When The Dagger plunged into English football with Brighton

PLAYERS and fans alike couldn’t quite believe it when a Spanish international known as The Dagger made his first and only plunge into English football with second tier Brighton.

Vicente – no need for a surname, although in full it was Vicente Rodríguez Guillén – lit up the Amex with sublime skills and ball control.

Simply a magician with the ball at his feet, Vicente glided past opponents with astonishing ease and literally had supporters on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what he might do next.

“The romantic in me hopes that Vicente, nicknamed El Puñal, the dagger, in Spain, proves to be the sharpest bit of transfer business this season,” Rob Bagchi said of the signing in The Guardian.

So, enough of the nickname, what about the player? Here was someone who had made 340 appearances for Valencia, the majority under Rafa Benitez, and helped them to win two Spanish league titles and the UEFA Cup.

His talent had been rewarded with 38 caps for Spain over four years, including representing his country at the Euro 2004 tournament in Portugal (“Spain’s best player of the tournament” according to seasoned watcher Guillem Balague). He’d previously won 44 caps across various younger levels.

Albion manager Gus Poyet, who had played for Real Zaragoza in Spain for seven years, ‘sold’ the club to the gifted left winger and described Vicente’s signing in September 2011 as “a major coup”. It was certainly quite a statement of intent for the club’s first season at the Amex.

The player himself told the matchday programme he’d always wanted to play in England, to sample the football culture, “which is totally different to what we have back home”.

He added: “When I spoke to Gus Poyet about coming to Brighton, it really excited me. I wanted to come to a club that plays good football, exciting and attacking football. I have discovered that since I arrived.”

38 caps for Spain
Vicente arrives at the Amex

Born in Benicalap, a working class neighbourhood of Valencia, on 16 July 1981, he played youth football for C. F. Unión Deportiva Benicalap.

His professional football breakthrough came after a successful trial at the city’s then tier two side Levante. He was just 16 when he made his debut for them in 1997 and three years later he joined Valencia.

In a 2016 interview with Brian Owen of The Argus, Vicente spoke of his admiration for Benitez, describing him as a top level coach ahead of his time.

“When he arrived at Valencia and applied his methods, along with his coaching staff who were also top class, the results were incredible,” said Vicente. “He transmitted a winning mentality. He took care of all aspects of the game, the training sessions, the preparation of a footballer. He has an enormous capacity for work.

“And he has had success at Valencia, Liverpool, Chelsea, Inter, Napoli – there’s a reason for that. As a coach he could always get the best out of you, which is key for a player and for a team.

“He would demand the absolute maximum – but on the other side he was the sort who would help you during troubled times and just get the best he could from you. I like that. Having demands placed upon you is what helps you grow.

Valencia trophy winner under Benitez

“I’ve got the best possible memories of Rafa, no doubt. With Rafa we achieved goals with Valencia which have never been repeated.

“It is very hard to battle for the league with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid and we won two titles in three years, we did the double by winning the UEFA Cup. They were the best years in the recent history of Valencia.”

The teammates Vicente joined up with at Brighton could scarcely believe a player of his pedigree had signed.

“His left foot was unbelievable,” Gary Dicker told Andy Naylor, of The Athletic. “He wasn’t that fast but he was so quick with the ball. He could drift past players and, if he got away from you, you weren’t catching him.”

Centre-forward Craig Mackail-Smith added: “His ability and the way the Spanish are brought up, the way they look after the ball and move it, you could just see why Real Madrid wanted to buy him. He had everything; left foot, right foot, acceleration. He was just a fantastic player to have at the club for everyone to learn from.”

In spite of his long list of previous achievements, Vicente explained his decision to move to Brighton in an interview with the matchday programme: “This is not about status or money, this is about enjoying my football again – and I believe I am at the right club to do that.

“The first four or five years at Valencia were the best of my career, where I won titles at home and in Europe, but the last year was hard because I didn’t have a good relationship with the coach (Unai Emery) and didn’t play much football.

“It was sad that things ended that way but I left because I wanted to play more. I am only 30, so have a few good years left in me. I can still improve and I want to help Brighton to the highest level possible.”

Vicente lets fly away to Burnley
Instant impact on debut against Liverpool

Vicente made an instant impression on Brighton fans when he replaced Will Buckley on the hour of Albion’s Carling Cup third round match at home to Liverpool.

The Spaniard was felled in the penalty area by a wild Jamie Carragher tackle and Ashley Barnes converted the spot kick, although Liverpool won the tie 2-1 courtesy of goals by Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt.

“If we can get him fit for the pace and craziness of the English game, he will be an unbelievable player for us,” Poyet told the media after the game.

Fitness was an ongoing issue for Vicente throughout his career. It had caused friction during his time at Valencia and it would ultimately lead to a schism with Poyet that curtailed the player’s involvement in Brighton’s colours too.

Within weeks of him scoring his first Albion goal on his first start, in a 3-1 defeat at Ipswich Town, he was unavailable for nine matches due to a thigh problem.

By December 2011, perhaps showing the first signs of frustration, Poyet told The Argus: “He’s fit. For whatever reasons, he’s just had every day a little bit of pain and aches. He couldn’t really be pain free, so he didn’t train with us more than once or twice last week.

“If everything went all right over the weekend then he should be training with us today but I don’t think he is ready to play 90 minutes.”

The Uruguayan added: “We were convinced he would take us to another level but we have lost him for many, many games so far. We need to make sure he recovers. I am still confident that he will bring a lot.”

Alas, Vicente continued to be absent for several more weeks suffering from adductor, hamstring and groin problems. Even after he’d made a goalscoring return in March, he admitted: “I’m not 100 per cent yet, but I’m almost there. I’m feeling better and I hope I’ll be at 100 per cent very soon. With luck the injury problems are behind me and I can keep the shirt.”

He was speaking after scoring twice having gone on for Craig Noone in the 57th minute of Albion’s 10 March home game against Portsmouth. He whipped off his shirt and earned a booking from Mike Dean after scoring direct from a free kick in the 75th minute and then, in injury time, he buried a cross from Kazenga LuaLua to clinch a win.

“The emotion that came out after the free-kick was simply because I hadn’t played for so long and the celebration showed how happy I was to have helped the team,” he said. “It’s been hard for me but that’s football and I’ve just had to keep working.

“It has been frustrating to have so many injuries, missing so much of the season and not being able to be in the team or play in recent games, but to come on and do well made me very happy.”

Vicente celebrates a goal

Captain Gordon Greer said: “The things he did against Portsmouth he does all the time in training and it’s just a shame we haven’t seen more of him this season. He’s the player who can change a game for us.”

Vicente had a one-year contract with the Seagulls but the club had an option to keep him another year, which they exercised. However, the player didn’t show for pre-season training ahead of the new season, apparently unhappy at the option being activated.

With his partner having recently given birth to their second child, and settled at home in Valencia, Vicente was keen to stay in Spain and join Elche, a side where his former Valencia coach Fran Escriba had taken over.

But Poyet was insistent Vicente should honour his contract and told Owen, of The Argus: “When a player is under contract you expect him to be here. Then there can be unhappiness, there can be decisions, there can be negotiations, there can be problems, there can be discussions, there can be 100 things between a player and a club.

“That’s normal because not everything is always perfect. But we will deal with it internally.”

By the first week of July, a delighted Poyet announced on the club website: “Vicente will be with us next season and to know he will be part of the squad is fantastic news for the club and our supporters.

“Too much has been made of the situation but Vicente’s had some personal issues to resolve before being able to return to England; nothing to do with football or financial issues.

“These issues have been resolved now and everyone is happy.”

Vicente takes control against Chelsea in a pre-season friendly

He played and scored in the curtain-raiser 3-1 friendly win over Chelsea at the Amex, appeared in the first competitive game of the season, a 3-0 reverse against Swindon Town in the league cup, and went on as a sub in a 0-0 draw at Cardiff, but he was then missing from the squad for four months.

When veteran Albion reporter Naylor took a look back at Vicente’s Brighton spell in a March 2021 article for The Athletic, Greer, the skipper at the time, told him: “Vicente was struggling with his fitness. Gus wanted him to play but Vicente didn’t feel he was ready to play or, for whatever reason, couldn’t play.

“I think Vicente felt the way Gus spoke to people at times wasn’t to his liking. I know he wasn’t happy some of the time and not feeling confident about his body.”

Greer added: “We could only imagine how good he would have been if he’d stayed fit, or how good he was when he was slightly younger and playing all the time.”

Last Albion game home to Wolves

The best Albion fans saw of him in the 2012-13 season came in back-to-back home games in February 2013 when he scored in a 1-0 win against Hull City and a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers three days later.

He made only seven starts plus six appearances off the bench across the whole 2012-13 season and his last involvement was in the final game of the normal season, a 2-0 win over Wolves. Poyet didn’t pick him for either leg of the play-off semi-final loss to Crystal Palace.

After his release from the club at the end of the season, Vicente vented his feelings about Poyet via The Argus declaring him “the worst person I’ve come across in football” and describing him as “selfish” and “egocentric”.

Eight years later, Vicente told The Athletic’s Naylor how his relationship with Poyet was good at the beginning “but there were decisions I did not understand. Training sessions were fun but always the same”.

He went on: “I don’t hold a grudge against him. I suppose he was trying to get the most out of the team at the end of the second season and the relationship did not go well then.

“There were details that, as a professional, I did not like. I have not spoken with him again. I think he could have been clearer in some situations.”

Vicente retired a year after leaving Brighton and for a while was part of the technical team at Valencia. He then became a partner in a player agency.

Reflecting on his time with the Seagulls, Vicente told Naylor: “I was very comfortable in the city and with my team-mates. The fans always treated me very well and I enjoyed playing every game at the Amex. I feel very proud to have been part of the club. I will always carry them in my heart.”

The player also told Owen of The Argus: “It’s a source of pride that the Brighton fanbase hold me in such high regard.

“I’d have loved to have played more for them because I knew the fans liked me. The connection with them was excellent.”

