Tag: Austria Vienna

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

Igor’s ongoing struggles for a starting spot

RATHER LIKE Evan Ferguson’s loan move from Brighton to West Ham earlier in 2025, Igor Julio’s temporary summer transfer deadline day loan move to the Hammers proved frustrating.

The sturdily-built Brazilian defender — full name Igor Julio dos Santos de Paulo — who sought a move away from the Albion because of the arrival of competitors in the shape of Diego Coppola and Olivier Boscagli had limited involvement in the claret and blue with only occasional appearances from the bench.

Indeed, it took 12 matches before Igor was given a start for the Hammers — and he was promptly dropped back to the bench after it was felt he should have done better to prevent a late equaliser by Turk Enes Unal in West Ham’s 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.

West Ham watcher Samuel Fabre said Igor, playing in the middle of a back three, was “very easily spun” by Unal who netted Bournemouth’s second goal in the 82nd minute of the November clash after Callum Wilson had put the visitors two up, and Marcus Tavernier reduced the arrears from a penalty.

“However, he showed great signs of promise when dealing with balls into the box, making 11 clearances and three recoveries,” wrote Fabre on westhamzone.com. “The 27-year-old was part of a defence that had to endure heavy spells of pressure from Bournemouth, and it was certainly a baptism of fire for his starting appearance.”

As at Brighton, Igor found others preferred ahead of him: at West Ham, Dinos Mavropanos, Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo. But according to Fabre: “Kilman’s worrying performances have left fans questioning if Igor can do a better job at the back, and it’s clear the Brazilian had a better game against the Cherries.

“Based on evidence from the Bournemouth clash, Igor has a lot of room to improve, however, it feels as if he could slowly become a nailed-on starter for the Hammers.”

That never materialised and he returned to the Albion for the second half of the season after Coppola, frustrated at a lack of games, went out on loan to Paris FC.

Just as Igor experienced at Brighton, a change in head coach at West Hamm didn’t help his cause. Ex-Albion boss Graham Potter was in charge when he made the rather last-minute move to the Hammers; Igor was originally about to sign for Crystal Palace to replace Liverpool-bound Marc Guehi. But while he was on his way to Selhurst for a medical, the Guehi move collapsed.

According to The Athletic, in the week leading up to deadline day, Hammers’ then head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay (previously with Brighton, now head of senior scouting at Manchester United) phoned the Brazilian’s representatives to see if he would be interested in joining on loan.

Apparently, he had been a long-standing target, writer Roshane Thomas saying that scout Maximilian Hahn had held talks with Igor’s camp previously because they needed a replacement for outgoing Moroccan defender Nayef Aguerd.

There had been speculation about Igor’s imminent departure from Brighton throughout the summer but he played left-back alongside Boscagli and Coppola in Albion’s 6-0 win away to Championship Oxford United in the second round of the Carabao Cup before making the move.

“With the competition we have at centre-back, and Igor’s desire to play, this gives him that chance,” said head coach Fabian Hurzeler. “He’s a great professional, and we fully appreciate his appetite to play.

“We will be closely monitoring his progress and we wish him well for the season.”

He left the Amex having never really being able to nail down a starting spot since signing from Fiorentina in July 2023 during Roberto De Zerbi’s reign, in a deal reported to be worth £17million.

Even then he wasn’t a first choice. De Zerbi turned to him after Albion were rebuffed in their attempts to sign Chelsea’s England Under-21 international Levi Colwill on a permanent basis following his season-long loan.

Wanting a left-footed player able to play at left-centre-back and left-back, De Zerbi had recommendations from two Fiorentina players he knew well — Ghanaian midfielder Alfred Duncan played for De Zerbi at Sassuolo for two years and right-back Dodo played for him at Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine.

“Igor is another important player who can help us in a crucial position within the team: where the play starts,” said De Zerbi at the time.

With Albion about to embark on their first-ever European football campaign, Igor certainly had relevant experience having made 110 appearances for Fiorentina in three years with the Serie A club who he joined from fellow Italian team SPAL. He had previously played top tier football in Austria for Red Bull Salzburg, Wolfsberger and Austria Vienna, having started out in the second tier with Liefering.

