'I don't care' – Yasin Ayari breaks silence on Coventry and Blackburn loans after Brighton breakthrough

Yasin Ayari said he was determined to make an impact at Brighton this season and didn’t care who the club signed this summer.

Ayari, 21, has been one of the surprise packages at Albion this term and has five starts from nine appearances in the Premier League.

The Sweden international – who joined Brighton from AIK in 2023 from around £5m – was set to be a fringe player this term, or head out for another loan.

The Seagulls spent more than £200m in the summer transfer window with the likes of Mats Wieffer, Matt O’Riley and Ferdi Kadioglu adding to the midfield competition.

Wieffer though has struggled for form and fitness since his arrival and O’Riley and Kadioglu have also had their injury issues this term.

After challenging loans in the Championship with Coventry and Blackburn last season, Ayari impressed new boss Fabian Hurzeler in pre-season and has now grasped his opportunity in the top flight.

After late substitute appearances in the first two fixtures against Everton and Manchester United, the midfielder then impressed in the 1-1 draw at Arsenal after replacing the injured James Milner and has also started against Ipswich, Newcastle, Wolves, Liverpool an Manchester City.

His displays have surprised many Brighton fans but Ayari feels his mixed experiences while on loan in the Championship were the making of him.

"I said to myself, I don't care what coach comes in or how many players we sign,” Ayari told the Albion website. “I will come and I will do my thing. I will work twice as hard as everybody else.

"I wouldn’t be here today if last season didn’t happen. It made me a completely new man, going through so many things that I wouldn’t have otherwise gone through if everything was good.

"So, I’m really happy, in a way, that last season happened. I didn’t play so much, but I still got through the difficult times, both inside and outside of football, and it made me even more determined to prove people wrong.”

Ayari believes his style of play is more suited to the Premier League than the Championship.

"The Championship was very physical, lots of long balls, but I feel I am more suited to the Premier League. At this level you are given more respect, more time on the ball, and that helps me show what I can do.

"Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a very intense league, but you still have that time on the ball to make a pass, to find a teammate.”