In action for Spain
On the ball for the Albion

Leo Østigård: the Norwegian defender who got away

THE WORLD CUP became something of a centre-back marketplace for Brighton, but what about the one that got away: Leo Østigård of Norway.

Østigård was only ever on the fringe of Albion’s first team and spent the majority of his time under contract with the club on loan in the Championship or Europe.

Yet he has since won more than 40 caps for his country and he was so committed to Ståle Solbakken’s Norway squad in the United States that he watched his partner, Aurora Eidmann, give birth to their son on a video call!

“I’m totally exhausted, but it was really fantastic,” Østigård told The Sun’s Emillia Hawkins. “She did an amazing job. I was not able to say that much. The only thing I could do was to support her and help her do the job. I’m so proud.

“It’s difficult to understand it. When I saw him for the first time, I broke down. I’m so happy and proud. The greatest thing I ever experienced. No doubt.”

Defending for Norway at the World Cup

The birth came a few days after Østigård scored in Norway’s 4-1 Group I win over Iraq (when Manchester City’s Erling Haaland got a brace). A sub in the 3-2 win over Senegal, Østigård returned to the starting line-up for the 4-1 defeat to France.

He sat out the last 32 win over Ivory Coast and moments after going on as a 95th minute sub against Brazil in the last 16 match conceded a penalty that Neymar converted.

Østigård plays his club football at Genoa, the fourth club he was on loan to from Brighton (in the second half of the 2021-22 season), although he’s had three other clubs (Napoli, Rennes and TSG Hoffenheim) since departing the Seagulls.

Albion bought him from Norwegian Eliteserien side Molde FK when he was 18, initially to link up with Simon Rusk’s under-23 squad.

At that point he’d already represented his country multiple times at under 16, 17, 18 and 19 levels. He subsequently played for the under 20s and under 21s and made his full international debut in March 2022.

Born in the small Norwegian town of Åndalsnes (at the mouth of the River Rauma and at the foot of the Romsdalshorn and Trollveggen mountains) on 28 November 1999, his father captained the local team and the young Østigård got his first taste of football on a pitch a three-minute bike ride from his house.

“When I was 14 or 15, I started training with the first team, and I travelled by bus every day after school to Molde (1 hour 15 minutes’ drive), to play for one of the best clubs in Norway,” he told ligue1.com in an October 2024 interview. “At 16, I finished school in Åndalsnes and moved to Molde with my sister (Rikke), in an apartment.”

He was in the Molde youth team that won the Norwegian Junior Cup two years in a row and, having stepped up to the reserves, at 16 knocked on first team manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s door threatening to leave unless he was involved in first team training.

“A week later, I was training with them. I became captain in pre-season at 17,” he said. “He (Solskjaer) liked me after that meeting, because he saw that I wanted something. If I hadn’t gone to his office, I might never have had this opportunity.”

During his first season at Brighton, he played 12 Premier League Two games (and scored twice in a PL2 victory over West Ham United in December) and Brian Owen of The Argus observed how assured Østigård looked playing alongside Ben White and Ben Barclay in Albion’s Checkatrade Trophy win (on penalties) over Peterborough in October 2018.

He was selected on the bench for a 2-1 fifth round FA Cup win over Derby County in February 2019, hoping it might lead to more involvement with the first team.

Fellow under-21 Viktor Gyökeres did get on as a late sub for goalscorer Jurgen Locadia but Østigård wasn’t called on. Nevertheless, he told the matchday programme: “It’s always good to be involved with the first team; I’ve trained a little bit with them now and I feel good – it’s a step up, but to be in the stadium with nearly 25,000 people was great and a fantastic experience.

Østigård and Gyökeres

“For a Norwegian player to come over to England and be involved with a Premier League team is really good, and obviously makes me very proud.

“I know that a lot of people from Norway are watching me and keeping track of my progress, so it’s always great to be involved in such a big team – football is massive in this country and it’s fantastic.”

He captained Norway at the under-20 World Cup in Poland that summer and caught the eye of the watching media. Owen of The Argus found magazine France Football purring over the young defender for his solid duels and keen passing, noting that his capability for extremely precise long balls showed real technical ability.

Østigård’s first loan away from Brighton was a season-long switch to Bundesliga 2 side FC St Pauli (the German club Fabian Hürzeler coached before Brighton).

His under-23 coach Rusk said: “This is an excellent loan move for Leo and one which comes at the right time for him. I’m sure he’ll learn valuable lessons from a tough season in the Bundesliga 2.

“Leo works extremely hard on the training pitch and his commitment to improve is clear to see, which is always great to see from a player of his age.”

It wasn’t long before he played a part in St Pauli’s first Hamburg derby win in 59 years, when they beat their city rivals 2-0 at the Millerntor Stadium.

“It was fantastic and definitely the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in,” he said. “It was a bit of shock for me because it’s a huge derby game.

“I’m 19 and still relatively new to the club so I had to just try to do my best and not think about everything around the game, but of course it was superb, and everything was so memorable.

“You have to be there to really get a feel for how crazy the fans were. It’s a new step for me and now I know how it feels to play in front of 30,000 passionate fans. I’ll learn a lot from that and it’s exactly what I need at this stage of my career.”

He made a total of 28 appearances for the German club before returning to the UK and being sent on loan to Coventry City for the 2020-21 season. Announcing his “exciting signing”, manager Mark Robins said: “He’s a player with brilliant pedigree, he’s one of the top players for his age in European football.”

When Andy Naylor of The Athletic caught up with the confident young defender in February 2021, he had just been reunited at the Sky Blues with Gyökeres (who’d also been on loan at St Pauli and had spent the first half of the season on loan at Swansea City).

Unfortunately, not only were they not able to play at Coventry’s home ground because of a dispute with the landlord of the Ricoh Arena, when they played at Birmingham’s St Andrew’s it was empty because of the Covid ban on fans.

“To not play on your home ground is a weird feeling,” Østigård told Naylor. “They have some flags on the stands but I remember the feeling last year at Millerntor in St Pauli, it was incredible; so like home. It was hard for teams playing against us to win. It’s not the same here now. I miss that, of course.”

The youngster was forthright too about where his career was going vis a vis Brighton. “I don’t want to just sit on the bench or have no chance of playing,” he said. “I am not at Brighton to sit on the bench. That’s not the point for me.

“I need to be sold or to sign a new contract. I’ve been very honest with them and they know they can’t lie to me or just say the right things. If they don’t need me, it’s better for me to go elsewhere.”

Østigård had a few minutes with the first team during pre-season friendlies ahead of the 2021-22 season, playing the second half of a 0-0 draw with Rangers at Ibrox and going on as a 58th minute sub for Dan Burn in a 3-1 win at Luton. He only got on in the dying seconds of the home 2-0 defeat to Getafe, replacing Joel Veltman.

He signed a new one-year deal with the Albion but with the likes of Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, Shane Duffy, Burn and Veltman ahead of him was then promptly loaned to Stoke City in the Championship for another season-long deal.

Stoke loan turned sour

Brighton head coach Graham Potter said: “Leo has spent pre-season with the first team here and has demonstrated how much his game has developed during his time with Coventry.

“This move to Stoke will hopefully see him play regularly and continue with his progression.”

Østigård told Stoke’s website: “Maybe you have to take the risk and stay at Brighton but right now at my age I just want to play as many games as I can.

“That has been the case for the last two or three years now. I just love to play games and that is my main thing. I feel it is a very good step for me to play another season in the Championship for Stoke.”

Interviewed by Peter Smith of the Stoke Sentinel in September 2021, Østigård said: “When Michael O’Neill got in touch, I was convinced that I could become a part of something really good here at Stoke. He had a plan for the club – and a clear plan for me. My goal is to help the club reach its goal – which is to get back on top.

“I want to give absolutely everything for the fans. That is how I want to be perceived.”

Although he made 14 starts and one sub appearance, he fell out of favour and didn’t play again after November 24, with O’Neill saying: “We felt Leo wasn’t really the type of player we wanted just in terms of building the game.”

However, Stoke fan Rob Salt maintained: “One of the biggest mistakes we made was not signing him permanently. He is a class defender and always wears his heart on his sleeve when he plays.”

On to Genoa – and a change of weather

With his Stoke loan cut short in January 2022, he spent the remainder of the season at Andriy Shevchenko’s Genoa, who slipped to relegation from Serie A.

Østigård observed: “It was completely different again because I was used to the rain and the cold. I felt like a new person because I saw the sun in the morning!”

While in Italy, he caught the eye of Napoli and they bought him from Brighton that July. The fee may have been undisclosed but wearebrighton.com reckoned it might have been as high as £10m for a player said to have cost £100,000, pointing out: “Brighton’s policy of signing young players and developing them into coveted talents is one that works” and adding: “Disappointing though it is to lose a player with the potential to have a huge career ahead of him, Brighton have at least extracted a big fee from Napoli.”

A scorer for Napoli but not enough starts for his liking

 Albion’s then technical director David Weir said: “Leo’s had really successful loan spells in Germany, Italy and here in the UK in the Championship with Coventry City and Stoke City, so it was no surprise he attracted such interest from a top Italian club like Napoli.

“He is also keen to play regular senior football and establish himself as a permanent player. That was not something we were able to guarantee for Leo, so the transfer is good for both clubs and the player.”

He struggled to get starts at his new club but in October 2022 scored his first goal for Napoli as he helped secure a 3-0 Champions League win over Rangers – their 12th win in a row and 16th without defeat from the start of the season.

Although he valued the experience of being at such a big club, he was frustrated at too frequently watching from the sidelines. He told ligue1.com: “It was difficult, because it was the first time I didn’t play every game. I wasn’t used to it and I hated it.

“The first year, the results were excellent, we had no injuries, it was almost the same team in every game (Napoli won the title in 2023). So, it wasn’t easy to watch from the bench, but you have to stay professional. And when you play, you have to seize the opportunity. We won the championship for the first time in 33 years, it was incredible.”

