Yasin Ayari is becoming the player Brighton always wanted - now they must ensure their investment does not become another club’s gain

At a time when talk of goals drying up is rife among Seagulls supporters, it was the midfielder who put those concerns at ease briefly when scoring twice in his side’s 3-0 rout of AS Roma.

The first, a low strike into the bottom corner when a counter-attack threatened to fizzle out, was a sign of a player who has discovered a newfound confidence in front of goal.

The second, a powerful strike from close range after arriving on the edge of the penalty area to stride on to Georginio Rutter’s cutback, was a sign of a player who is comfortable taking on the responsibility of a goal-scoring midfielder too.

Such a shift is a drastic change compared to the player who has impressed over the past two years, but a development that was always on the cards given his trajectory since Fabian Hurzeler’s arrival.

Said appointment was something of a lightbulb moment for Ayari.

Some players were wary of the appointment, given how adored Roberto De Zerbi was by the squad. Others took the transition in their stride as part and parcel of football.

But Ayari interpreted the change of face in the dugout as an opportunity to show his worth, following two tough loan spells in the Championship within the space of 12 months.

The first six months at Coventry City were positive off the pitch. A new environment, a happy squad and a welcoming manager in Mark Robins. On the pitch, it wasn’t ideal.

The Sky Blues had hopes of finishing in the play-offs and weren’t exactly in a position to bed in youngsters ahead of midfielders Josh Eccles and Ben Sheaf. Ayari was therefore recalled in January after six starts and seven substitute appearances.

A spell with Blackburn Rovers followed; a tried and tested route for Brighton youngsters. For Ayari, though, he arrived at an environment that was not built for success. 

Swedish boss Jon Dahl Tomasson was sacked shortly after the January window following a host of internal issues, with an unsuccessful spending spree proving to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

John Eustace arrived with a brand of football to stabilise the club, which came at the expense of neat, passing football - Ayari’s game. As such, the midfielder made just 10 appearances for the Championship outfit before returning to Sussex.

Although he wasn’t pleased with how either spell went, Ayari made no secret of how he felt he had grown during those unsuccessful spells away. The gritty, testing nature of quick turnarounds and physical football had toughened him up, and mentally he had developed tenfold.

A fire in Ayari’s belly had developed whilst he sat on the Rovers’ substitutes bench, away from friends and family, watching long balls lumped back and forth at Ewood Park. 

He reported for pre-season with a point to prove and made it his mission to be too hard for Hurzeler to ignore. In all aspects of training, the 22-year-old emerged with plenty of credit – and his performances in friendlies proved decisive in his eventual inclusion.

Ayari went on to feature in all but two Premier League matches in the 2024/25 campaign, gaining a reputation for his neat passing, tireless running and general composure. Alongside Carlos Baleba, the pair formed a balanced partnership which provided a platform for the array of attacking talents they lined up with to build from. 

Interest from Italian and German clubs threatened to arrive, but Ayari found himself heading into last season as a Seagulls player – and his importance was only underlined by Hurzeler during the opening stages of the campaign.

His role, naturally, changed though. In the absence of Baleba, Ayari became something of a metronome in midfield, keeping play ticking but aware that, more often than not, he no longer had the pace and power of Baleba alongside him to cover acres of ground.

Nevertheless, Ayari took it all in his stride. His reading of the game was forced to improve, as well as his competence in the air and in his duels. 

There were signs that goal-scoring would find its way into his skillset too, especially when his late runs towards the edge of the penalty area were facilitated by Pascal Gross or James Milner.

Although his goal against Tottenham during the early stages of the season should have been saved, his fine solo efforts against Burnley and Fulham showed progress on this front.

Ayari doubled his shot tally from 2024/25 to 2025/26, despite playing around 40 minutes less football. Granted, three goals from 41 shots is nothing to write home about, but the volume increase highlighted that he is gaining confidence in those areas around the box.

That figure, naturally, would have soared further too had he not sustained a shoulder injury in February. During his absence, the veterans had come to the fore to rescue the Seagulls’ season, with Ayari only playing a bit-part role during the weeks after his return to full fitness.

Looking back on the season, Brighton supporters will be able to recall several moments where the former AIK prospect strode onto a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area before blazing over the bar, or blasted an effort into a crowded area when there was time to pick his spot. 

However, getting into those areas was always viewed as a positive, and the shooting aspect could be refined.

Ayari showcased how he does possess a wicked strike at this summer’s World Cup. The playmaker was a constant threat for Graham Potter’s Sweden, making a greater attacking impact than the likes of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres at times.

He marked his arrival at the tournament with a stunning brace against Tunisia. Ayari opened the scoring with an unstoppable volley following a defensive mishap, before powering an effort from distance into the bottom corner to cap off a remarkable individual display.

As part of Sweden’s midfield five, Ayari was given the licence to roam forward frequently. He registered five shots against the Netherlands, and created three chances against Japan. Against France, his threat was nullified, with Didier Deschamps’ side never allowing Sweden to get a foothold in the contest.

