Brighton youngster hints at January loan move to get 'games under his belt'

The 19-year-old was apart of the Roberto De Zerbi’s 25-man squad which took part in the warm winter training camp in Dubai last week, alongside fellow Under-21 players Cam Peupion, Andrew Moran, Odel Offiah and Jack Hinshelwood.

The youngster did not feature in Albion’s 2-2 draw against Aston Villa on Thursday, December 8, and told Brighton’s official website he was keen to get more first-team opportunities soon, whether at the Amex or further afield.

Tsoungui said: “For me, it’s about being robust and getting as many games under my belt as possible. It’s been tough, but that’s what I need to do, to get more games under my belt and some more first team experience.

"Whether that be here or somewhere else in January, you never know. But that first team experience is what I need.”

Tsoungui signed for Brighton from Chelsea’s academy in 2018 and made his first-team debut in August 2021 in a 2-0 win over Cardiff in the EFL Cup.

The central defender was born in Belgium to a Cameroonian father and Italian mother, migrating to Crawley aged 5.

HAVE YOU READ THIS?

World Cup Final: Alexis Mac Allister to play major role in Lionel Messi's 'Last Dance'

Brighton and Liverpool set to miss out on rising talent as Premier League rivals close in on striker

This is how much Brighton were paid for World Cup players

He has represented Belgium at youth level, winning caps for the U17 and U18 level.

Speaking about the Brighton academy environment, Tsoungui told the Brighton website: “There’s always people below us trying to push into our team and we are fully aware of that.

"That’s what makes us get better, that’s what makes us push on. It makes training good, when everyone is fighting for place, so its a really good environment.”