After two years in Italy, next stop was Rennes (right) in France in July 2024 for €7,000,000 but six months later, after 18 Ligue 1 and French Cup appearances, he was on the move again, switching to Germany and Bundesliga side TSG Hoffenheim on loan.

“In Leo, we have found a centre-back with the qualities we were looking for in the final stretch of the winter transfer period,” said Andreas Schicker, TSG’s managing director of sport.

“Despite his young age, he is already an internationally experienced player. He is an uncompromising defender who doesn’t shy away from a duel. That’s why we’re convinced that Leo will give our game the stability we need.”

TSG just managed to avoid relegation and in July Østigård returned to Italy, and Genoa, initially on loan before the move was made permanent in January 2026.

Technically gifted Davy Pröpper a top talent in Albion’s midfield

DUTCH INTERNATIONAL Davy Pröpper was a mainstay of Albion’s midfield in the club’s first three seasons in the Premier League.

He joined for a reported £11.7million (a record at the time) from PSV Eindhoven and instantly became a regular in the side as a holding midfielder alongside Dale Stephens.

Describing the 25-year-old as “a strong competitor”, Albion boss Chris Hughton said: “There is no doubting his pedigree, Davy has played a number of matches in the Champions League for PSV, as well as international football for the Netherlands.”

The player said he had spoken to Danny Holla (a much less successful Dutch midfielder who played for Brighton between 2014 and 2016) who told him good things about the club and the city.

Pröpper told Nick Ames, of The Observer, he knew it was time to move on from PSV after they’d been eliminated from the Europa League play-offs at the hands of the Croatian side Osijek in early August 2017.

“There were other clubs interested, but not from England, and the Premier League was very important for me. I’d been really close to joining Zenit St Petersburg in the winter break; they wanted to pay a lot of money but PSV didn’t want to sell me at the time and I wasn’t especially disappointed. I preferred to move on in the summer.”

Pröpper succeeded Beram Kayal as Stephens’ regular midfield sidekick and, in a matchday programme interview, declared: “We are working really well as a partnership – Dale’s a great player. My partnership with him is probably the best of my career, although this is the first time I’ve played in a formation where we have two holding midfielders.

Pröpper hailed his midfield partnership with Dale Stephens

“We are the shield in the team and maybe we don’t get noticed as much as other players. But we’re happy with that. I think we are underrated as a pair but I also think that not being in the spotlight is a good thing for us. We can just get on with what we do.”

He may have felt underrated, but his former PSV coach, Phillip Cocu, who managed Derby County in the Championship in 2019-20, was full of admiration, telling The Athletic: “He was an absolute quality player in the sense of his technical ability.

“He controls the ball but his vision in the game and his awareness is so high. His endurance is unbelievable. He can go 120 minutes up and down if he needs to.

“He developed excellent vision. He is a very complete player. He has a good size, a good tactical interpretation of the game and his technical part of the game is excellent.”

Hughton’s successor Graham Potter was also impressed. He told The Athletic in March 2020: “He’s a very, very good player. He plays in the Dutch national team in front of Van Dijk and alongside (Frenkie) de Jong. You have to be good to do that. I like him as a person. He’s quiet but, when he speaks, he speaks with intelligence. I think he is enjoying his football and he’s a joy to work with.”

Pröpper up against Virgil Van Dijk

When Van Dijk was asked about his compatriot after Liverpool edged a 2-1 win over the Albion in late 2019, he said: “Davy is a fantastic player. He is very important for our country and a great guy.”

Pröpper almost always looked comfortable playing in England’s elite league and, for example, a hip swerve and pinpoint cross with the outside of his boot for a Pascal Gross goal at Old Trafford in January 2019 was described by Albion writer Scott McCarthy as “an outrageous piece of skill from an outrageously talented player.”

Pröpper admitted: “To line up in midfield against all these great players is something that helps bring the best out of my game and was a reason why I wanted to come to the Premier League in the first place.”

Fans weren’t always convinced, though, some viewing him as a bit languid at times. However,

Pröpper scores one of his only two Albion goals away at Leicester

wearebrighton.com declared: “Surging runs forward from midfield became a trademark move. Pröpper was one of our most talented players and would frequently do things that other players couldn’t.”

The one thing missing from his game at Brighton was goals. He had found the net seven times in each of his last two seasons with Vitesse Arnhem, then scored 22 goals in all competitions across two seasons at PSV.

He only scored twice in 121 games for Brighton yet he scored three in 19 appearances for his country. Fourteen of those caps were won while he was at the Albion.

In action for his country against England’s Dele Alli

Propper explained: “All the clubs before, we played three in midfield and one holding, I wasn’t holding, so it was more like a ten or eight. That’s changed a little bit but if I have a chance, I need to score.”

Goals aside, during his second season with the club, Pröpper was sure his game had improved. “I can think and act a bit quicker when I get the ball now,” he said. “I realise that I need to know where my teammates are, otherwise opponents here take the ball off you so quickly.

“Obviously the Premier League is very different to the Eredivisie, so it took a period to adapt to the pace of the game here, but I feel comfortable playing in the Premier League and I’m enjoying my football.”

Enjoyment was obviously a decisive factor for Pröpper and having made 110 league and cup appearances, his last season with the Seagulls was a major disappointment. A combination of increased competition in midfield, a niggling Achilles injury picked up in pre-season, illness and the Covid pandemic limited his involvement and led to him falling out of love with the game.

In a passionate farewell to Brighton, Pröpper said: “Football is difficult, people go in separate ways, but I have made a few friends for life here. My time with Brighton I will never forget.”

He reflected: “It was tough coming from Holland to England because it is such a big change; the physicality is at a much higher level. The way the game is played here is completely different in terms of intensity and there was a period of adaptation. But we did well from the off and have always proved that we deserve to be at the top level.”

Although he returned to his former club PSV Eindhoven (left) in the summer of 2021, six months later he quit football at the age of just 30 and his old Albion boss, Potter, said: “We spoke at length with Davy when he was here and supported him through a tough time in his life.

“It is not easy to start the process of thinking ‘maybe football is not the right thing for me.’ It is a big decision to make and I think Davy has made a brave one.

“He was a Dutch guy living in the UK in lockdown, so he didn’t get to see much of his family and friends and that was an added pressure.

“For me, he was a great guy to have around, was always professional and was always trying. But that is life sometimes, these things happen and people want to do different things and I fully respect that.

“He had all our support while he was here and we wish him the best now. I have nothing but good things to say about Davy both as a professional and as a person.”

The player himself said: “During the period that I was abroad, I noticed that I slowly lost the pleasure of football. I found it extremely difficult to muster the discipline necessary to perform optimally and to let my life completely be determined by the busy football schedule.

“The Corona period and the lack of visits from family and friends did me no good then either.”

Explaining that making the decision to quit felt like a relief, he added: “This is how I know it’s the right choice.”

Born in Arnhem, the eastern Netherlands city close to the German border, on 2 September 1991, Pröpper was the eldest of three footballing brothers, all of who were coached by their father, Peter, at the local amateur club VDZ in their formative years. Centre-back Robin has mainly played in his homeland but spent the 2024-25 season with Rangers in Scotland. Mike, also a defender, has included Den Bosch among Dutch clubs he’s played for.

Early days at Vitesse Arnhem

After two years at VDZ, Davy spent the next four years with the academy at Vitesse Arnhem, the club he’d supported as a boy, before turning pro aged 16 in 2008 and making his first team debut two years later.

Pröpper played as a striker in his formative years and only switched to midfield at Vitesse when he was 20. Before that, in common with other Dutch youngsters, he was encouraged to play in different positions, although he said: “In some ways it’s good, but in other ways not so good because you need to keep improving in your best position.

“But I did learn a lot of different things playing in different positions and I think as a midfielder that has helped me.”

It would seem Pröpper had something of a crisis of confidence when his Vitesse career didn’t progress quite as quickly as he’d hoped and he told Ames, of The Observer, in September 2017: “I went to see someone, I guess you’d call him a motivational coach, and it helped me a lot at the time.

“He told me that events were there to be shaped by me, and not about the choices a trainer or somebody else makes. It led to a change in my career; when I didn’t play, I was able to throw the problem away a little bit. I didn’t keep disappointments in my head.”

After 162 appearances for Vitesse and scoring 21 goals, in 2015 he moved up a level and joined PSV Eindhoven, explaining to Hames: “Taking that internal step was the best route for me. I needed some time just to see how it goes and feel comfortable.”

A highlight during his time with PSV was scoring the winning goal at home to CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League that sent the club into the last 16 of the competition for the first time in nine years. He also only missed one league match as PSV won the Eredivisie title for a second season in a row.

Having spent a year out of the game following his decision to quit, Pröpper had a change of heart and tried to revive his career back where it all started, at Vitesse Arnhem.

He trained for eight weeks before deciding to give it another go, telling the club website: “It’s only when you distance yourself or say goodbye to something, you find out what it really means to you. You get an eye for the positive aspects again. That is, of course, football itself, but also the cooperation, performance and being part of a team and a club.”

He reflected: “I have many happy and warm memories of my thirteen years at this club. Vitesse has shaped me and feels like my home in terms of football.”

It helped that there was a familiar face in his old PSV coach Phillip Cocu, but, alas, he mustered only five appearances and he opened up on the club website, saying: “My return at Vitesse unfortunately did not have the effect I had hoped in advance.

“I regret that enormously. Due to various injuries, I have barely been able to make minutes at my club. Since there is no prospect of better either, I have decided to definitely stop playing football from next season. It’s better that way.”

In March 2026, the Albion welcomed Pröpper back to the training ground at Lancing for an under 15s match between the Albion and Vitesse Arnhem.

Pröpper, who was pictured (right) with fellow Dutchman Joel Veltman, became assistant to Vitesse’s under 15s coach Richard van der Lee in June 2025.

Jurgen Locadia: the big money flop on the World Cup stage

BRIGHTON fans may have been forgiven for doing a double take at the sight of Jurgen Locadia at the World Cup.

