Brighton sign midfielder Yasin Ayari for £5.2m from AIK
The latest young player you have never heard of but whom Brighton will attempt to transform into someone worth £80 million has arrived at the Amex after the Albion completed the signing of midfielder Yasin Ayari.
Brighton have paid £5.2 million to secure the services of the 19-year-old Swedish international from AIK in his native land. Ayari has signed a contract through until 2025.
Hailed as the future of Swedish football, Ayari made his AIK debut as a 17-year-old in 2020. He went onto play 13 times in 2021 as AIK finished runners up in the Allsvenskan.
A breakthrough 2022 season followed in which Ayari made 28 appearances in all competitions, scoring four times and assisting twice.
That form was good enough to push Ayari into the reckoning for the Sweden national team. He made his debut in a 2-0 friendly win against Finland earlier this month and earned a second cap three days later as second half substitute as Iceland were beaten 2-1.
As with all Brighton signings these days, Yasin Ayari is versatile enough to cover numerous positions. The majority of his AIK appearances have come as a typical central midfielder but he has also been used as a holding player and a number 10.
Ayari has even been deployed out wide on occasions. One of his five career goals came from right midfield whilst his runout against Iceland for Finland was on the left wing.
A number of Italian clubs were said to be tracking Ayari, who Brighton have had a longstanding interest in. His arrival is therefore not linked to the future of Moises Caicedo.
Some media outlets have reported that Ayari’s signing will give Arsenal and Chelsea a boost in their quest to sign Caicedo.
Rather, Ayari has come in with one eye on the future as a potential replacement for either Caicedo or Alexis Mac Allister in six to 18 months time as opposed to the here and now.
In terms of immediate plans for Ayari, Albion technical director David Weir told the official Brighton website: “He will need time to settle here and acclimatise to the Premier League, but we are really looking forward to working with him.”
That sounds like Ayari will remain in England instead of heading out on loan. Should that be the case, he could make his Albion debut before the end of the campaign with the middle of the park an area the Seagulls look a little light in.
Brighton sadly lost the services of Enock Mwepu when The Computer was forced to retire in October with a heart condition.
It remains to be seen if Jakub Moder will feature this season as he continues to work his way back from the ACL injury he suffered against Norwich City last April. And with Adam Lallana, there is always the risk that his body made of glass will shatter at any point.
Roberto De Zerbi has shown he is not averse to giving young players opportunities. Evan Ferguson, Julio Enciso, Andrew Moran and to a lesser extent Kaoru Mitoma have all made their Premier League debuts since De Zerbi took charge.
We will watch with interest how that latest teenage recruit from abroad fares at the Amex.
