When Brighton recruited Barcelona’s teenage talent Ansu Fati on a season-long loan on Friday, they pulled off a significant coup.
When Fati first appeared on the scene with Barcelona four years ago, he was considered one of Europe’s most promising players.
However, the 20-year-old attacker had lately plummeted in the hierarchy at the Spanish powerhouses and, rather unexpectedly, had chosen to relocate to the Amex Stadium in an attempt to jumpstart his career.
“This is very beneficial to all of us. Roberto De Zerbi, the manager of Brighton, said, “I’m confident Ansu will help us achieve a new goal and we can help him get back to the level he deserves to be.”
Brighton of the Premier League, who qualified for the Europa League and will be playing football in Europe for the first time, will benefit greatly from Fati’s acquisition.
After joining from Sevilla in 2012 at the age of ten, Fati made history in 2019 by becoming Barcelona’s second-youngest player ever when he entered as a substitute against Real Betis.
After six days, he scored against Osasuna to become Barca’s youngest goalscorer.
He made history as Barca’s youngest Champions League player in September 2019 when he scored the game against Inter Milan in December, becoming him the league’s youngest goalscorer ever.
He played 36 games in La Liga for Barcelona last season, helping them win their first championship in four years.
Fati, a Guinea-Bissau native, participated in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and assisted Spain in the UEFA Nations League earlier this year.
Fati has a one billion euro release clause in his contract, which ties him to Barca until 2027.
As part of the loan agreement, Barca stated that a permanent move to Brighton was not a possibility.