The Echo understands several clubs have registered an interest in the former Sunderland winger, with Brighton expected to sanction a loan move this summer
Former Sunderland play-off hero Tommy Watson is attracting interest from several clubs ahead of a potentially significant loan decision this summer, The Echo understands.
West Bromwich Albion, Leicester City, Hull City, West Ham United and Derby County have all registered an interest in the 20-year-old as Brighton weigh up the next step in his development. Preston North End could yet return to the picture, too, after showing interest in Watson before his February move to Millwall.
Watson and his camp now face a major decision over where his future lies for the coming season, with potential options across League One, the Championship and the Premier League. At this stage, a Championship move is viewed as the most likely destination.
Brighton remain big admirers of Watson, having signed him from Sunderland in a deal worth around £10million last year. The Seagulls handed the winger a long-term contract when they moved to secure his signature, underlining how highly they rate his long-term potential. The sense around the player, however, is that the next phase of his career needs to bring regular football.
Watson’s first year away from Wearside has been something of a stop-start one. He made 10 appearances for Brighton during the first half of the 2025-26 campaign and marked his debut with a goal after coming off the bench in a 6-0 EFL Cup win over Oxford United.
Premier League opportunities proved harder to come by, though, and Watson joined Millwall on loan in February in search of further senior experience. That switch reunited him with former Sunderland head coach Alex Neil, but the winger went on to make just 12 appearances for the Lions before the end of the campaign. Given Watson is still only 20, the feeling is that his next move is a particularly important one.
Those close to the player are understood to be keen for him to play games on a consistent basis, and any loan will be assessed through that lens. The priority will be finding an environment where Watson can build rhythm, confidence and consistency over the course of a full season. Competition at Brighton is also fierce and could become even tougher before the end of the transfer window.
Born in Horden, he joined Sunderland’s academy at under-nine level and progressed through the ranks at the Academy of Light before making his senior debut against Huddersfield Town in April 2023. A back injury disrupted the early part of his 2023-24 season, but Sunderland underlined their faith in him by handing him a new three-year contract in September of that year.
His real breakthrough came during the 2024-25 campaign, when he scored the first league goals of his professional career in Sunderland’s 2-1 Championship win over Stoke City. Those performances helped attract serious Premier League attention, with Brighton moving early to secure a deal in April 2025. The transfer was confirmed before Watson officially linked up with the south coast club at the start of June, but his Sunderland story still had one unforgettable chapter left to write.
Watson came off the bench in the Championship play-off final against Sheffield United and scored the stoppage-time winner that completed Sunderland’s dramatic 2-1 comeback at Wembley, sealing the club’s return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.
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