Ansu Fati Signs For Brighton On A Season-Long Loan From Barcelona.

Ansu Fati has signed a season-long loan at the American Express Community Stadium with no option to buy and make the deal to become permanent.

Brighton and Hove Albion will be paying 80 per cent of his contract over 10 months until next June - £160,000 per week totalling £7m, as he tries to return to his highest level.

He will wear the number 31 for the Seagulls, the same number he used to wear during his first days in Barça first team.

Fati has made over 100 appearances for the LaLiga giants since making his debut as a 16-year-old in August 2019, oozing talent and a knack for scoring plenty of goals. He joined the club's famed academy La Masia aged 10.

However, the 20-year-old has struggled mightily with injury the last few years, and hasn’t been able yet to fully cement himself in this Barcelona side. 

Fati who still wants to remain at the club he grew up in and prove himself to manager Xavi Hernandez and his staff, but it was made clear to him that he wouldn’t get much playing time this season, as several players would be ahead of him on the team sheet. 

This recent struggle has forced him to search of more opportunity elsewhere despite the Catalan club not ready to permanently lose the talented youngster.

Fati is ready to move on after starting the first three games of the season on the bench for Barca, and will presumably get more playing time with the Seagulls, as they are a team that, in many ways, play like Barcelona.

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi says the club are 'very pleased' to have secured the signature of Ansu Fati, and promised he has an important role for him.

"I'm very pleased, it's a big player. We lost Enciso and we needed one big player.

"We are lucky because we have a lot of young players, potential top players and it will be one responsibility more.

"If you work with this talent, you have much responsibility because it's our football heritage and we can't make mistakes with these players because football needs this talent and you have to manage it in different ways.

"I've always thought like this. Especially for the big, big talent, I feel the responsibility to help this talent to become great players.

"Sometimes the coaches think only of the result, only of their career but football needs to have great players. It's a big responsibility and I feel it.

"I think our style is very close with his characteristics, with his qualities."

Joining our journey. 🤩💫 @ANSUFATI 👋 pic.twitter.com/Px58OeGheG

— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) September 1, 2023

 Ansu, made 36 LaLiga appearances last season as Barcelona secured their first title for four years.

He also enjoyed further success by winning the Spanish Super Cup, as well as the UEFA Nations League with Spain last season. He also made two appearances at the FIFA World Cup with Spain, who he has represented at senior level nine times, scoring two goals.

Fati will be returning to Barcelona next summer, by which time hopefully he will have shown some more consistency. It’s quite possible that by then he may earn a place in Xavi’s team.

Brighton on the other hand, are making their debut in European football this season and today have learned their opposition in the opening group stage of the Europa League.

They are one of three teams from the Premier League that are in this season’s second-ranked trophy across European football. The other two are Liverpool, no strangers to playing in Europe, and West Ham United, who are in this tournament after winning the Europa Conference League last term.

Brighton are handed a tough draw. They will face Dutch giants Ajax, Marseille in France, and Greek side AEK Athens. It is arguably the toughest group of the eight that were drawn on Friday.