On loan from Barca - Can Ansu Fati reset his career at Brighton?

Ansu Fati leaves Barcelona for Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion. “This is a great deal for all of us. I am sure Ansu will help us to reach a new target and we can help him get back at the level he deserves to be," Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi said in a club statement.

The Spaniard will join Brighton on loan until the end of the season. Brighton will not have an option to make the deal for Fati, who remains under contract at Barça until 2027, permanent. Brighton manager De Zerbi has been the driving force behind the deal and, in fact, convinced Fati to join the Premier League side located on England’s south coast. Although Fati’s market value has dropped from €70m to €35m, the left-winger remains one of the 20 most valuable players in his age group.

Fati made headlines when he became the youngest goalscorer in Barça’s history and for the Spanish national team. Last season, Fati scored seven goals and four assists in 36 LaLiga games last season. Fati has managed just 47 minutes over three games for Barça this year. In other words, Barcelona and Fati believe that a reset and significant playing time might be for the best to get the career of the promising 20-year-old going again. 

Ansu Fati to Brighton – Why De Zerbi wants to sign the Barça wunderkind 

Brighton, in the meantime, are looking to rebuild a squad that has lost several key players. In Carlos Baleba, the Seagulls have found a potential replacement for Moisés Caicedo, who was sold for €116m to Chelsea this summer. Baleba arrived from LOSC Lille for €27m and has signed until 2028 with an option for an additional year. Another big-name player that was sold was Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool). Altogether, Brighton have sold players for €187m. 

Some of that money has been reinvested, with the club spending €101m on new players this summer. But the only forward brought in is João Pedro, who was signed for €34.2m from Watford. But with Paraguayan forward Julio Enciso out with a torn meniscus for some time, Brighton needed to add depth to the attack. Fati, in fact, can not only play on the wing but can be used across a three-man attack. 

In fact, some stats highlight that Fati, despite playing a relatively poor campaign, can still be considered one of the brightest talents in Spanish football. According to Opta, the 20-year-old ranked 18th among all wingers with 13 key passes in LaLiga last season and was 16th with 23 successful dribbles and eighth with 21 successful fifty-fifties. In other words, the potential is still there, and De Zerbi believes that he can reawaken that potential. Indeed, Brighton have quickly developed a reputation as a club that gets the best out of players, which might make it the perfect club for Fati to get back to form.