Malick Yalcouyé

Yalcouyé primarily plays as a defensive midfielder, breaking up opposition attacks with real intensity, though he has shown enough versatility to play further forward or wide when a coach has needed exactly that from him. Rather than being thrown straight into Brighton's first team, he has been sent on a series of loan spells in different leagues, an approach the club uses to build senior experience before a player is trusted week to week. That path has already earned him individual recognition.

The tension with a young player developed almost entirely through loan spells is that he can end up excellent everywhere except the club that owns his contract. Building a relationship with one dressing room and one system takes time that loan spells constantly interrupt. Whether he eventually returns to genuinely challenge for a place in Brighton's own midfield remains to be seen.