Loans, loans, loans: The Brighton players spending a year away

For most of us, a loan is something that we arrange with a bank and it is likely to last many years. It is long-term pain for short-term gain. For footballers – and right now, a lot of Brighton & Hove Albion players – loans are short-term arrangements with a number of possible reasons behind it and the hope of longer-term success.

Jayson Molumby has become one of the latest players to head out on loan, in his case ahead of a likely permanent move to West Brom. Molumby and around a dozen other individuals officially on Albion’s books will be turning out in another team’s colours this season.

Some are on the way in, some are on the way up, and some, like Molumby, are on the way out. Here is a quick and probably incomplete round-up of the Brighton players set to enjoy loans across the lower leagues and Europe this season…

Also on the way out forever is Florin Andone, off to Cadiz on loan after his brief return from an unhappy and injury-blighted spell in Turkey.

Despite the Albion’s lack of options up front, it is clear the Romanian striker does not feature in Graham Potter’s plans for 2021-22 or beyond.

Another player we are unlikely to ever see at the Amex is Billy Arce. The Ecuadorian winger has been sent on three loans in South America since signing for Brighton in 2018. Currently with Quito, he’s largely been forgotten after a drink driving conviction in 2019.

Polish defender Michal Karbownik has departed for a year with a Olympiakos. Brought in alongside compatriot Jakob Moder for £4.5 million, nobody seems to know quite what the purpose of Karbownik’s move to Greece is.

The club have said it is a great opportunity for him to get regular game time to help him develop. There are also rumours that Olympiacos have an option to buy at £6.5 million at the end of the loan period. One to keep an eye on over the next nine months.

Younger players on loan from the Under 23s and on the way up include defenders Leo Ostigard (Stoke City), Matt Clarke (another at West Brom), Alex Cochrane (Hearts) and Jan Paul Van Hecke (Blackburn ).

Midfielders out for development are Jensen Weir (Cambridge United), Teddy Jenks (Aberdeen) and Ryan Longman (Hull City).

Exciting prospect Reda Khadra has long been touted for a move to Blackburn but that is still to go through, meaning that Andone remains the only Albion striker currently out on loan.

The last on my list is recent Japanese signing Kaoru Mitoma, a winger loaned straight out to Tony Bloom’s Belgian club Union Saint Giloise.

This is due to the same visa requirements that kept Percy Tau, so recently of this parish, away from the Amex for so long before his unsuccessful six-month stay. If and when we see Mitoma in the stripes is for now a big unknown.

We all hope, I am sure, that these loan spells are a success for both the Albion and the players themselves. They either return for Premier League and European tournament glory or advance their careers elsewhere in return for a fee that justifies the club’s investment in their development.

Hopefully, Graham Potter’s squad is, taking into account new signings, existing players and the Under 23s, resilient enough to cover for injuries, suspensions and any further absences due to Covid. Loan players can be recalled if needed of course, usually in the January window.

Many of us thought that Khadra and Ostigard were on the verge of breaking into the first team squad after coming off the bench last season or featuring pre-season. Along with Karbownik and Clarke, they would seem the most likely to be considered for a recall should long-term injuries mount up.

We have seen though that Potter values flexibility, and is willing to use players in roles they are not normally associated with (mostly to great effect).

It seems likely these players will see out their loan periods in the English lower tiers, Scotland or overseas leagues during the 2021-22 season rather than be recalled to fill a specific position where this a shortfall.

They will, of course, be closely monitored and mentored by Dan Ashworth’s team as they progress. Finances and Potter’s coaching style favour youth development, so temporary transfer arrangements out of Brighton will only continue to grow in number.

Let us hope several of these loans pay off sooner rather than later.