He didn’t cover himself in glory in his last appearance for Fiorentina though, when they lost in the 2023 Europa Conference League final to West Ham.

Sent on as a sub for cramp-hit starter Luca Ranieri, his lack of pace was exploited when Jarrod Bowen outran him and went on to bury the game’s deciding goal past Pietro Terracciano to win the trophy.

His manager was none too happy. Vincenzo Italiano said: “Igor had just come on, he was fresh, he could’ve run much, much faster than Ranieri, who was exhausted when he came off. I explained to him that he could’ve done much, much better in that situation.”

Born on 7 February 1998 in Bom Sucesso (“Good Success”), a small city 170 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, Igor started out with Atlético Mineiro in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Minas Gerais. He moved to Portuguesa Santista in Santos and he joined Red Bull Brazil after playing against them (although he briefly threatened to quit the game when they changed him from a midfielder into a defender!).

Red Bull Brazil (now Red Bull Bragantino) played youth tournaments in Austria as part of the Red Bull family of clubs and Igor was picked up by Red Bull Salzburg at the age of 18. His introduction to European football came during the 2016-17 season with the Salzburg’s side’s B team, FC Liefering.

In an Albion matchday programme interview, he said he always dreamt of playing in the Premier League having watched it on TV at home. “But I never thought it was anything more than just a dream,” he said. “That’s why, when I got the opportunity to sign for Brighton, I knew just how big the opportunity was.”

He made his Premier League debut on 8 October 2023 in a 2-2 home draw against Liverpool. “I didn’t have a chance to think about the game or get nervous because I was just so elated in that moment. I can’t describe the feeling,” he said.

“I had worked so hard to get here, leaving a small town and now playing at the top level with players like this. It was a unique feeling.”

When he was playing in Italy, he was told he would be suited to the Premier League. “They told me I should play here because of how physical I am,” he said. “I chose Brighton as well because I like possession-based football, the amount of time spent on the ball.

“That was something that really caught my attention and it’s the way I have always wanted to play so it’s perfect for me.”

De Zerbi applauded Igor’s determination and adaptability, telling The Argus: “He is not a surprise but he is playing very well. Not only with the ball or without the ball, but in personality and attitude.”

By the end of that first season, he’d made 24 starts plus two appearances off the bench. But with De Zerbi gone, successor Hurzeler only selected Igor when his first choices were unavailable, although he was generous enough to commend the Brazilian’s attitude and contribution.

He made a total of 12 starts plus three sub appearances in 2024-25 but a good example of what he could do came in the October 2024 comeback 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Replacing the injured Adam Webster after only nine minutes, and the Albion going down 2-0 by half-time, Igor put his stamp on the turnround by setting up Pervis Estupinan for Brighton’s second goal.

“It was a very difficult situation for Igor,” said Hurzeler. “But then to show personality, not hiding, that’s something special.

“He was not hiding to get the ball. He was not hiding to go in duels, and then he played a great second half against Tottenham. I wasn’t surprised by this because I see him every training session and he is an amazing professional.

“He always wants to give the best. He always wants to be the best version of himself.”

At the start of the 2025-26 season, that version didn’t want to spend time on the outside looking in at Brighton. On joining West Ham, head coach Potter told the club website: “He is an experienced defender with a good pedigree, who knows the Premier League well and has impressed during his time with Brighton.

“He has strengths and qualities that we believe will help us and add to what we already have here, and I know he is really excited about the challenge and wearing the West Ham United shirt.”

Indeed, Igor said: “It is a big club, a historic club, with fantastic support and a special identity. I saw this in Prague during the Europa Conference League final two years ago, and I feel very proud to now be representing the colours.

“The project here is very exciting — there are many good players at the club and I know that there is a very positive environment in the dressing room that it will be great to be a part of.

“I am ready for the challenge and looking forward to giving everything I can to help the team and the club.”