West Ham United have reportedly added long-time target Amario Cozier-Duberry to their shopping list. A player some of a Brighton and Hove Albion persuasion would be extremely unhappy to see head for the exit.
The Seagulls are often held up as a perfect example of how to run a successful football club, and rightly so. But Brighton’s record is not entirely free of blemishes.
Viktor Gyokeres was sold to Coventry for just £1 million after failing to break into the first-team picture. Denis Undav, the star of Germany’s World Cup campaign so far, played only 22 Premier League matches for the club. That is 22 more than Leo Ostigaard; the Norway and Genoa powerhouse who won the Serie A title with Napoli in 2023.
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Reports of a renewed interest from West Ham United in Amario Cozier-Duberry may raise concerns that the Islington-born England Under-20 international will one day be mentioned in the same breath.
One of a few rising talents who needed to leave Brighton in order to fulfil their potential.
Brighton letting Amario Cozier-Duberry join West Ham United wouldn’t go down well
According to The Athletic, West Ham are looking at the ‘special’ Cozier-Duberry following a quite extraordinary loan spell in the third tier at Bolton Wanderers.
Jack Wilshere, his former coach in the Arsenal academy, is not the only one who thinks Cozier-Duberry could make the leap from League One to the Premier League though, cutting out the Championship middle-man.
“Amario Cozier-Duberry links to West Ham; when you think about it, it sort of makes sense doesn’t it?” says Johnny Cantor, host of BBC Radio Sussex’s Albion Unlimited podcast.
“In terms of [Crysencio] Summerville or [Jarrod] Bowen maybe leaving.”
West Ham could raise £130 million by selling Summerville and Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham or Manchester United. The Dutchman looks likely to be their second big-money sale of the summer, following Fernandes.
West Ham are ‘confident’ that Bowen will stick around, at least. But going into next season with Bowen and Keiber Lamadrid as their only natural wide forwards is far from ideal.
Hence the interest in Cozier-Duberry, who The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas claims is not a new name on West Ham’s list.
“I think most Albion fans would be a little bit disappointed [if Cozier-Duberry goes],” adds Cantor. “It may be a loan, moving up into the Championship [from League One]. I think I’d just be a little bit disappointed. I’d quite like to see him play for Brighton at some stage.
“But West Ham notoriously pay over the odds.”
That the Hammers have spent just shy of £600 million in the last four years – including over-the-top fees on Niclas Fullkrug, James Ward-Prowse, Max Kilman, Pablo Felipe and more – probably backs up Cantor’s point.
Cozier-Duberry could have a key role to play in Europa League campaign
Warren Aspinall, a former Brighton striker who ended his career at the old Goldstone Ground, feels that the upcoming Europa League qualifiers is the ideal time to throw Cozier-Duberry into the team.
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“I’d like to see him come back!,” argues Aspinall. “We’re in Europe. See how he does in pre-season, give him a go. He’s full of confidence from last season, let him have a go at it.”
If another loan would divide opinion, selling Cozier-Duberry before he has even made a first-team appearance would be extremely unpopular among sections of the Brighton fanbase.
Fabrizio Romano reported six weeks ago that Fabian Hurzeler’s side were trying to tie the winger down to a new contract. His current deal expires in 2028. There has been little movement on that front since then, however; unnamed German and French clubs joining West Ham in their pursuit.
“He reminds me of Bukayo Saka,” Wilshere told The Athletic during their time together at Arsenal. “[Cozier-Duberry] plays in the same position as him. He needs to get better with his decision-making, like Bukayo did, but he’s definitely exciting.
“In some moments, he’s unplayable. You give him the ball and he can make things happen. You can set up a team and have a gameplan but, when you’ve got individuals like that, you’ve got a chance.”
Cozier-Duberry scored ten goals and set up 13 more as Bolton ended their seven-year exile from the Championship last season. Many of those goals were of the spectacular variety; cutting inside and curling home in a manner that will draw inevitable comparisons with Jarrod Bowen, let alone Bukayo Saka.
Other forwards reportedly under consideration include Leicester City’s Abdul Fatawu and Watford’s Australian speed-machine Nestory Irankunda.
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