promising positions they have established.

One would imagine they would have bought a striker ready to score goals in the Premier League if possible.

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There have been moments. They were interested in Almeria centre-forward Darwin Nunez and were reported to have offered £25 million.

What the wages would have been is unknown but would perhaps have been less eye-watering for a player from the Spanish second tier looking for a stepping stone than they would have been for other targets.

But Benfica eventually scraped together the funds to get him once their proposed deal for Edinson Cavani fell through.

(For the record, Nunez has started all three of Benfica’s league games so far, staying on until the closing stages each time. They have won them all and scored ten goals but Nunez has yet to open his account).

Around that time, there was also excitement when Nicolas Gonzalez was pictured relaxing in Alexis Mac Allister’s living room.

It was a social visit. The Stuttgart and Argentina star went out with his mate from back home to a well-known Latin American restaurant in Hove during his trip and there were jokes over dinner about him signing for the Seagulls.

Of course, the pursuit of a striker – the often discussed younger and more mobile version of Glenn Murray – is not a laughing matter.

It felt like there was demand from some areas to make what would have been Albion's most expensive ever signing, including fee and wages, at a time when they were facing their biggest ever financial challenges.

That man might prove to be Andi Zeqiri but it would be unfair to expect too much for him too soon.

Potter is convinced he can work with and get more from players at his disposal, most of whom were themselves once signings who caused excitement and were seen as the immediate answer.

Ultimately, the window did not live up to its incredible start.

But there are reasons for that and reasons why the squad can certainly still be good enough to improve on last season.

As Potter might put it, Brighton's Got Talent.