The last week of the January transfer window was a busy one for the Brighton loan army. Igor Julio and Matt O’Riley were recalled from their loans at West Ham and Marseille, while Diego Coppola and Brajan Gruda left the club to join Paris FC and RB Leipzig on loan, respectively.
The Brighton Base takes a closer look at these deals and how the rest of the Brighton loanees performed in the last week.
Evan Ferguson (AS Roma): vs. Panathinaikos and Udinese
Remains out with a thigh injury. Reports from Turkey claim that Galatasaray have shortlisted the Irishman as a late transfer target.
Matt O’Riley (Marseille, then recalled): vs. Club Brugge and Paris FC
Played four minutes from the bench against Club Brugge in the Champions League and was an unused substitute against Paris FC. The 3-0 loss to Brugge would be the Dane’s last match for OM as Brighton recalled O’Riley from his loan on deadline day.
Brajan Gruda (RB Leipzig): N/A
As exclusively reported by The Brighton Base, Gruda completed a surprise move to RB Leipzig on deadline day. The German was eager to accept the move, hoping that it might lead to more minutes ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The attacking midfielder is currently an outsider for Julian Nagelsmann’s side, but could force his way into the team with strong performances in the Bundesliga this season.
Gruda’s first match for RB Leipzig could be this Sunday against Koln.
Diego Coppola (Paris FC): vs. Marseille
Officially joined Paris FC on Thursday. Similar to Gruda’s situation, the Italian reportedly pushed for the move in an effort to increase his chances of playing for Italy at the 2026 World Cup. He was on the bench for Paris’ game against Marseille on Saturday.
Facundo Buonanotte (Leeds): vs. Arsenal
Played 19 minutes as a substitute in Leeds’ 4-0 loss to Arsenal. The Argentinian is yet to make much of an impact since switching from Chelsea to Leeds earlier in the window. He has played just 24 minutes out of a possible 270 since joining Daniel Farke’s side.
Tommy Watson (Millwall): N/A
Officially joined Millwall on Sunday. The winger had struggled for playing time at Brighton this season. Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said: “The move will really benefit his development. It’ll give him significant game time and allow him to build on an outstanding breakthrough season with Sunderland last season.”
Watson’s first match for Millwall could be this Saturday against Wrexham.
Malick Yalcouye (Swansea City): vs. Watford
Played 21 minutes from the bench for Swansea City in their 2-0 win over Watford. The Ivorian has emerged as a regular late-match substitute for the Swans since Vítor Matos took over in November. Yalcouye has started just two of his last 12 matches for the Championship club.
Ibrahim Osman (Birmingham City): vs. Oxford United
Played 87 minutes in Birmingham City’s 2-0 win over Oxford United. The winger hit the woodwork with his sole shot of the game. He won the most duels in the match, with 10.
James Beadle (Birmingham City): vs. Oxford United
Played the entire match against Oxford United. The goalkeeper made four saves.
Eiran Cashin (Blackburn Rovers): vs. Hull City
Played 90 minutes as a left-back in Blackburn Rovers’ 1-0 loss to Hull City on Saturday.
Jeremy Sarmiento (Middlesbrough): vs. Norwich City
Had a four-minute cameo near the end of Middlesbrough’s 1-0 win over Norwich City. It was the Ecuadorian’s first appearance for Boro since leaving Cremonese last week.
Carl Rushworth (Coventry City): vs. QPR
Played the entirety of Coventry City’s 2-1 loss to QPR. The goalkeeper was under fire for most of the match. He faced 15 shots in total and made six saves, including an important backwards diving save to keep out a lobbed header from Richard Kone. However, he also committed an error leading to QPR’s winner, after failing to gather a cross into the box.
Amario Cozier-Duberry (Bolton Wanderers): vs. Burton and Wimbledon
Remains out with a knee ligament injury. It was reported last Friday that the winger will return to Brighton for a second knee scan sometime this week.
Yoon Do-young (FC Dordrecht): vs. Vitesse
Played 83 minutes and registered an assist for FC Dordrecht in their 2-1 win over Vitesse. The winger has started all three matches since he switched from Excelsior Rotterdam to Dordrecht in January. He has two goal contributions in those three matches.
Kamari Doyle (Reading): vs. Exeter City and Northampton Town
Played 87 minutes for Reading in their 2-2 draw with Exeter City on Tuesday. He then started again on Saturday, playing 75 minutes in a 2-0 win over Northampton Town.
Mark O’Mahony (Reading): vs. Exeter City and Northampton Town
Did not play in either of Reading’s matches this week. The Reading Chronicle reported on deadline day that the attacker was in Ireland while Brighton and the Royals considered his future. It’s unclear whether this is still the case. If it is, the Irishman may not be a part of the Brighton loan army for much longer.
Caylan Vickers (Wigan Athletic): N/A
After being recalled from Barnsley earlier in the window, the 21-year-old attacker has joined Wigan Athletic on loan. Brighton and the League One side announced the move on deadline day. According to the Wigan Observer, the Latics wanted to sign Vickers on a permanent deal, but there was not enough time left in the transfer window to complete the necessary medical checks.
Vickers’ first match for Wigan could be this Saturday against Peterborough.
Jacob Slater (Harrogate Town): vs. Fleetwood Town and Crawley Town
Played 90 minutes in both of Harrogate Town’s matches this week – a 2-1 loss to Fleetwood Town on Tuesday and a 2-0 defeat to Crawley Town. Harrogate have now lost six straight matches.