The big money flop who only scored six in 46 appearances (23 starts + 23 as a sub) for the Seagulls led the line for footballing minnows Curaçao in Group E at the 2026 World Cup when they lost twice (2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire and 7-1 to Germany) but forced an honourable 0-0 draw with Ecuador.

The Dutchman won 35 caps for the Netherlands across under-17 to under-21 levels, but switched allegiance to Curaçao (the Dutch Caribbean island his family came from) who were managed by veteran boss Dick Advocaat, the man who launched Locadia’s PSV Eindhoven career.

Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room, a Miami FC teammate of Locadia, was largely instrumental in persuading other Dutch-born players with Curacaoan roots to join Advocaat’s squad in their unlikely World Cup adventure, which was made easier with the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams.

Although Locadia had been called up to the Dutch senior squad on various occasions between 2014 and 2017, he had withdrawn through injury. When he was fit and selected for games against Belarus and Sweden in 2017, he was an unused substitute.

Locadia scores the winner for Albion against Everton

Locadia’s time with Brighton was a costly disappointment apart from back-to-back matches at Christmas 2018 when he got an equaliser in a home draw with Arsenal and the winner as Everton were beaten at the Amex three days later.

He also buried a decent strike (right) in the March 2019 FA Cup quarter final against Millwall when Albion recovered from 2-0 down, reducing the deficit with Locadia’s shot on the turn before Solly March’s lofted free-kick slipped through ‘keeper David Martin’s hands to equalise. Albion won the penalty shoot-out 5-4.

Debut goal in FA Cup v Coventry

In the same competition, Locadia had made a goalscoring debut for the Seagulls 13 months earlier, converting an Anthony Knockaert cross in the 15th minute as Albion beat Coventry City 3-1 at the Amex.

A week later, after going on as a sub, he notched the fourth goal when Albion beat Swansea City 4-1 at Falmer.

He’d been at the club a month, unable to play because he was nursing a hamstring injury when signed from PSV, but such a start seemed to justify the then record £14.1m paid out for a player who’d already scored nine goals in 15 games for PSV earlier that season.

Boss Chris Hughton declared: “He is a player we have been aware of for some time and it’s been no secret we have wanted to add a striker of his type.

“He is a strong, powerful and quick centre-forward with a real eye for goal, and will increase our attacking options in the second half of the season.

“Jurgen already has a prolific goal record with PSV in the Dutch top division and it is one we hope he can continue here with us in the Premier League.”

Alas, after that early promise other goals were few and far between and a perceived lack of effort together with going public about not wanting to head the ball as well as a seemingly greater enthusiasm for being a DJ and producing house music didn’t endear him to Albion fans.

Born in Emmen in the Netherlands on 7 November 1993, Locadia was only five years old when he got his first taste of football with youth side VV Bargeres.

Spotted by local side FC Emmen, he rose through their ranks and had his first international call-up for the Dutch under-15s.

Tilburg-based Willem II took him on for the 2009-10 season and in June 2010 he joined PSV Eindhoven, where he remained for seven seasons, making 176 appearances, including 118 starts, scoring 62 goals and adding 39 assists across all competitions.

After scoring two hat-tricks in his first dozen games, in May 2014 the Sky Sports Scout feature profiled what it described as “one of the most exciting talents we have seen in recent times”.

Introduced to the first team squad during Advocaat’s reign, the article noted: “The 6ft 3in striker looks to have everything in his locker to take him to the top of the game. Similar in stature to somebody like Patrick Kluivert – it would be very easy to make comparisons between Locadia and the Dutch striking legend.

“Perhaps slightly quicker than Kluivert, it is clear Locadia’s main attribute is his eye for goal – he is happiest in the box. But he is anything but a goal poacher. Two good feet, he is capable of holding the ball up and he is also a real danger when playing off the last defender. All in all, he is a top, top prospect.”

A title winner at PSV Eindhoven

Locadia was part of the PSV side that won the 2015-16 and 2017-18 Eredivisie championships as well as consecutive Dutch Super Cups in 2016 and 2017. He also made a combined 30 appearances in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches.

In less than a year at Brighton, there were already rumblings of discontent which Hughton was questioned about.

While away on international duty, Locadia had told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf of his frustrations at a lack of game time claiming he had not had the chance “to show what I am worth”.

Hughton said the player’s comments were “taken out of proportion” but admitted: “That doesn’t escape the fact that he would like to play more. We expect every player that is not playing so much to think the exact same way.

“I have no problems with his views. He is a very good individual, he trains well and the most important thing is he is very motivated to play here.”

In action in Potter’s first match against Watford

Hughton’s successor Graham Potter had not long been in the hot seat before sanctioning loans for the Dutchman: to Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga and Cincinnati in the MLS.

Yet Potter still seemed to hold out hope that Locadia might turn a corner in an Albion shirt. After reintroducing him to the squad in September 2021, the head coach told a fans forum: “Obviously, he has got an opportunity to show what he can do, he has got talent, he has got ability.

“Things have not quite worked out how he would have liked since he has been here. He has got to knuckle down and show what he can do because there is a player there.”

He made his first Brighton appearance in over two years on 22 September 2021, going on as a 76th-minute substitute for double goalscorer Aaron Connolly in a 2–0 home third round League Cup win over Swansea. In the next round, away to Leicester City, he started in the 2-2 draw when the home side went through 4-2 on penalties.

Three days later, he was an unused substitute in a 2–2 away league draw at Liverpool and his final appearance in the stripes was as a 68th-minute substitute for misfiring Neal Maupay in a home 0-0 draw against Leeds United in November when, according to wearebrighton.com, a loose ball fell invitingly to him on the edge of the penalty area but he fell over his own leg when attempting a shot.

A free transfer to Bochum

Early into the new year, Albion cut their losses and gave the player a free transfer to German side Bochum, Potter telling the club website: “Jurgen is keen to play, and Bochum provides him that opportunity, and the possibility to reinvigorate his career in the Bundesliga, where he has previously enjoyed success with Hoffenheim.”

After just half a season in Germany, his next stop was Persepolis in the Persian Gulf Pro League. But he left Iran in December 2022 amid security concerns after the Dutch government warned its nationals not to remain in the country. There had been nationwide protests in Iran in the previous three months and other European countries like Germany, France and Belgium had also urged their citizens to leave Iran.

Locadia’s next destination was China and he scored seven goals in 23 appearances for Cangzhou Mighty Lions in the Chinese Super League.

From there he moved to Spain and played for Basque side SD Amorebieta, a second-tier side, but, after their relegation, in June 2024 The Sun was reporting he was about to join his fifth club in two years, Alicante-based third division side Intercity.

He scored 10 goals in 24 appearances before heading back to the States in December 2025 to sign for Miami.

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‘Better looking than Best’: George Ley could play a bit too!

I WAS SAD to learn of the recent death of George Ley, a classy left-back who brought higher level experience to newly-promoted Brighton in September 1972.

Ley, who died in a Tiverton, Devon, nursing home aged 80 on 22 April 2026, was a £28,000 signing from Portsmouth not long after Pat Saward had steered the club to promotion to the old Division Two.

It was a level Ley was more than comfortable with having been a regular for Pompey in that division for over five years. At the Albion, he linked up again with his old teammate Brian Bromley who he described as “one of my best mates”.

Interviewed several years later, Ley recalled: “He used to play just in front of me in midfield when I was at full back, that was one of the reasons why I left – to go and play with Brom again in that position.”

History has since shown that manager Pat Saward acted too hastily in breaking up the side that had won promotion from the Third Division four months earlier.

But Ley certainly added extra quality and he became a fixture on the left side of Albion’s defence throughout the remainder of Saward’s tenure, which sadly included relegation back to the third tier.

Fourteen months after signing, when Brian Clough and Peter Taylor took over the reins at Brighton, it was quite a different story for a player once voted the best-looking footballer in the country!

Ley was unceremoniously dumped after Albion had suffered three humiliating defeats in a row (4-0 v non-league Walton & Hersham in the FA Cup, 8-2 at home to Bristol Rovers and 4-1 at Tranmere Rovers) – and he never played for the club again.

George Ley in action for Brighton against Burnley

Clough brought in Burnley youngster Harry Wilson and he immediately took over Ley’s left-back spot, a position he held for the next three years.

Ley moved on to Gillingham for a couple of seasons before heading to the States where he eventually spent the majority of the rest of his life.

Born Oliver Albert George Ley in Exminster, Devon, on 7 April 1946, he went to Dawlish Secondary school and fellow pupil David Hill remembered fondly: “The games master Peter Gale arranged a football tour to Southampton. There was a competition for keepy-uppies with a football, George had to be stopped as he was doing too many!”

Teenage Ley had a three-month trial at Arsenal but didn’t earn a contract, instead joining Athenian League side Hitchin Town. At 17, he moved back to Devon to sign for Exeter City and made his first team debut aged 19 as a left-winger on 11 September 1963 in a 1-0 home win over Carlisle United.

After a run of nine games up until the middle of October, he slipped out of contention and made just five more league appearances as the Grecians won promotion from the old Division 4 in fourth spot. Ley made 18 appearances at the higher level the following season, when City finished 17th.

The excellent Grecian Archive notes that Ley cemented his place in the team after manager Ellis Stuttard, a full-back himself during his playing days, switched Ley to the left-back spot from October 1965 onwards. It records that Swansea showed an interest in him in June 1966 and at the start of the 1966-67 he asked for a transfer.

However, he stayed at the club and made 33 starts in the 1966-67 campaign, before being transferred to Portsmouth in May 1967 for a fee of £8,000. 

He reportedly received a £1,000 signing-on fee and his weekly wage went up from £20 to £30. He made his Pompey debut in the final match of the 1966-67 campaign at Huddersfield.

“This was a special talent swimming in a sea of mediocrity, a player who stood out a mile and was always destined to go on and sample greater things,” wrote columnist Vince Coulter in the south west Sunday newspaper, the Sunday Independent.

At Portsmouth, Ley made 204 appearances in five years and became something of a fans’ favourite. Readers of the Football League Review even voted him the best-looking player in the country – just ahead of George Best.

