Gyokeres & 5 Players You Probably Forgot Played for Brighton

Viktor Gyokeres made only eight senior appearances for Brighton, while Jesse Lingard spent just three months at the Amex. They are among six familiar names whose brief or overlooked connections with the club are easy to forget.

Brighton & Hove Albion’s reputation is closely associated with players such as Moisés Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Marc Cucurella, all of whom developed at the club before leaving in major transfers.

Not every talented player followed that familiar path. Some arrived on short loans, some spent years away from the first team, and others left before reaching their full potential. One of the players below never made a competitive senior appearance but remained under contract with Brighton for four years.

Here are six notable footballers you may have forgotten were once at Brighton.

Last updated: 18 September 2026.

1. Viktor Gyokeres

Viktor Gyokeres joined Brighton from Swedish club IF Brommapojkarna in January 2018, several years before becoming one of Europe’s most prolific strikers.

The young forward found opportunities limited at the Amex. He made eight competitive appearances for Brighton, all in domestic cup competitions, and scored once in a 4-0 EFL Cup victory over Portsmouth in September 2020.

Much of Gyokeres’s Brighton career was spent away on loan. He played for St Pauli, Swansea City and Coventry City but did not immediately produce the numbers that would later define his career.

Coventry signed him permanently in 2021, and that move provided the regular football he needed. Gyokeres scored 43 Championship goals across two full seasons before joining Sporting CP in 2023.

His development in Portugal was remarkable. After scoring 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting, he completed a major transfer to Arsenal in 2025.

Brighton identified his potential early, but Gyokeres needed several moves and a considerable amount of playing time before becoming an elite striker.

2. Jesse Lingard

Jesse Lingard’s Brighton spell lasted only three months, but it played an important role in the club’s 2013/14 season.

The Manchester United youngster arrived on loan in February 2014 as Brighton pursued a place in the Championship play-offs. Lingard made 17 appearances, scored four goals and added energy to Oscar García’s attack.

Brighton finished sixth and reached the play-offs, where they were beaten by Derby County. Lingard returned to Manchester United after the campaign and eventually became a regular at Old Trafford.

He scored the winning goal in the 2016 FA Cup final, represented England at the 2018 World Cup and later enjoyed a successful loan spell with West Ham United.

Lingard moved to South Korea in 2024 and registered 18 goals in 66 appearances for FC Seoul. In March 2026, he began another unusual chapter by joining Brazilian side Corinthians.

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3. Fikayo Tomori

Before establishing himself at AC Milan, Fikayo Tomori gained some of his earliest senior experience with Brighton.

The defender joined on loan from Chelsea in January 2017, when Chris Hughton’s team was challenging for promotion from the Championship. Tomori was only 19 and had to compete with the established central-defensive partnership of Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy.

He made 10 appearances in all competitions: nine in the Championship and one in the FA Cup. That cup appearance came during Brighton’s surprise 3-1 defeat at non-league Lincoln City.

Tomori’s contribution was limited, but he gained experience inside a promotion-winning squad. Brighton finished second and secured a place in the Premier League at the end of the season.

Further loans at Hull City and Derby County followed before Tomori broke into Chelsea’s first team. He joined AC Milan in 2021 and became an important member of the side that won Serie A in 2021/22.

As of September 2026, Tomori remains an AC Milan player. His short Brighton loan is now only a small part of a career more closely associated with Chelsea, Milan and the England national team.

4. Ben White

Ben White is more closely connected to Brighton than most players on this list, but he made only one full senior season for the club before moving to Arsenal.

Brighton signed White after Southampton released him at the age of 16. Rather than moving directly into the first team, the defender followed a carefully managed loan pathway.

His first major test came with Newport County in League Two during the 2017/18 season. White then spent part of the following campaign at Peterborough United before joining Leeds United for 2019/20.

Under Marcelo Bielsa, White started every league match as Leeds won the Championship title. He returned to Brighton in 2020 and immediately established himself in Graham Potter’s Premier League team.

His ability to carry the ball, pass through pressure and operate in several defensive positions attracted Arsenal’s attention. The Gunners signed him for approximately £50 million in 2021.

White subsequently became a regular in Mikel Arteta’s team, playing both as a centre-back and right-back. His rise showed how Brighton’s loan system could prepare a young player for the first team and significantly increase his transfer value.

5. Robert Sanchez

Robert Sanchez joined Brighton’s academy from Spain in 2013 but had to wait several years for a first-team opportunity.

The goalkeeper developed through loan spells with Forest Green Rovers and Rochdale. Those experiences exposed him to senior football, physical opponents and the aerial demands placed on goalkeepers in England.

Sanchez received his Premier League opportunity under Graham Potter in November 2020. He replaced Mathew Ryan and quickly established himself as Brighton’s first-choice goalkeeper.

His height, distribution and confidence away from his line suited Brighton’s possession-based football. Sanchez made 87 Premier League appearances for the club and also earned senior international recognition with Spain.

Chelsea signed him in 2023, although errors and increased competition prevented him from making the position his own over the longer term.

Following the arrival of Emiliano Martínez at Stamford Bridge, Sanchez joined Como on loan for the 2026/27 season. His career nevertheless remains another example of Brighton turning an academy goalkeeper into an established top-flight player.

6. Leo Ostigard

Leo Ostigard requires an important distinction: he was a Brighton player between 2018 and 2022 but never made an official first-team appearance for the club.

The Norwegian centre-back joined from Molde at the age of 18. Brighton’s defensive depth made his route into the senior side difficult, with Lewis Dunk, Shane Duffy, Adam Webster, Dan Burn and Ben White among the players ahead of him.

Instead, Ostigard’s development took place almost entirely through loans. He represented St Pauli, Coventry City, Stoke City and Genoa while still contracted to Brighton.

Brighton sold him to Napoli in 2022 without giving him a competitive senior appearance. Ostigard went on to win the 2022/23 Serie A title as part of Napoli’s squad.

He subsequently joined Rennes and spent time on loan at Hoffenheim before returning to Genoa in 2025. The Italian club made the move permanent in January 2026.

Ostigard cannot technically be described as a former Brighton first-team player, but his four years under contract and repeated loan spells make him one of the more unusual careers to pass through the club’s development system.

Brighton’s recruitment record is often judged through the players they bought cheaply and sold for major profits. These six careers show another side of the model. Some needed loans before succeeding at the Amex, while others only fulfilled their potential after leaving the club.

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