Brighton recall Michał Karbownik from Legia Warsaw loan
Brighton have boosted their squad for the second half of the season by recalling Polish left back Michał Karbownik from his season long loan with Legia Warsaw.
Karbownik’s surprise early arrival at the Albion will allow Bernardo to complete a move to Red Bull Salzburg. The Brazilian was not included in the squad for Brighton’s 1-0 win against The Leeds United as talks about a return to Austria with one of his former clubs remained ongoing.
Brighton signed Michał Karbownik for £5 million from Legia in October as part of a double swoop on Poland also involving the £9.5 million capture of midfielder Jakub Moder from Lech Poznan.
Both players were immediately loaned back to their former clubs. It always seemed likely that Moder would come to England in January; his loan was for an unspecified time period and rumours abounded that the Albion could exercise a recall option should Lech be eliminated from the group stages of the Europa League in the first half of the season.
Moder’s return was subsequently confirmed before Christmas. He linked up with his new teammates a couple of weeks ago but is yet to feature in an Albion shirt as Graham Potter eases him in gently.
Karbownik’s loan on the other hand was agreed and reported as being season-long. His recall therefore comes as something as a shock – a very welcome shock given the struggles Brighton have had on their left hand side so far in 2020-21.
Whilst Solly March has been outstanding at left wing back, the cupboard has been bare beyond him. Dan Burn remains a square-peg-in-round-hole solution as a traditional left back. When used in a more attacking wing back role, he becomes a fish out of water.
Bernardo had been hopeless since the day Potter walked through the door, a strange turn of events as he was one of the few players to shine in Chris Hughton’s last season in charge.
Although Bernardo has picked up since Christmas, two decent outings against Arsenal and Manchester City have not been enough to convince Potter that he has a future at the club and he now looks set to depart.
As for Karbownik, he looks like quite the prospect. At 19-years-old, he is already a full Polish international and helped Legia lift the Ekstraklasa title last season.
He has played 47 times for Legia and registered eight assists, highlighting his ability as an attacking full back. Karbownik is versatile too; he is also capable of playing on the right flank and as a defensive midfielder, leading to comparisons with Germany’s 2014 World Cup winning captain Phillip Lahm.
Brighton have not only got themselves a new option on the left, but another young, quick and direct option on the right to provide cover for Tariq Lamptey.
Some of Europe’s biggest clubs were reported to have watched Karbownik before the Seagulls swooped to secure his signature. According to the Scottish Sun, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Napoli, Dynamo Moscow, Sevilla, PSV Eindhoven, Real Betis and Celtic had him on their wish lists.
It is at Brighton now where Karbownik will try and make his name. Making an immediate impression may not be possible as Karbownik suffered a leg injury in December which, combined with Poland’s winter break, means he has not played for six weeks.
With a place in Poland’s Euro 2020 (in 2021) squad up for grabs, he will be looking to make an impression sooner rather than later. Another exciting capture by the Albion who we will watch with interest.