Ley in his pomp at Pompey
Left-back Ley against Blackpool
Hall of Fame inductee in 2015

As an indication of his enduring popularity among the Pompey faithful, in March 2015 he was inducted into Portsmouth’s Hall of Fame.

In his first full season, 1967-68, Pompey were top of the league at Christmas and looked on course for promotion to Division 1. But they won just three of their final 13 games and fell away to fifth.

There was a highlight in the FA Cup, though, when in February 1968 Pompey beat top-flight Fulham 1-0 in a fourth-round replay. A crowd of 44,050 packed into Fratton Park to see the home side overcome a team that included the likes of Johnny Haynes and a young Allan Clarke.

Portsmouth’s goal was scored by Mike Trebilcock, who’d scored twice for Everton in the 1965 FA Cup Final.

Another titanic FA Cup fourth round encounter at Fratton Park came in 1971 when Double-chasing Arsenal were held 1-1, Trebilcock grabbing a last-gasp leveller.

Ley in the thick of FA Cup action tangles with Arsenal’s Ray Kennedy

In the replay at Highbury, with Pompey trailing 2-1, Ley unleashed a 30-yard shot which rocketed into the top corner to level it up. However, Arsenal won it 3-2, a Peter Storey penalty clinching it for the home side, who did indeed go on to win the Double.

Ley and good pal Brian Bromley reunited at Brighton

There was an amusing anecdote from that match which saw tempers flare in a tense finish and the aforementioned Bromley get sent off. Apparently, with only two minutes of the game to go, Ley hit Gunners full back Pat Rice. Bromley tried to intervene to hold his pal back – and ended up getting the marching orders instead!

There must have been something about the competition that fired Ley up because in a stormy third round FA Cup tie between Brighton and Chelsea at the Goldstone Ground in January 1973, he was sent off in the 85th minute for bringing down Tommy Baldwin from behind and then getting involved in a punch-up with England international Peter Osgood.

There was no defence from manager Saward either, who said: “He will get no sympathy from me. Any of my players who kicks opponents will have to deal with me. The club will not condone it. I will not tolerate it. To do a thing like that is disgraceful.”

On leaving Brighton, Ley played 10 matches for Dallas Tornado in the North American Soccer League before joining Gillingham under Len Ashurst in August 1974.

Ley tackles Albion’s Gerry Fell at Priestfield Stadium


He made his debut against Aldershot the following month and in two seasons with the club made 89 appearances.

According to contributor Richard Fallaize in a ‘Where are they now?’ article, Ley “got roasted by a very young Steve Coppell who was playing for Tranmere Rovers at Gillingham”.

After leaving Priestfield he returned to the States and Tornado where in five years he made 124 appearances, twice being named in the North American Soccer League’s All-Star team.

There’s a picture (below right) of him in action against the great Pele, who was playing for New York Cosmos, and he shared the experience in a letter to Exeter City-100 Club member John Brand.

“I played against Pele four times. In two of the games I had the job of marking hime in a man-to-man role. I saw a lot of his skills from a very close position and it was a great education.

“He was a complete player with great balance, wonderful touch, smooth movement and total awareness. He was always two or three moved ahead of the game. Pele looked at the game of football as an art.

“Pele did play a wall pass against my shins in one of the games. We looked at each other and share a smile. These games were a great experience for a boy from Exminster.”

Between 1979 and 1982, Ley played for indoor Soccer League side Wichita Wings, alongside former Pompey teammate Norman Piper, and he finished his career at Oklahoma City Slickers, where he was also assistant-coach.

When Ley’s Dallas Tornado and Wichita Wings teammate Jim Ryan was appointed manager of  Luton Town in January 1990, Ley joined him as the Hatters’ youth team coach at Kenilworth Road.

Ley and John Moore part of Jim Ryan’s Luton Town coaching staff

A fellow coach was Luton stalwart John Moore, who’d briefly played on loan at Brighton alongside Ley in October/November 1972. Town had Kurt Nogan and Andy Petterson on their books at the time.

Ley also coached at League of Ireland side St Patrick’s Athletic but he returned to the States, settled in Austin, Texas, and coached teams at various levels: youth, amateur and professional such as Austin Sockadillos, River City Rangers and Crossfire Soccer Club.

George Ley pictured in 2022

He returned to Devon in 2018 and, sadly, in his final years suffered dementia. In January 2024, an Exmouth bus driver, Jon Davis, said: “George is a regular on our bus services.

“Unfortunately, I believe George has been suffering from some form of dementia in older years. He’s sometimes very confused but he’s a lovely fella and we all make sure he gets home safe and sound.”

Former clubs Exeter and Portsmouth paid tribute on news of his death and in an obituary in Backpass magazine, Ivan Ponting described Ley as “a pacy, stylish full-back” and Kirsty Fitzpatrick wrote: “I got to know George in his later years and he spoke with such enthusiasm and pride about his football career. He had some great stories.”

Austrian left-back Markus Suttner fell down the Albion pecking order

MARKUS SUTTNER joined Albion only 12 days after his FC Ingolstadt teammate Pascal Gross but to say their fortunes went in different directions would be an understatement.

Gross established himself as a club legend and, although Austrian international Suttner started at left-back as Brighton made their bow in the Premier League, he ultimately played second fiddle to Cameroon international Gaetan Bong in that position.

Albion fans were divided on who was the better option; Suttner was often lauded for the accuracy of his crossing while Bong was viewed as a more aggressive wing back.

Suttner said of himself: “I’m a left-back who can cross and shoot; I have a good left foot for the set-pieces and corners, and I can also help the team with my passion and experience. I want to lead on the pitch.

“I’m a player who worked hard to get to the Bundesliga and I have worked hard again to get this opportunity in the Premier League.

“I want to experience the players and the stadiums here, but most of all I want to have success with Brighton and help us stay in the league.”

Having just turned 30 when he signed for the Seagulls, Suttner added: “At this stage of my career, at my age, it’s the perfect time to play in the Premier League.

“The challenge for Brighton is similar to the one I first encountered with Ingolstadt, with the side having won promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history when I signed.

“Now, this is a new chapter for me and for the club, and to play in the Premier League is one of the best options for any player, so I’m very happy to be here.”

On the ball for ‘The Violet’

Suttner didn’t have far to travel to link up with his teammates after putting pen to paper in the summer of 2017 – Albion were on a pre-season training camp in Austria at the time, in the Alpine resort of Leogang, near Salzburg, where they played a pre-season friendly against Suttner’s future employer, Fortuna Dusseldorf.

The player told the matchday programme: “At the end of last season, I heard there was some interest in me from Brighton and then a few weeks later I had signed.

“It’s a dream move for me and a new challenge for me to come to the Premier League.”

Born in Hollabrunn, 36 miles north of Vienna, on 16 April 1987, his early football career was on the books of nearby SK Wullersdorf and after a year at football boarding school Stronach-Akademie he joined Austria Vienna, the club he’d supported as a boy, in 2004.

Suttner at Austria Vienna

His first professional game was in 2005 against Gratkorn and, in seven seasons with The Violet, Suttner made 260 appearances in Austria’s top division during which time he played in the Champions League and the Europa League.

He won seven caps for Austria under 21s and in 2012 won the first of 20 caps for the full international side, in a 3-2 win against Ukraine. Sixteen of his 20 games were friendlies and four were World Cup qualifying matches. His last international saw him play the first half of his country’s 1-1 draw with Finland in Innsbruck, four months before he joined Brighton.

Austrian international recognition

Suttner held the left-back spot for the opening matches of the season, partly benefitting from Bong suffering with a muscle injury.

The Cameroonian, who’d been a promotion winner with the Seagulls, won his place back in the side just before the October international break and told the Argus: “We are different types of players and everyone knows what I can bring from the two years I have been here – I have given everything on the pitch.

“The manager knows that as well, so it was good for me to have 90 minutes on the pitch to help the team and I’m here when the manager needs me.”

Suttner spoke about the rivalry in an exclusive interview with Andy Naylor, then of the Argus, and said: “We have good competition on the left-hand side with Bong and me.

“I think I have done well in my last games but I think I can also improve in the offence, because normally I have a few assists and goals per season. I hope it will come soon.”

Describing the Premier League as “tough, physical and different tactics from Germany”, Suttner added: “Everybody wants to play every game, that’s normal, but we have a good squad with good competition. We have no problem with each other, what’s best for the team is best for us.”

Expanding on the issues he was trying to overome, he said in a programme interview: “Obviously it’s a different kind of football to what I’ve been used to, and a different country and culture, so I’ve needed time to adapt.

“But I’m getting stronger and stronger and every day I feel you can learn something, in both training sessions and games.”

“I just want to go out and do my best, show my strength in attack but obviously make sure my defensive duties always come first.”

However, after the halfway point of the season, Bong got the shirt on more occasions than the Austrian; Suttner returned for FA Cup ties against Coventry City and Manchester United.

By the season’s end, Suttner had made just 16 league and cup starts plus one appearance off the bench. And his chances of reclaiming the shirt the following season dipped further when, in the summer, Brighton signed Brazilian ex-Red Bull Salzburg and Red Bull Leipzig defender Bernardo.

Now third-choice, Suttner made just one first team appearance, in a 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Southampton at the Amex in August, and, in the second half of the 2018-19 season, he returned to Germany on a half-season loan to Fortuna Dusseldorf.

Hughton said: “Markus has been a great pro since he joined us two summers ago, but he hasn’t been able to play the number of games he would have liked, due to the strong competition we have in the left-back position.

“This move will allow him to play regular football in the top division of the Bundesliga.”

Suttner said in an interview with Austrian online sports outlet Laola1.at: “They (Albion) already told me that it will be difficult for me. But after my son was born in September, I did not want to change in the summer – that would have been too much stress. The family comes first!

“From the summer it was clear that I am only third choice in the left-back position. Gaetan Bong played at the end of the season and was in the lead, so he was number two.

