Tommy Watson: How Brighton man is performing and what's been said about him since Sunderland exit
How has Tommy Watson been doing at Brighton ahead of a possible showdown against former club Sunderland?
Sunderland travel to Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend, and a familiar face could be lining up against them.
Tommy Watson was the most popular man on Wearside in May when he scored the last-second goal to fire the Black Cats back into the Premier League at the expense of play-off final rivals Sheffield United. However, less than two months later, the 19-year-old had departed to Brighton, with the two clubs agreeing a £10million transfer back in April - before Sunderland’s top-flight return was assured.
How has Tommy Watson done at Brighton so far?
Watson has endured a difficult start to life at the Amex Stadium, managing just 40 minutes across two substitute appearances in the Premier League so far. The teenager played 31 minutes in a 4-2 defeat to Manchester United in October, quickly followed up by a nine-minute cameo as the Seagulls beat Leeds United 3-0. A muscle injury has plagued Watson since, with the winger not seen in another Premier League squad since that November afternoon against Leeds.
Things have been much more profitable for Watson in the EFL Cup, however. The youngster made his debut from the bench for the final 25 minutes of Brighton’s trip to Oxford United in Round Two, and dispatched a fine finish four minutes from time to cap off a 6-0 win for the Seagulls. A month later, Watson was given the full 90 minutes away at Barnsley and put on a creative masterclass, notching a hat-trick of assists as Brighton ran riot in another 6-0 win at Oakwell.
Watson’s third EFL Cup appearances came as a 67th-minute substitute at the Emirates Stadium as Brighton lost 2-0 to Arsenal, though he did manage to create two chances and complete one dribble during his short time on the pitch.
Tommy Watson’s Brighton stats so far
| Competition | Appearances | Minutes | Goals | Assists |
| Premier League | 2 | 40 | 0 | 0 |
| EFL Cup | 3 | 136 | 1 | 3 |
What has Fabian Hurzeler said about Tommy Watson?
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler recently addressed Watson’s lack of minutes, revealing the youngster needs to rediscover his ‘rhythm’ following his injury lay-off. As quoted by SussexWorld, the German said: “Yeah, he's training again. Everything is fine regarding the loads, regarding how his body reacts after his training week, for sure he can be an option.
“He has been a little bit unlucky at the moment with the small issues, they're not big injuries, but just small issues, what stops him to get really into rhythm. I think he proved already in this season what he's capable of doing for us, that he has big potential. But it's really about getting him into rhythm, getting him back to his physical fitness.”
Hurzeler added: “When you're physically fit, then you're mentally ready and when you're mentally ready, then you come into a pitch with a big self-confidence, with a big belief into your quality, and that's what we try to get out of him. But the main thing is really stay fit, stay healthy, try to get into rhythm, and then I think he can play an important part for us."
However, Hurzeler did give brief praise to Watson following his cup goal against Oxford. “He's adapting to the intensity. He seems in a good shape. Step by step,” he said in September.
Meanwhile, teammate Diego Gomez labelled Watson a ‘genius’ after the youngster set him up for two of his four goals in the rampant 6-0 win away at Barnsley. Watson is currently a doubt to make the Brighton squad against his former club due to that muscle injury, though the teenager will, of course, be desperate to get a look-in against his old teammates and manager.