Yasin Ayari: Brighton's Next Gem at Risk of Leaving
Brighton have made a habit of turning rough stones into jewels. Yasin Ayari might be the next one they struggle to keep.
Bobby Zamora can’t quite believe the rest of Europe have been so slow to notice.
The former Brighton striker has watched Ayari at close quarters over the last 18 months and expected the summer of 2026 to be noisier, busier, more frantic around the Sweden international. Instead, the window closed with the midfielder still at the Amex, still Brighton’s secret that really shouldn’t be a secret anymore.
“I’m actually surprised that nobody came in this summer,” Zamora told GOAL, speaking in association with BetWright Premier League betting. “He's incredible as well, seeing him for the last year-and-a-half up close and in training and how good he is.”
Ayari’s rise has followed the modern Brighton template almost to the letter. Signed from AIK in January 2023 for just £3.5 million, he arrived as a promising youngster rather than a ready-made star. Brighton sent him out to learn his trade in the Championship with Coventry and Blackburn, banking game time and hard lessons before unleashing him in the Premier League.
The payoff has been emphatic. Last season, Ayari produced four goals and three assists in the top flight, driving Brighton’s midfield with the kind of energy and intelligence that translates at any level. This term he has already picked up where he left off, contributing again as the Seagulls sit third after five rounds of fixtures.
He doesn’t shout for attention. His game does it for him.
“He's one that sort of goes under the radar,” Zamora said. “But when you see him work up close and you see him in training, he's got real, real talent. And again, at such a young age. There's only really bright things for that kid.
“He's an exciting one and one that I think if he continues on the path that he has been this season, yeah, I think somebody will come and try and take him as well.”
Brighton know this story. They have lived it with Moisés Caicedo, Carlos Baleba, Marc Cucurella, Alexis Mac Allister and others. Unearth, refine, showcase, sell for huge money. Ayari looks perfectly placed to follow that line, with leading clubs across Europe already tracking his progress and waiting for the right moment to strike.
The clock is ticking in contractual terms, too. Ayari is currently tied down only until the summer of 2027, albeit with an option for a further year. Brighton are pushing to extend that deal, desperate to lock in both his future and his value.
Head coach Fabian Hürzeler is clear about what Ayari brings and why the club are so keen to keep him.
“You always want to solve these things internally first before we go to the public,” the German said of the contract talks. “Generally, what I can say is that Yasin is a great player. He made a great development with us through the last two years.
“He has grown as a player and as a personality. He takes more responsibility. So I'm very pleased. I'm very happy to work with this kind of player. I'm very happy to work especially with him and hopefully he stays for a longer time.”
Hürzeler sees a complete midfielder forming in front of him. Someone who can knit play together with the ball, hunt it down without it, and set standards in the dressing room as well as on the pitch.
“Yasin, he has qualities in possession, he has qualities out of possession,” he added. “He also has grown as a personality. So regarding taking ownership, he can contribute with his effort.
“I think it's very important that we understand that everyone in our squad has a responsibility for our achievements, and everyone is important, and that's what we always try to emphasise. And then express yourself within your personality, within your quality, and that's also what I ask from Yasin.”
For now, Brighton still have him. Still shaping him, still benefitting from that “all-action” style that has already carried him from AIK to the Premier League and a World Cup stage with Sweden.
The question is no longer whether Europe’s elite have noticed. It’s how much longer Brighton can keep the next big sale from walking out of the Amex door.