“After that I never really got a chance any more. That’s the way football is. I do not regret the move to Brighton, I played Premier League. It’s part of the business that a few players are always exchanged – now it’s just me.”

Suttner in action for Fortuna Dusseldorf

On his return to Brighton for pre-season training after playing six games on loan at Fortuna, a new head coach was in place in Graham Potter. Nevertheless, Suttner didn’t kick a ball in anger under the new man, and instead completed a permanent move to the Dusseldorf club.

Potter said: “Markus has trained exceptionally hard and been a pleasure to work with during my time here, but this move gives him a chance to play regularly.

“He will be returning to a team that he knows well, and it is a move that makes sense for all three parties.”

Suttner certainly found plenty of admirers at Fortuna having helped them climb out of relegation trouble to finish 10th in the table. Coach Friedhelm Funkel told the Rheinische Post: “Markus is a top-class footballer and a wonderful person.”

After a season with Fortuna, Suttner returned to Austria Vienna and saw out his playing days making 57 appearances between 2020 and 2022.

Reflecting on a career spanning 17 years, Suttner told the Austria Vienna website: “I am happy to have been able to do this unique job over such a long period of time. I’ll soon be 35 and come out of my career injury-free, which is worth a lot to me. I also don’t want to stand in the way of our young guns. I still feel physically fit, but the anticipation of the new phase of my life is too great.”

Coach Manfred Schmid paid tribute to the player, saying: “His attitude to the sport has made him a leader at each of his stations and he has always been able to demonstrate his qualities. Above all, however, he has grown on me as a person.”

Sporting director Manuel Ortlechner added: “Markus Suttner was and is an absolute leader, and he still proves that every day. He has put his bones on the line for Austria for many years and more than deserves to hang up his boots in the summer.

“After his return, he helped Austria to turn the tide and improve its sporting performance and image. It’s a self-determined end to his career, and you can only take your hat off to that.”

Suttner playing for his country up against Gareth Bale of Wales

The European Cup winning captain who didn’t fit in at the Albion

HAVING one former European Cup winning captain turning out for the Seagulls seemed remarkable enough, but then along came another.

Dennis Mortimer lifted that trophy as captain of Aston Villa three years before his former Coventry City teammate Chris Cattlin persuaded him to join the Albion in 1985.

Wind the clock forward to 1991 and Stefan Iovan, who lifted the same trophy in 1986 as captain of Steaua Bucharest, ended a protracted will he/won’t he saga when he joined Barry Lloyd’s promotion-seeking tier two side for a £60,000 fee.

I’d probably go so far as to say, if you ask any Brighton fans who were around when the Seagulls flew to Wembley for the Division Two (Championship equivalent) play-off final in May 1991, Iovan is probably the least remembered member of the side who lost 3-1 to Neil Warnock’s Notts County.

Iovan in action at Wembley

And former Albion favourite Gary Chivers has been pretty damning in retrospective interviews of what he felt went wrong that day.

“It just didn’t happen for us on the day,” he told Luke Nicoli in an April 2021 interview. “They say the buck stops with the manager and I thought we chose a funny line-up and a system that didn’t suit the personnel.

“We brought the Romanian Stefan Iovan in as a sweeper which was a big ask given he’d only just come into the team and the country. He may have been a European Cup winner, but I’d been used to playing alongside Colin Pates at the back – we knew each other’s game inside out.”

In a matchday programme article, Chivers went further and said Lloyd made a “monumental mistake” in playing Iovan as a sweeper when “it was clear he had no pace”.

Chivers reckoned: “Notts County could sense that was our weakness and they were playing balls over the heads of our wing-backs, namely Steve Gatting and myself, and exposing our centre-backs. In all honesty, they were having a field day and young Tommy Johnson – who, of course, would later go on to become a top player with Aston Villa and Celtic – was running rings around poor Stefan.”

After going behind to Johnson’s 29th-minute opener, Albion came close when a Clive Walker header hit the post just before half-time, and Dean Wilkins hit the crossbar with a curling free kick only three minutes into the restart.

But Johnson scored a second on 59 minutes and Dave Regis netted a third 12 minutes later.

Iovan made way for substitute John Byrne, who would certainly have played if he had been fully fit, and Byrne set up Wilkins to make it 3-1 in the last minute.

Born in Moțăței, in the south west corner of Romania, on 23 August 1960, Iovan first played professional football in Resita (150 miles from home) aged 17 and then spent 10 years at Steaua Bucharest, winning 34 caps for his country between 1983 and 1990. He played in a World Cup qualifier against England at Wembley on 11 September 1985, which finished 1-1. Glenn Hoddle opened the scoring for England in the 25th minute and Rodion Cămătaru equalised on the hour mark.

Romanian international
Iovan with the captain’s armband

That European Cup win in 1986 was on penalties against favourites Barcelona and was the first ever European Cup final to end 0-0 after 120 minutes. Steaua were also the first ever Eastern European winners.

Although goalkeeper Helmuth Duckadam was lauded as the hero for saving four Barca penalties, journalist Runar Nordvik wrote: “Stefan Iovan was the right back, the captain and the natural authority in the team.”

The following season, he lifted another prestigious trophy aloft when Steaua beat Dynamo Kiev 1-0 in the European Super Cup.

Long-time Albion-supporting freelance journalist Spencer Vignes described Iovan as “the unlikeliest lad ever to pull on an Albion shirt” and “an absolute colossus” in terms of his CV.

Lloyd had been alerted to Iovan’s possible availability during an Albion pre-season trip to Bucharest, as guests of city rivals Dinamo Bucharest. A fee of £60,000 was agreed in November 1990 but there was a long hold-up in him obtaining a work permit and it wasn’t until February1991 he was able to complete the move. Then it was a couple of months before he was deemed ready to play.

Albion had an outside chance of promotion and Iovan was an unused sub for the home game against Notts County on 13 April before making his debut as a sub in a 1-0 defeat at Portsmouth three days later. I remember standing on the terrace at Fratton Park witnessing his first touch: the ball skewed off his boot straight into touch. An inauspicious start.

A Seagull at last after a work permit hitch

He also went on as a sub the following home game, when the Albion crashed 3-0 to Oxford United. But Lloyd was convinced he’d pulled off a coup, writing in his programme notes for the penultimate home league game against Bristol City: “He arrives at the Goldstone with a record of achievement which arguably puts him on a level higher than any player previously signed by this club.”

Lloyd admitted though: “Compared to other positions, it can take longer for a defender to adjust to the demands of the English game.”

The manager pointed out: “He has been used to playing in a set-up in which defenders mark space – a method which is different from the man-for-man marking system more generally operated in this country.

“Of course, Stefan still has to prove that he can succeed in English football. But we are confident that he has the skill and experience which will enable him to adapt.”

After Albion just edged into the play-offs, a glimpse of what the experienced defender might bring to the party shone out in the two-legged play-off semi-final games against fancied Millwall, when Albion won 4-1 at home and 2-1 at The Den. “Stefan was a giant in both matches, bringing an air of composure and discipline to a back line prone to the jitters,” according to Vignes.

Sidestepping the sort of observations Chivers made of the Romanian’s contribution in the final, the writer maintained: “Notts County proved too strong for us in the final at Wembley, winning 3-1, but with Stefan in our midst the future seemed especially bright.”

And, sounding as though he was trying to convince any doubters, in his programme notes for a pre-season game against Iovan’s former club (Steaua), Lloyd reckoned: “Stefan has become a popular member of the dressing room although he is a very quiet and reserved character. However, now that his English is slowly improving, and he is becoming part of the dressing room banter, he has settled down and obviously is enjoying life in this country.”

Cover of the pre-season friendly game programme

Highlighting the “vital” role Iovan had played as a sweeper in those wins over Millwall, Lloyd pointed out that Albion had continued to play the same system on a three-game pre-season tour in Holland, winning each match.

In broken English, Iovan was quoted in the programme saying: “Pre-season training harder this time but I feel good. I like Brighton. The players, everybody, here very nice.”

Lloyd had said previously he was looking forward to Iovan playing an important role the following season but he was subbed off having started the first two games of the new season (a 2-0 home defeat to Tranmere and a 2-1 loss at Bristol City) and didn’t feature again until November when the side went down 1-0 at Blackburn.

Iovan and son at the Goldstone

He was also on the losing side later the same month in a ZDS area quarter final game at West Ham, when Brighton went down 2-0 although 10 days earlier he’d helped the Albion grind out a point at Cambridge United when emergency loanee goalkeeper Jurgen Sommer was between the sticks.

By the end of the season, when the Seagulls were relegated, Iovan had at least picked up a winners’ medal – but that was only for the reserve side’s 1-0 win over Langney Sports in the Sussex Senior Cup!

Vignes said it was a mystery why Iovan didn’t feature more for the first team, suggesting the player either wasn’t fit enough or was unable to adapt to a flat back four, having been more accustomed to a sweeper system.

Whatever the reason, he departed Sussex with a whimper, returning to his homeland with Rapid Bucharest.

He later coached Steaua, was assistant manager of the Romania national team for a while and remains associated with Steaua as head of youth development.

Stern-faced coach at Steaua

Ex- Man U teenager Miah Oriola getting among the goals for Brighton

ONE-TIME Manchester United youth Nehemiah Oriola has been earning rave reviews with Brighton’s under 21s in the season just ending.

The diminutive teenager has got well into double figures scoring for Albion’s second string and earlier in the season made his first team debut.

Oriola was a constant threat in the under 21s’ Premier League 2 play-off final win over his old club at the Amex last Saturday (16 May). Tyler Silsby’s 57th minute goal secured the trophy for the Albion.

Oriola was only 13 when he moved from West Ham to the north west and after three years with Man Utd he switched to the Seagulls in 2023.

After selection as a non-playing sub for first team games at home to Newcastle and away to Manchester United, Oriola went on to make his debut as a late sub for Georginio Rutter when Albion beat Leeds United 3-0 at the Amex on 1 November 2025.

