Anders Dreyer departs for Denmark in £850,000 deal
Brighton’s first bit of business of the January transfer window is done. The Albion have confirmed the departure of development squad winger Anders Dreyer to Danish giants FC Midtjyland for a fee of £850,000.
Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of Dreyer. He was signed in August 2018 from Esbjerg for a reported DKK 15 million, which weighed in at the time at around £1.5m.
Brighton were moved to pay that sort of money after Dreyer enjoyed a stellar season in the Danish second tier. He helped Esbjerg to promotion with 18 goals in the 2017-18 campaign, including a hat-trick in the second leg of their promotion play off against Silkeborg.
That gave him a career total of 23 goals in 49 senior appearances in the top two tiers of football in Denmark, a respectable total for a right winger yet to reach his 21st birthday.
In England, Dreyer scored four goals and claimed three assists for Simon Rusk’s Under 23s in 14 games in the first half of the 2018-19 season.
Dreyer moved on-loan to Scottish Championship strugglers St Mirren last January, playing eight games before injury curtailed his season. He scored one and assisted two but it wasn’t enough to stop the Saints finishing second bottom of the table.
A regular in the Denmark Under 21 squad, Dreyer went to the European Under 21 Championships last summer. He started the Danes’ final group game, setting up Jacob Rasmussen with an excellent corner for the second goal in their 2-0 win over Serbia.
Following Graham Potter’s appointment, some believed Dreyer might be one of the young players who would be afford a first team opportunity under a manager who wouldn’t be afraid to give development squad players a chance.
Instead, Dreyer found himself being sent to Eredivisie outfit Heerenveen on a season long loan. This has proven to be something of a disappointment with Dreyer starting just one game and making 10 further substitute appearances, scoring once.
With Potter seemingly not a fan and Dreyer at an age where he probably needs first team football, a return to his homeland will suit all parties. He joins a Midtjyland who have their sights set firmly on winning their third Danish Superliga title.
The Wolves sit top of the table with the league currently enjoying its winter break. They’ve won 16 out of 20 games so far to earn a four point lead over FC Copenagen, although they’ve only scored 32 goals.
12 of their victories so far have been by one-goal, with Dreyer’s signing clearly designed to address their lack of firepower. Dreyer will also get to experience Europa League football with Midtjyland
Dreyer isn’t the first Under 23 player to be sold without playing a league game for the Albion – and he certainly won’t be the last as Brighton look to turn their development squad into a profit-making player farm.
Alejs Mateju was famously signed for £2.5m from Viktoria Plzen in 2017 before being sold to Brescia for £4m in the summer. That makes Mateju our third biggest export ever after £8m Leonardo Ulloa and £5m Connor Goldson.
Mathias Normann meanwhile cost £1.2m from Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt in 2017 and departed for Rostov in Russia for £1.5m a year ago.
