When he was kicking a football along the busy streets of Lusaka, the Zambian capital, as a child, the thought of forging a career in Europe may have seemed a distant dream to Enock Mwepu, never mind playing a part in the rise of one of his generation’s great players.
But after joining Red Bull Salzburg in 2017, having been a standout talent in Zambia’s victorious side at the 2017 Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations, that is exactly what he has done. For two years later, he was joined at the Austrian side by Erling Haaland.
Mwepu, who signed for Brighton & Hove Albion for about £20 million in the summer, recalls the assists he created for Haaland and Patson Daka, his fellow Zambian who is now at Leicester City.
“For me, it was nice [assisting Haaland and Daka] because the two guys are born goalscorers,” Mwepu says. “Playing behind them is something that is easy for a midfielder. You know that once you give them the ball, they’re going to score and make things easy for the team. Of course some they missed, which I was really pissed off with, but they made it easier for me as a midfielder and I always try to help them get on the scoresheet as much as possible.”
Haaland, who left Salzburg for Borussia Dortmund after only a year, has been linked with several high-profile clubs, including Manchester City. Mwepu believes that the striker would “definitely” be a hit in the Premier League.
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“He’s a guy who is hungry for success. He wants more. He wants to score goals, he’s energetic, he’s fast, he’s strong, so he’s just that guy who really wants to have everything. He doesn’t want to leave anything. Imagine if they served a meal, he doesn’t want to leave something on the table, he just wants to eat everything. He’s someone I was motivated to see and train with, because it’s rare that such a guy is so motivated every day, every time, and have that energy . . . [to go] on and on, regardless of what they achieve. I was really motivated to play with him.”
If learning from Haaland helped then, having a fellow Zambian in the Premier League is benefiting Mwepu now. He and Daka followed almost identical paths to the English top flight, but they find themselves on opposing teams.
Mwepu, 23, came off the bench in Brighton’s 2-1 league win over Leicester in September, in which Daka was an unused substitute.
Leicester then prevailed on penalties in their Carabao Cup meeting in October, when Mwepu scored but then had his spot kick saved in the penalty shoot-out, while Daka converted his penalty to help Leicester into the quarter-finals.
“We WhatsApp each other about the games. How we are training as a group, is everything OK, are you enjoying your time? We support each other, we talk about things that can improve ourselves. We’re not into clothes and cars, those things we have put aside to help each other.”
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As we chat over Zoom, Mwepu’s beaming smile provides a bright light on a cloudy winter’s afternoon. He speaks about life in the “intensity” of the Premier League, the fans — “They make it more beautiful when they’re chanting” — and settling in on the south coast with his wife, Matilda, and being recognised while out having walks on the beach.
I become a little apprehensive when approaching the next topic but Mwepu, having briefly paused, says: “I get emotional when I try to talk about him. It’s OK, I can say something.”
Changwe Kalale was one of his country’s rising stars. The former Zambia Under-20 midfielder, who received his senior cap in a friendly match against Ivory Coast in October 2014, was left paralysed in a road accident. He died three years later in December 2017 aged 23. “We grew up together, yeah my best friend. Everywhere I was, he was there with me from school ... we were like twins.
“I think he was even better than me. He was really good. When I think of that day it makes me really sad. I have no doubt he would have been [playing in the Premier League]. As I speak right now he should have been one of the players here, one of the best players Zambia would have produced because at under-17s, they called him into the national team. It’s just unfortunate he was in an accident. He was in a wheelchair for a while, he tried to recover, but I think it was just the will of God for him not to live.”
Mwepu finds solace through his Christian faith and reconciles that “I play for him and get most of my playing time for him and I know to meet one day in heaven and continue to play again”.
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Kalale knew Mwepu’s nickname was “The Computer”, and that moniker came to good effect when Mwepu opened his Premier League account with a stunning strike at Anfield in October. Anyone who witnessed Solly March’s assist for Mwepu in Brighton’s pre-season friendly at Luton may have had an idea of what could follow from Mwepu, a lifelong Liverpool fan.
“The Liverpool game, it was a big game for me,” Mwepu says. “We were 2- 0 down and they [had a goal] disallowed. That was the moment that we thought we could pick ourselves up. Me scoring that goal? I really meant it because I watch a lot of Yaya Tourés games. He used to curl in [from] those areas a lot, so for me it’s an opportunity when I’m in those areas to try to do that as well. I’m glad it went in. I was happy to see my dream come true that game. For sure it’s one of many to come.
“I saw Alisson Becker wasn’t on his line and the moment Solly March passed to me I was, ‘I’m going to try to chip him,’ and I think the perfection of the pass was really fine, it was good, it was on point.”
A point at Anfield is no mean feat either. However, Brighton have drawn eight in a ten-match winless streak, and Mwepu understands that in the Premier League nothing is a given. “If you manage to get a point you have to be happy about it. The expectations of the fans are high, they see the quality that we have. I think we as players can take responsibility and try our best to get the points for them and hopefully we can win games.”
The postponement of yesterday’s game against Covid-hit Tottenham Hotspur means that Mwepu and Brighton will have to wait until Wednesday’s match against Wolverhampton Wanderers as they seek their first top-flight win since September. Mwepu will be ready.
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“I do things that people don’t even expect,” he says. “Those are the moments that I feel like that’s what I’m capable of doing and I want to try to do that most of the time and improve myself.”
