Kiko Seike wins WSL Player of the Month, Bart Verbruggen transfer rumors, & other Brighton news from the last 7 days (Brighton news roundup Oct. 6-12)
International break edition
No men’s matches this weekend, but Brighton Women take on Crystal Palace in a huge WSL match. Read where you can watch that game and all the latest Brighton news from the last seven days below.
Transfer News
Incoming Transfers
Amar Dedić - Man Utd, Brighton, Napoli in the race for Red Bull right back
TEAMtalk have reported that Manchester United “are considering a move” for Red Bull Salzburg right back Amar Dedić. The report says Brighton and Napoli are also interested.
Brighton have previously been linked to the Bosnian international by other more reputable outlets, so this story might have legs. However, TEAMtalk says Napoli are leading the race for his signature.
Roger Fernandes - Braga prospect linked to Brighton
A report from Portuguese outlet O Jogo claims that Brighton are one of 10 clubs interested in signing 18-year-old Braga winger Roger Fernandes. The Bissau-Guinean broke into the Braga first team all the way back in 2021, and scored last week against Porto.
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Ajax, and PSV are the other clubs reportedly keeping track of Fernandes.
Enzo Boyomo - Albion after Cameroonian center back
Spanish transfer blog Fichajes.net claim Brighton are one of several clubs tracking Osasuna center back Enzo Boyomo. The 23-year-old Cameroonian joined Los Rojillos this summer and has been one of the standout players of the club’s strong start to the 2024/25 LaLiga season. He has played every single minute of the club’s season so far.
David Mella - Seagulls target close to signing new contract with current club
Reports from two outlets in Spain—La Voz de Galicia & La Opinión a Coruña—claim that Deportivo La Coruña winger David Mella will sign a new deal with the club soon. The reports also claim that the 19-year-old rejected multiple approaches from Brighton in the last two years. He’s rejected European giants Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Borussia Dortmund.
Mella’s new deal will run through the 2028/29 season. However, Deportivo La Coruña are not in the best situation financially and some have speculated this move is just to increase his release clause. If this is the case the clause is reasonable, Brighton could try to sign him again over the next two windows.
Outgoing Transfers
Bart Verbruggen - Bayern Munich “monitoring” Brighton No. 1
Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg reported on Friday that Bayern Munich are “monitoring the situation” of Bart Verbruggen and that the club views him as a potential replacement for Manuel Neuer. It’s unlikely the Bavarians will make a move for Verbruggen soon though, as they are now working on renewing Neuer’s contract.
In addition to Bayern, Real Madrid were also linked to Verbruggen. Last month, a report from Fichajes.net claimed Los Blancos had Verbruggen on their radar as a possible successor to Thibaut Courtois.
Other News
Brighton Women take on Crystal Palace
While the men are on break for the international window, Brighton Women’s season is roaring on. The Seagulls will play Crystal Palace at the VBS Community Stadium in Sutton at 2pm BST (9am EDT). The match will be free to watch on the WSL’s official YouTube channel in the US and the UK.
Kiko Seike wins WSL Player of the Month
Speaking of Brighton Women, new Seagulls star Kiko Seike has won the WSL Player of the Month Award for September. The Japanese international made history last month by becoming the first player to score a hat trick on their debut. She is now also the first player in Brighton Women history to win the player of the month award.
Fabian Hurzeler & Dario Vidosic to hold digital Q&A
Brighton Men and Women’s coaches Fabian Hurzeler and Dario Vidosic are set to hold a digital Q&A session at 6pm BST (1pm EDT) on Tuesday October 15. Glenn Murray will host the session. You can sign up to attend the event here.
Diego Gomez wins MLS’s 22 Under 22 Award
Inter Miami midfielder Diego Gomez has won the MLS 22 Under 22 Award, which is given to the best player in the league under 22 years old. The 21-year-old midfielder has agreed to join Brighton in January. You can watch the emotional video of him learning he won the award here.
Aaron Connolly opens up on mental health issues and challenges with addiction
Sunderland released an interview with Aaron Connolly on Thursday—World Mental Health Day—to bring awareness to mental health issues. Connolly discussed his battle with alcohol addiction during his time at Brighton and other clubs and the other mental health challenges he has faced in his career.
Notable International Performances
Yasin Ayari hit home a brilliant volleyed goal for Sweden in their 2-2 draw with Slovakia on Friday. He played 62 minutes as a central midfielder for the Swedes.
Yankuba Minteh scored an equalizing goal for The Gambia against Madagascar. It was a bizarre, floated, left-footed effort from outside the box. A very fluky goal, but one The Gambia deserved. The match ended 1-1. Minteh played the full game.
Julio Enciso says he “almost died” after fainting on his flight to join the Paraguay national team. Thankfully, other passengers took care of La Joya. He was fit enough after the incident to play 67 minutes against Ecuador on Thursday.
Injury Updates
Adrian Mazilu to miss around three months after undergoing surgery to address a hamstring injury.
Georginio Rutter was withdrawn from the France U21 after suffering an undisclosed injury.
Carlos Baleba was injured on Cameroon duty. Early reports that he was taken off on a stretcher were incorrect. It’s unclear what his actual injury status is. Hopefully it’s nothing.