His Albion under 21s coach, Shannon Ruth, said at the time: “He’s a player that possesses a real threat, but he’s also a wonderful team player.

“He’s dangerous in wide areas, he’s dangerous one v one, he can create, he can score, but he’s also got some wonderful teammate traits, where he’ll defend for the team when he has to.

“That gives him a really good chance because he’s an all-rounder, high-level offensively but really reliable defensively.”

In the under 21s 4 May Premier League 2 3-0 win over West Ham, reporter Nick Szczepanik declared: “Oriola was unplayable down the left” and purred: “Oriola was looking the player most likely to open up the visitors’ defence”. 

Going for the spectacular

The youngster was given his first team breakthrough at a time when Karou Mitoma and Brajan Gruda were struggling with injuries.

Head coach Fabian Hurzeler told Sussex World Oriola was an “unbelievable talent”, explaining: “That’s what we saw so far, that’s why he was in the squad, because he deserved it.

“He’s part of the first-team environment, he’s doing really well in training, he shows some really good things.

“It’s important for him to adapt to the intensity, but he seems to do it quite smoothly.

“He’s a very good left-footed player, he’s very good one-against-one, he shows good reactions when he loses the ball. We’re very pleased.”

Oriola netted a brace (one a penalty) in a 2-1 under 21s win away to Wolves on 16 February and a month later again scored twice when the side hammered Everton 5-0 in Lancing.

He was also on the scoresheet in a 2-2 draw at Newcastle on 27 February and a 2-0 win at Burnley on 16 March. Those goals led to him being shortlisted for the Premier League 2 player of the month award and The Argus interviewed him in early April 2025.

“The first team are all nice people, they bring you into the group,” he said. “I learned a lot from it and then coming back down to the 21s, it’s trying to just implement that and I feel like I’m developing and improving every day.”

The youngster enjoyed the challenge of taking on the likes of Joel Veltman and Ferdi Kadioglu, telling reporter Brian Owen: “It just feels like it’s a good full-back to go up against, professional, so it’s a good test for me.

“I like the challenge whoever I go against in training, which again helps me develop and improve.”

He added: “Going up against them, they are aggressive and they are smart because they played the game at the highest level. That just allows me to develop and say I could do this better now, or now I’m going to do this.”

Hurzeler, who appreciates the youngster’s ability to play on either wing, told Sussex World: “He’s left-footed, but he can also play on the left wing, he’s quite flexible. He’s very good in coming out of tight and narrow space and good in decision-making.

“There are a lot of things he can improve, but I think it’s very important to not focus too much on the weaknesses he has.

“It’s really important to focus on the strength a player has. To give him an understanding of what he needs to do to play for us.”

Hurzeler added: “It’s about him, I said it to him. It’s about how hard he works, it’s about how humble he stays. What does it mean for him to be in the first-team environment?

“Is it like, all right, I’m satisfied now, or is it more like extra motivation to do more, to invest more, to sacrifice more, to make the next step?

“We support and try to give advice, but it’s a decision every player has to make on their own.”

A regular for United’s under 16s

Born on 11 June 2007, Oriola was on West Ham’s books at a tender age but switched to Manchester United in August 2020.

He featured for United’s under 16s and when still only 15 played once for the under 18s as a substitute in a win over Derby County.

He joined Brighton’s academy in September 2023 and his progress was rewarded with a first professional contract in the summer of 2025.

In a January 2026 article for The Athletic, Hurzeler told reporter Andy Naylor how the ball was in the player’s court with regards the next steps.

“It can go this path or that path, the path for a great career, (or) the path where they might end as a great talent, but not (have) a great career. And this decision we can’t do for them. That’s a decision the players have to do on their own.”

Recognising that road ahead, Oriola told Brian Owen: “Mentality is a big thing, a lot of hard work. Not dwelling on the past and just having the momentum to keep going. And just trying to have that personality; if the team needs someone or if the team needs something, trying to step up.”

Looking ahead to a bright future?

Play-offs seeking Seagulls just missed out in spite of Westlake’s guile

LEFT-SIDED midfielder Ian Westlake almost pushed a buoyant Albion into the third-tier play-offs when on loan from Leeds United.

He scored twice in 11 games for Dean Wilkins’ Seagulls in the spring of 2008 but Albion missed out, finishing the season in seventh place, seven points adrift of the play-off places. Westlake’s parent club came fifth (having been deducted 15 points for failing to comply with insolvency rules) and lost 1-0 to Doncaster Rovers in the play-off final.

His Albion goals came in away wins at Luton Town (2-1) and Bristol Rovers (2-0) and Wilkins was full of praise for his contribution, telling the Argus: “He has got good energy and quality on the ball and we have got a good character as well.”

Westlake celebrates with Albion fans at Kenilworth Road

After extending his loan beyond the initial month, the manager added: “He has brought balance to the side by being left-footed but he has also brought his enthusiasm and personality as well.”

The player himself said: “I am contracted to Leeds but now I am a Brighton player and everything is about Brighton for me and that is what I am concentrating on.

“The team have done really well in the month I’ve been here, so it’s nice to be a part of the next one.

“It has been really enjoyable. I want to play, so I am a lot happier at the moment and the boys have made me feel really welcome.”

Swindon Town’s Peter Brezovan blocks this Ian Westlake shot

In a matchday programme interview, Westlake declared: “I really like it down here and I grew up on the coast (he was born in Clacton-on-Sea), so it is nice to get back by the sea.

“If I am here winning games and pushing for the play-offs I would love to stay.”

Westlake was among familiar faces at the Withdean because former Ipswich Town teammate Nicky Forster was among the goals up front and close friend Matt Richards was in defence.

“It’s nice to be in a team with some guys I know and some new guys who are friendly and wanting to win games,” he said.

Westlake’s family were prominent in water sports and, as well as being a talented swimmer, he represented England Schools at water polo.

However, football won out and he joined the Ipswich school of excellence in the early 1990s, signing associated schoolboy forms with Town in September 1998. He progressed to join their academy in 2000 and signed a two-year scholarship.

Tractor Boy Westlake

He signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2002, shortly after George Burley’s side dropped from the Premier League to the Championship, and he has since spoken about how that relegation helped launch his career.

“I might never have played professional football had it not been for relegation,” Westlake reflected in a March 2109 interview with the Colchester Daily Gazette. “Administration meant the club were forced to sell players and that opened the door for people like myself, Darren Bent and Darren Ambrose.

“It gave us our chance and, as odd as it sounds, I personally feel I owe my career to relegation.”

Westlake made his debut in a 1-0 home defeat against Gillingham in October 2002 but spent most of the rest of that season in the reserves. In the first half of the 2003-04 season, he was more often than not a sub but he cemented a starting place from January through to the end of that campaign and was voted Player of the Year.

He was twice a Championship play-off semi-finals loser playing for Joe Royle’s Ipswich against West Ham, in 2004 and 2005, when Bobby Zamora was among the goals for the Hammers.

“Overall, though, I’ve got great memories and was lucky to be part of Royle’s side,” Westlake told the Gazette’s Matt Plummer. “We were so attacking and always tried to outscore sides.

“It was a great way to play football and it’s not something I experienced anywhere else in my career.

“At other clubs we were endlessly drilled on defending and being solid but it was more fun at Ipswich. As players, our freedom levels were through the roof and it makes me smile just thinking about it.

“Don’t get me wrong – we trained hard and were super-fit. But it was all about attacking and in Darren Bent and Shefki Kuqi we had two of the top scorers in the Championship.

“Jim Magilton was so creative in midfield and then players like myself and Tommy Miller had legs and could get from box to box. It was a great team to be part of.”

Westlake racked up 100 appearances (+ 25 as a sub) for the Tractor Boys before joining Leeds in August 2006 for a fee of £400,000 + former Albion left-back Dan Harding in part exchange.

Ian Westake played under Gus Poyet at Leeds United

Westlake made 21 starts + eight appearances off the bench playing alongside the likes of Shaun Derry, Kevin Nicholls and Jonathan Douglas but a groin injury sidelined him for a while and Leeds, by then with Dennis Wise in charge, assisted by Gus Poyet, were relegated to the third tier.

Even so, Westlake enjoyed being coached by Poyet, as he told Andy Naylor shortly after the Uruguayan was appointed Albion manager in November 2009. “Everyone liked him at Leeds,” he said. “He is one of those people that you want to play for.

“Gus did nearly all of the coaching at Leeds so I would imagine he will be quite a hands-on manager. It was always enjoyable. They were good sessions, hard work but fun.”

Although Westlake was a regular in the first half of the 2007-08 season, he found himself on the outside looking in when Gary McAllister replaced Wise in the dugout, and the move to the Albion got him back playing first team football.

As it turned out, any hopes that the move might have been made permanent were quashed by the elbowing of Wilkins as manager in favour of the returning Micky Adams, who had other – ultimately unsuccessful – options to try.

Westlake was loaned out again in the 2008-09 season, linking up with Cheltenham Town. When the Robins entertained the Seagulls in January 2009, as sure as eggs is eggs, Westlake opened the scoring for the home side. However, Albion turned round a 2-0 deficit to salvage a point with a Forster goal and an injury-time equaliser by Adam Hinshelwood.

Westlake at Cheltenham in a midfield tussle with Albion’s Tommy Fraser

Westlake made the move to Cheltenham permanent that month but the same financial problems that led to Lloyd Owusu being freed to join Russell Slade’s Albion rescue mission that spring saw Westlake join Oldham Athletic on loan until the end of the season.

He joined Wycombe Wanderers on a two-year contract in July 2009 but injuries curtailed his appearances to just eight starts and two games off the bench, and he eventually needed surgery on an ankle.

In 2011 he moved to Canada to play for Montreal Impact, scoring twice in 13 games for the NASL side. Future Leeds boss Jesse Marsch said on signing him: “Ian’s soccer qualities and competitive nature make him a very good fit for our team moving forward. I know Ian will come into work every day and give everything he has. He is a real competitor and an excellent player on the field.” 

