Tzimas signed, two deals collapse & other Brighton news from the last 14 days (Brighton news roundup Feb. 1-15)
Brighton are back
Two weeks, two wins against Chelsea for the Albion. Let’s get caught up on all the Brighton news (besides the big wins) from that period.
Transfer News
Incoming Transfers
Stefanos Tzimas - Transfer confirmed, loan deal also agreed
Negotiations for Stefanos Tzimas were ongoing heading into the final days of the window. The club later confirmed the deal was done on deadline day. Most reports say that the 19-year-old Greek striker was signed for around £21m. Tzimas was immediately sent back on loan to Nuremberg, where he will spend the rest of this season.
Tommy Watson - Deal for Sunderland winger falls through on deadline day
Multiple outlets on deadline day reported that Brighton had agreed to pay £12m for Sunderland winger Tommy Watson. The 18-year-old even was reportedly in Brighton for a medical. However, the deal collapsed when Sunderland asked for Simon Adingra back on loan as a part of the deal.
Some reports claimed that the Black Cats also asked for a mandatory buy option in the Adingra loan deal should they get promoted. talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook said any enquiries about Adingra were a non-starter for both Brighton and the player. He also reported that the Albion are likely to go back in for Watson again this summer.
Clement Bischoff - Move for Brøndby left back collapses
According to David Ornstein and Danish reporter Farzam Abolhosseini, Brighton and Brøndby agreed to a record-breaking €8m deal for left back Clement Bischoff on February 5th. Just days later, while the player was in Brighton, the transfer collapsed.
Abolhosseini clarified that this was due to Bischoff feeling that “the terms of his agreement in Brighton were changed.” While not stating it explicitly, the reporter also implied that Brighton could try to sign Bischoff again this summer, as he was not expected to join until this summer anyways.
Nicolas Kuhn - Brighton one of three clubs chasing Celtic winger
Brighton could be set to raid Celtic for another £25+ million transfer. According to TEAMtalk, the Bhoys want £26m for Nicolas Kuhn. Brighton, Newcastle, and Brentford are the biggest names who have been linked to the German winger.
Chris Rigg - Albion tracking another Sunderland teenager
CaughtOffside has reported that Sunderland are preparing to let go of 17-year-old winger Chris Rigg this summer. Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea, Newcastle, Man City, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, and Brighton are just some of the clubs who could move for him this summer. The Black Cats are expected to request around £25m for the wonderkid winger.
Tom Fellows - Brighton linked to West Brom forward
Daily Express reporter Tom Fellows revealed after deadline day that Brighton, Ipswich and Southampton were “keen on” signing West Brom winger Tom Fellows in January. Everton were also interested. The Toffees nearly agreed to a £12m deal for the England U21 international.
Fellows has been the Championships’ best creator this season, with 11 assists in 32 appearances for the Baggies. Brighton and the other clubs mentioned are expected to try and sign Fellows again in the next window.
Roony Bardghji - Seagulls keeping tabs on Copenhagen wonderkid
A report from TBR Football has listed Brighton among the several teams “keeping tabs” on Swedish wonderkid Roony Bardghji. The thrust of the story is Chelsea’s interest, but the Albion are named alongside Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Newcastle as clubs who are “in contention” for his signature in the summer.
Tottenham tried to sign Bardghji from FC Copenhagen in January 2024 for £21.5m. The bid was rejected, but TBR Football believes Copenhagen would be willing to sell Bardghji for less than that amount in 2025.
Armando Obispo - Albion interest in PSV center back revealed
Dutch outlet Eindhovens Dagblad has revealed that Brighton were interested in signing PSV center back Armando Obispo. The 25-year-old opted to extend his contract rather than join Brighton or Hoffenheim, who were also interested.
If Brighton being interested in a left-footed, PSV center back sounds familiar, you’re not crazy. The Seagulls had multiple bids for PSV’s Olivier Boscagli rejected last summer. His contract expires this June. Brighton are expected to be one of many teams who will try to sign him then.
