Jason Steele signs new Brighton contract to 2026
The rise and rise of Jason Steele continues with the Brighton goalkeeper signing a new contract keeping him at the Amex until the summer of 2026.
Should Steele see out the deal, he will become the longest serving Albion goalkeeper since Michel Kuipers. Not bad company to be in… especially for a bloke who attracted much mockery when he first arrived at the Amex.
Chris Hughton signed Steele in the summer of 2018. He had just been relegated into League One with Sunderland following a nightmare year in which Black Cats fans labelled him the second-worst goalkeeper in their club’s history.
Steele was brought in by Hughton to serve as third choice and count towards the Premier League’s homegrown player quota.
With Maty Ryan and David Button ahead of him in the pecking order, Steele could spend his time training, watching wow cable television, playing golf at Singing Hills and enjoying leisurely drinks in some of the finest pubs in Hove (actually).
Occasionally, he had to play the odd FA Cup or League Cup match – often with hugely entertaining consequences.
His infamous performance at Newport County in 2021 when he went from looking like someone who had won a cornflake competition in which the prize was playing in goal for the Albion to saving four penalties in a shootout was surreal.
Having patiently waited in the queue behind all of Ryan, Button, Christian Walton and Robert Sanchez at various points over his first five years at the Amex, Steele was unexpectedly thrust into Premier League action by Roberto De Zerbi in March 2023.
A series of high-profile mistakes from Sanchez coupled with Steele being better with the ball at his feet led De Zerbi install Steele as his new number one.
Whereas Steele had been the consummate professional always supporting whoever the number one was at the time, Sanchez threw his toys out the pram before being sold to Chelsea for £25 million.
The difference in attitude between Sanchez and Steele was marked. And it is why Steele has become such a popular figure with most Brighton fans.
There are not many players more deserving of playing Europa League than Steele after all he has been through in his career.
From unwitting comedy figure in Sunderland Till I Die to number one in the sixth best team in the Premier League last season, facing the likes of Marseille and Ajax. It is quite the redemption story.
Steele was even linked with an England call up last season. Scotland explored his lineage to see if he could be capped by the Tartan Army.
The current campaign has not been quite as impressive. Both Steele and new £17 million signing Bart Verbruggen struggled with De Zerbi’s initial plan of regularly switching his goalkeepers so they received a 50-50 split of matches.
De Zerbi to his credit dropped the idea once it became obvious it was not working. Steele has now been confirmed as number one for the time being whilst young Verbruggen learns the ways of DeZerbiBall.
With Verbruggen one of the most highly rated young goalkeepers in Europe and having cost a princely sum, the plan is surely for him to usurp Stele eventually.
When that does happen, you know Steele will act with class and dignity if asked to play backup. It may even be the case he ends up as number three again, should Carl Rushworth be thrust into the first team squad next season once he returns from a year on loan at Swansea City.
The attitude of Jason Steele is why he is worth a new Brighton contract until 2026… and possibly beyond.