Ian Westlake in action for Montreal Impact

They re-signed him as they prepared to switch to Major League Soccer but he was released in February 2012 after a new ‘six foreigners only’ ruling came into force.

Disillusioned with football, Westlake returned to Suffolk and started his own lettings and property development business although 18 months later he pulled his boots back on to play non-league for Needham Market, of the Ryman League North.

In an interview with Mike Bacon of the East Anglian Daily Times in June 2013, he said: “I moved to various clubs after Leeds, but it seemed every time I went somewhere within a few months a new manager came in.

“Invariably, you are regarded as ‘a previous boss’ man’, and the new manager moves you on.

“It doesn’t matter what you do, new managers want their own men in. Quite honestly there is only so much of that you can take.

“When the new MLS ruling about six foreigners came into force and the manager at Montreal released me, that was it for me to be honest.”

But he got back in the groove with Needham Market and made 77 appearances across two seasons, even though he was dogged by knee and hamstring problems at times.

A matchday pundit at Portman Road

He hung up his boots at the end of the 2014-15 season, when the side won the Ryman Division One North title, and he subsequently returned to Portman Road as a matchday pundit for the club’s TV coverage of games alongside lead commentator Glenn Wheeler.

In that 2019 Gazette interview, Westlake said: “I don’t really miss football, to be honest. I’ve managed to fill the void with a million other things, including playing table tennis.

“I have my own lettings company and project manage new builds across Ipswich. I always wanted to get out and do other things.

“I had coaching opportunities but never saw myself in that world. It was weird sitting exams again and felt like going back to school but it was satisfying learning something new.

“I’m putting everything into my work and thankfully it’s going very well, but I’ll always be thankful for my years as a professional footballer. They were great memories.”

Goal-getting Chris Iwelumo knew the way to promotion

CHRIS IWELUMO was a promotion-winner with Brighton and Wolves, helping the Seagulls to third tier play-off final success in 2004 and scoring 14 league goals when the Molineux side won the Championship in 2009.

They were two of five promotions he was part of in a remarkable 18-year, 18-club career.

I was at Saltergate on 16 March 2004 when the 6’3” Scot rifled home a 30-yard shot on his debut to extend Albion’s lead to 2-0 over Chesterfield, adding to Guy Butters’ 49th-minute opener.

Iwelumo scores from distance on his Albion debut away to Chesterfield

He’d arrived on loan from Stoke City to replace Leicester loanee Trevor Benjamin, who manager Mark McGhee had hoped to keep until the end of the season, but the terms of his deal didn’t extend to the play-offs.

After that great start against the Spireites, Iwelumo was also on target in home wins over his future employer Colchester United (2-1) and Hartlepool United (2-0) and he got the opener in a 2-0 win at Wrexham.

When Albion did indeed reach the play-offs, it was Danny Coles’ foul on Iwelumo as he charged into the penalty area at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, that earned the penalty from which Leon Knight scored the only goal of the final.

Released by Stoke at the end of the season, his four goals in 13 games for the Seagulls resulted in the offer of a two-year contract to stay in Sussex, but the deal was never signed.

“I loved it there, I absolutely loved it,” Iwelumo told Spencer Vignes, in a matchday programme interview. “I think everyone knew I loved it there and maybe that was used against me contract-wise.

“I was devastated at the time because the whole club was perfect for me,” he said.

The sticking point was Iwelumo’s request for relocation expenses; house prices in Sussex being a lot higher than in the Potteries. Manager McGhee was holidaying in America and not contactable, and, during the impasse, German side Alemannia Aachen steamed in and offered the Scotsman the chance to play UEFA Cup football, which he snapped up.

That adventure didn’t last long, though, and he was back in England lining up for League One Colchester for the 2005-06 season and he top-scored with 19 goals as they were promoted in second place behind Southend United. At the higher level, he bagged 18 before moving on and spending a season at Charlton Athletic, where he scored 10 in a mid-table finish.

Happy days at Colchester United

He remained in the Championship when, as he was about to turn 30, he moved on to Wolves under Mick McCarthy. On signing him, McCarthy said: “I’m delighted. He adds a physical presence and he’s scored goals. His experience will help. He’s a good character and while it’s nice to have youth and desire it’s important to have that experience.”

Iwelumo certainly repaid that faith quickly, scoring 15 goals in his first 16 games. He scored twice on his full debut in the League Cup against Accrington Stanley and twice more on his first league start against Sheffield Wednesday four days later.

But it was a September 2008 game against Preston in which he scored a hat-trick – an overhead kick, a close-range finish and a penalty – but was also sent off that was his favourite Wolves memory.

Enjoying his time with Wolves

The dismissal came after a clash with Sean St Ledger, who he shared an agent with at the time, and even though St Ledger joined him in the ref’s room after the game to say it was all accidental, Iwelumo was banned for three games.

Within a month, an unbelievable miss after he’d gone on a substitute to make his Scotland international debut in a World Cup qualifier on 11 October 2008, went down in footballing history. The Daily Record reported: “On his debut in a 0-0 draw v Norway at Hampden, he missed from two yards out. Manager George Burley turned away in disbelief.”

A reflective Iwelumo told the Terrace Scottish Football podcast years later: “That miss against Norway was a low which ultimately, I like to think, represented a bump in the road of an otherwise successful journey through professional football lasting over two decades.”

Back at Wolves, he only added four more goals after his early season burst and a medial ligament injury curtailed his involvement as the Black Country side went up to the Premier League as champions.

His Premier League appearances for Wolves only amounted to 15 because his start was delayed after breaking his metatarsal on a pre-season tour of Australia, plus competition arrived in the shape of Kevin Doyle, a club record signing.

He had a loan spell at Bristol City looking for game time after another spell out injured, and in June 2010 he was on the move again.

Iwelumo has been asked several times about how things subsequently panned out and in one interview he admitted: “I always go through life saying not to have regrets – only regret the things you don’t do – but my own regret in football is that I left Wolves.”

He was faced with the dilemma of only occasional involvement at Premier League Wolves or a regular playing slot on a three-year contract at then-Championship Burnley under Brian Laws.

On target for Burnley

“The regret is whether I should have stayed and fought for my place at Wolves,” he told Paul Berry, of the Express and Star in April 2022. “Maybe it would have been different, but at the same time I had a family to support and had been offered three years at a good club on the same money as the year I had remaining at Wolves, in a league where I knew I could still do well.

“I loved my time at Wolves though, and the group of players and staff at that time were unbelievable.”

Born in Coatbridge, Scotland, on 1 August 1978 of a Nigerian father and Scottish mother, Iwelumo joined St Mirren as a youngster, and worked his way through the youth ranks before heading to Denmark and spending two years at Aarhus Fremad.

It was from there that he joined Stoke in 2000. His four-year stay on their books was the longest spell at any of his clubs, although he had three loan spells away, as well as his stint at Brighton he’d previously been to York City and Cheltenham Town.

But he was part of the Stoke side who beat Steve Coppell’s Brentford 2-0 in the League One play-off final in Cardiff in 2002. Brentford included Ivar Ingimarsson, Lloyd Owusu and Steve Sidwell, with Mark McCammon a sub.

Proud Preston must have had nightmares facing Iwelumo because after he’d got that Wolves hat-trick against them, he repeated the feat for Burnley in a 4-3 Lancashire derby win in 2010.

A change in management at Turf Moor brought his time there to a premature end; new boss Eddie Howe preferred Martin Paterson and Charlie Austin when they were fit. Next stop for Iwelumo was Watford, managed at the time by subsequent Burnley boss Sean Dyche.

Leaner times at Watford

By then he was 32 and in his first season he played 39 games but managed only three goals, enduring a five-month barren spell in front of goal. The following season he played just eight times for the Hornets and was sent on loan to two League One sides, Notts County and Oldham Athletic, only managing one goal in a total of 14 games at that level.

At Oldham, Iwelumo found himself playing under a manager – and a former Bristol City teammate – who was three years younger. Lee Johnson, at 31, had become the youngest permanent manager in English football in 2013 when he was appointed by the League One Latics.

“Chris actually wanted the job as well when I went to Oldham, so we were having discussions about the job and the club,” Johnson told The Athletic. “One of my first conversations with Chris — remembering he was my friend and helped me get the job — was literally to say: ‘Listen mate, I think your legs have gone, I’m not going to play you’.

“He was saying, ‘This guy has got a bit of b******s to tell me that’. I asked him to effectively be one of my assistants, still come on, still make a difference. He did that fantastically well. That was important. I had to get him onside.”

On his release from Watford, he once again linked up with Brian Laws, who in the 2013-14 season was managing League Two Scunthorpe United. Iwelumo scored twice in 14 games for the Iron in the first half of that season, and looked back on that time in an interview with scunthorpe-united.co.uk, describing how that spell had him making a five-hour round trip from his Midlands home each day.

“There was a lot of things going on at that time, personally as well. I was going through a divorce and that took priority over football to be honest. Understandably, it wasn’t a successful time, or a great time in my career. I was just disappointed that Scunthorpe fans didn’t see the Chris Iwelumo that a lot of other clubs saw. The divorce lasted for about two years and I retired two months after that. “

His last two clubs were Scottish Premiership St Johnstone, where he played eight matches, and English Conference Premier Chester, where he turned out 10 times.

It was some career for a player who’d had an operation at 18 and been told he’d only play football until he was 26 or 27. “I retired when I was 36, but when I signed my contract with Charlton turning 29, I knew I was on borrowed time,” he said. “I had ten operations on my knee in total, and I knew any years beyond that was a blessing.”

Football supporters hadn’t seen or heard the last of him either because he has become a regular pundit on televised football and a familiar voice on talkSPORT.

He earned a Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting degree at Staffordshire University, set up a property company with a close friend, worked on a weekly podcast with Wolves and also worked with Stoke City.

“It’s been hard, but it’s been great,” he said. “I’m still a little bit envious of those guys who go into jobs and work 9-5 because they know what they’re doing every day. The property portfolio gives me a lot of free time to do what I want to do, including the media stuff. It’s very different week-to-week.”