Ibrahim Maza - Hertha midfielder with low release clause linked to Brighton
SportBILD newspaper (via Sport Witness) have linked Brighton to Algerian midfielder Ibrahim Maza. The report claims that Maza’s contract with Hertha Berlin contains a staggeringly low €10m release clause.
This attractive clause has led Atlético Madrid, VfB Stuttgart, Olympique Marseille and “half of England” to also show interest in the 19-year-old. Newcastle, Brentford, Wolves, and Southampton are all believed to be tracking Maza.
Joel Ordonez - Brighton “in the hunt” for Ecuadorian center back
TBR Football has reported that Brighton are one of multiple Premier League clubs interested in Club Brugge center back Joel Ordonez. Liverpool, Tottenham, and West Ham are also tracking the Ecuadorian. His international teammate Moises Caicedo is allegedly trying to convince Ordonez to join Chelsea.
Outgoing Transfers
Kaoru Mitoma - Hurzeler reveals Saudi bid details, Chelsea linked
After Brighton’s FA Cup win over Chelsea, Fabian Hurzeler revealed that Kaoru Mitoma made it clear to the club that he was not interested in joining Al-Nassr following their massive €65m and €75m offers for the winger.
“He never asked the club to respond to that offer,” Hurzeler said (via The Argus).
If a report from Fichajes is to be believed, Chelsea could soon make a bid for Mitoma. The Spanish transfer blog claims the Blues are willing to bid up to €90m for the Japanese winger this summer. However, just hours later, Fichajes said that Brighton will demand over €100m for Mitoma, so it’s hard to take either report seriously.
Simon Adingra - Marseille bid revealed, other clubs interested
While Simon Adingra was not interested in joining Sunderland in January, plenty of clubs were interested in signing him this January. According to Ivorian journalist Malick Traoré, as many as seven teams expressed interest in the winger last month.
Marseille, Traore claims, even bid £20m for Adingra. However, he added that Brighton had no intention to sell this January.
Benicio Baker-Boaitey, Ed Turns, Marcus Ifill, Casper Nilsson, Ruairi McConville, leave club in U21 clear-out
Brighton moved on from a number of U21 players in the January transfer window. Cameron Peupion and Imari Samuels were sold earlier in the window, while Benicio Baker-Boaitey, Ed Turns, Marcus Ifill, Casper Nilsson, Ruairi McConville were let go on deadline day. U21s head coach Shannon Ruth called the transfers an “evolution” for his side.
Here’s a summary of all the major outgoings:
Benicio Baker-Boaitey was sold to Millwall for a reported £1m fee.
Marcus Ifill joined Bromley for an undisclosed fee.
Ruairi McConville signed for Norwich for a reported £1m fee (£2.75 with add-ons).
Casper Nilsson was released from his contract.
Cameron Peupion joined Dutch side ADO Den Hag.
Imari Samuels signed for Dundee for an undisclosed fee.
Ed Turns has been sold to Exeter City for an undisclosed fee.
Caylan Vickers - U21 prospect joins Mansfield Town on loan
U21 winger Caylan Vickers was not sold in the January window. However, the 20-year-old has been loaned out to League One team Mansfield Town for the rest of the season.
Other News & Media
Brighton Draw Newcastle in FA Cup
Brighton’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup has earned them a matchup against Newcastle at St James' Park. The match will take place on Sunday, March 2nd at 1:45pm GMT (8:45am ET).
Enzo Maresca humbled
After losing to Brighton in the FA Cup, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was asked what he thought of Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler before their Premier League matchup on Saturday.
Maresca –who has less coaching experience than Hurzeler– said: “I prefer not to say anything about their manager (Hurzeler)...I think the previous Brighton manager (Roberto De Zerbi) is a top manager, not because he’s a friend of mine. But I think he’s a top manager. And that’s it.”
When asked for clarification on if Hurzeler is also a top manager, Maresca said “Thank you very much,” and ended his press conference.
Maresca’s comments thankfully came back to bite him on Saturday.
Tom McGill recalled
Following the injury to Jason Steele, Tom McGill was recalled from his loan at MK Dons. The Canadian international made 25 appearances for the League Two side before being recalled. He will now “compete with Bart Verbruggen” alongside Carl Rushworth & Killian Cahill.