Former Brighton and Hove Albion coach Inigo Calderón has shared his surprise that the club are willing to let Igor Julio join Real Sociedad this summer.
[El Diario Vasco](https://www.diariovasco.com/real-sociedad/igor-julio-animal-gana-duelos-buen-pie-20250626000953-nt.html) have an interview with the coach this week, in which he lavishes praise on the 27-year-old and feels Fabian Hürzeler’s style of play may have hindered him.
Julio has been heavily linked with a move to Sociedad throughout this week. Reports in Spain have indicated he already has a personal agreement with the Spanish club, who need to replace loanee Nayef Aguerd.
Brighton are believed to be happy to let the defender go, as he’s fallen down the pecking order at the club and they’ve already signed Diego Coppola to bolster their defensive options next season.
Calderón is surprised by that, though, having watched Julio when he was Brighton’s U18 coach and been left with a very positive impression of him.
_“Igor Julio is an animal, a centre back that I really like,”_ he said.
_“I was the Brighton U-18s coach for 18 months and I know the players because we are very close to the first team. I have seen Igor daily, especially during Roberto de Zerbi’s tenure. We shared a training ground and often stayed to watch the sessions._
_“The first thing that comes to mind is that Igor is an animal, a centre back I really like for many reasons. He wins duels and has a good footwork for releasing the ball, both passing and dribbling._
_“He’s a very good kid and a great professional. It’s not easy to start without playing, and he didn’t complain a single day, quite the opposite. It’s surprising because Brazilians tend to be somewhat problematic depending on where they come from, and Igor isn’t like that at all.”_
Julio now finds himself out of the picture and looking to secure a move away after just 16 appearances and 1230 minutes this season.
That was largely due to a hamstring injury, which limited his playing time considerably and ultimately saw him fall behind others in the pecking order.
Calderón, though, believes that manager Fabian Hürzeler should also shoulder some of the blame for the issue.
_“He would fit into the blue-and-white team’s style of play,”_ he added.
_“Igor is much better suited to the controlled style of football that De Zerbi had, rather than the rock and roll that the German Hürzeler is currently promoting at Brighton._
_“Real Sociedad’s style of play could be much more similar to that of the Italian manager, and that’s where Igor excels, since he has a great foot. He doesn’t let the ball burn him and has a knack for finding passes and breaking pressure lines.”_