After a slightly extended break due to the World Cup, Ayari has now returned to Brighton, and Hurzeler has wasted no time in alluding to how he hopes his No. 26 can continue his rich vein of scoring form at club level competitively.

Speaking after Brighton’s win over Roma, The Brighton Base were among those to hear from the German, who said: “He’s improving. He has this mindset of ‘I want to improve every day, I want to get better every day.’

“When we see where he came from, when we see his past, and how he develops, it can only go in one direction: up, up, up. He has this attitude to get better every day, and it was another good game from him today; hopefully he can continue like this.”

He also added: “Goals, I think, he took from the World Cup! So that was positive. Hopefully he doesn't score all the goals now in pre-season, and then in the season he stops doing this thing.

“I think it's very important that he continues this behaviour on the pitch. This attitude, this mindset. He had a great World Cup, he continues here with a great pre-season so far, so hopefully he will just go on like this.

“He's a great character. He helps the group a lot by being just very energetic, and it's very important for this group.”

Leadership has been a buzzword among Brighton supporters of late, and understandably so; where Ayari fits into the picture remains unclear, but all signs point to him being an individual who leads by example with performances.

On media days, down the tunnel and generally in and around the Amex Stadium, Ayari isn’t the loudest in the room. He’s always appeared quietly spoken, reserved at times and portrays a sense that he simply enjoys getting his head down and working hard. 

That isn’t to say that he doesn’t possess more traditional leadership qualities. He’s not someone who will shy away from sharing his frustrations, nor hesitate to demand possession from his seniors. But Ayari isn’t a stern rollicker.

However, his presence would be felt if he were to depart.

The midfielder has just 12 months remaining on his contract with the Seagulls, and there is a sense of uncertainty surrounding his situation. 

The Brighton Base understands that there have been talks over an extension and Ayari has been offered a new deal by the club, but it is unclear how long the proposal has been on the table at this time.

As mentioned previously, Ayari does have suitors across Europe, and those sides are monitoring his situation closely.

Premier League outfits are also keeping tabs on the situation. Nottingham Forest attempted to acquire his services in January, along with Jack Hinshelwood, but saw a bid worth £20million knocked back.

Their appointment of Oliver Glasner is expected to prompt a change of shape at the City Ground, and thus Forest’s admiration may have cooled depending on whether the ex-Crystal Palace boss feels Ayari fits the mould of his two No. 8s.

The growing interest will not be a primary issue for Brighton, though, who are instead occupied by solving several of their immediate transfer concerns, as well as negotiating new deals.

Like any player entering the final year of their contract, the Seagulls are aware that Ayari’s value will fall at a rate of knots if he opts against extending his stay. 

However, the Swede is a key cog in Hurzeler’s machine and midfield is not an area of the pitch where churn was truly expected. 

Milner’s retirement was quietly anticipated, despite the club’s hopes that he would delay his plans, whilst there was an awareness that Baleba was heading into the summer after a shaky season which would have planted a seed of doubt in the mind of suitors.

Ayari, in contrast, was a situation that the higher powers at the Amex Stadium knew they needed to solve. They haven’t yet, but a show of faith from a player who has been a standout improver over the past few seasons would solve an unneeded headache. 

Now that Ayari is starting to embody his role as a box-to-box midfielder, he also provides Hurzeler with tactical flexibility next season. Deployed alongside Gross, his marauding runs forward can be covered by the German midfielder. In the absence of his experienced teammate, and likely alongside Baleba or Jack Hinshelwood, Ayari can revert back to his deeper-lying role of being a facilitator.

There are replacement options available if extension talks were to collapse. As The Brighton Base revealed, there is long-standing interest in Aston Villa’s Lamare Bogarde, but Unai Emery’s side have overhauled their midfield and the versatile Dutchman has been included in those newly drawn-up plans.

Others have been offered to the club, as well as rivals. Brighton haven’t been lured into taking up those offers though, with sporting director Mike Cave standing by the targets identified in advance.

However, with big changes occurring in defence and attack – and a further few signings expected to arrive – continuity will be required in Hurzeler’s side if they are to challenge on all fronts. 

Negotiating further down the line isn’t ideal but is doable. The risk is that he has further impressive performances under his belt by that point, which adds another level of leverage to negotiations.

Ayari has become the player that Brighton expected him to develop into upon green-lighting his £5million move in 2023, but they won’t want to feel their hand is forced into selling him this summer at a time when a trophy is a realistic target, nor can they sit and watch the 22-year-old talent run down his deal now that he’s starting to show real signs of quality. 

There are moving parts to any story which could change the landscape, internally and externally, and negotiations could accelerate at the flip of a switch. Regardless, Brighton have spent three years developing Ayari into the player he is today. Now, with his contract entering its final year, they must ensure they don't allow that investment to become another club's gain.