Exclusive:Tommy Watson transfer update emerges after Sunderland play-off hero's Brighton and Millwall moves
Tommy Watson is expected to head out on loan again this summer as the former Sunderland winger looks to gain regular first-team experience
Former Sunderland winger Tommy Watson is likely to leave Brighton & Hove Albion on loan again this summer, The Echo understands.
A Championship move is viewed as a likely destination for the 20-year-old, who remains highly rated by Brighton after joining from Sunderland in a deal worth around £10million last year.
Brighton handed Watson a long-term contract after moving to sign the Academy of Light graduate, and their investment underlined how highly they view his long-term potential. However, the feeling around the player is that he now needs a season of regular football to continue his development.
Watson’s first year away from Wearside has been a stop-start one. He made 10 appearances for Brighton during the first half of the 2025-26 campaign and scored on his debut, coming off the bench in a 6-0 EFL Cup win over Oxford United. Premier League minutes were limited, though, and Watson joined Millwall on loan in February in search of further senior experience. The move reunited him with former Sunderland boss Alex Neil, but the winger made just 12 appearances for the Lions before the end of the season.
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Given Watson is still only 20, the next step is considered particularly important. His camp are keen for him to play games, and another loan is expected to be viewed through that lens. The priority will be finding a club where he can build rhythm, confidence and consistency across a full campaign. Competition at Brighton is also fierce and could become even tougher by the end of the transfer window.
Kaoru Mitoma, who was ahead of Watson last season, has 12 months remaining on his deal, while Ibrahim Osman showed flashes of real promise for the Seagulls during the campaign. Diego Gomez is another option on the left, and Brighton may also look to strengthen again this summer. That leaves Watson in a position where the clearest route to regular minutes is likely to come away from the Amex Stadium, rather than remaining as part of a crowded attacking group.
Born in Horden, Watson joined Sunderland’s academy at under-nine level and progressed through the Academy of Light before making his senior debut against Huddersfield Town in April 2023. A back injury disrupted the early part of his 2023-24 season, but Sunderland showed their faith in him by handing him a new three-year contract in September 2023.
His breakthrough arrived during the 2024-25 campaign, when he scored the first league goals of his professional career in Sunderland’s 2-1 Championship win over Stoke City. Those goals underlined his potential and helped attract serious Premier League interest. Brighton moved to secure a deal in April 2025, with Watson’s switch to the south coast confirmed before he officially joined at the start of June.
Yet his Sunderland story still had one final, extraordinary chapter left. Watson came off the bench in the Championship play-off final against Sheffield United and scored the stoppage-time winner that completed Sunderland’s 2-1 comeback at Wembley, securing the club’s return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.
Watson has also continued to build his reputation internationally. He has represented England across several youth levels and made his under-21 debut in September 2025 after previously featuring for the under-17s, under-18s and under-19s and was called up to the under-20s squad during his time at Millwall.
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