Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City fans may be shocked at Brighton star's exploits in the Premier League | OneFootball

Yasin Ayari spent the 2023/24 season on loan in the Championship and is now a mainstay with Brighton in the Premier League.

Yasin Ayari spent the first half of the 2023/24 season on loan in the EFL Championship with Coventry City, before spending the second half with division rivals Blackburn Rovers, struggling to make an impact in the second tier.

Having joined Brighton and Hove Albion from Swedish club AIK in January 2023, Ayari initially struggled for game time at the Amex Stadium.

The Seagulls have gained a global reputation for identifying young talent, signing them for relatively cheap fees, developing them at the club or on loan, before selling them for a substantial profit.

The likes of Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Joao Pedro and Robert Sanchez all signed for relatively cheap fees before being sold to Chelsea for over a combined £200 million, whilst Alex Mac Allister, Yves Bissouma and Ben White also used the club as a platform to earn a big-money move.

Ayari's first half-season at the club yielded just three Premier League appearances, and he largely found himself on the bench without ever really being able to get on the field.

Brighton then decided to loan the Swede out to the Championship for the 2023/24 campaign to hone his craft and adapt to life in English football, heading initially to Mark Robins' Coventry.

Yasin Ayari struggled to make an impact at either Coventry City or Blackburn Rovers

Having joined Coventry on loan at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, Ayari found himself appearing regularly under Robins, either starting the match from the beginning or coming on as a substitute in the early stages of the campaign.

However, as January approached, Ayari found himself increasingly on the bench, and was promptly recalled by Brighton before heading right back out on loan, this time to Blackburn, having made just 13 appearances during his time in the Midlands.

If Ayari was hoping for more game time at Ewood Park, he'd have been mistaken, as the Swede found himself struggling to break into a midfield two containing Sondre Tronstad and Joe Rankin-Costello.

Ayari would make just 10 appearances for Blackburn before the end of his loan deal, playing just over 1,000 minutes of second-tier football all season.

It wasn't expected that Ayari would break into the Brighton squad the next season following his underwhelming campaign in the Championship; however, the incoming Fabian Hurzeler provided the Swede with a chance, and he has since not looked back.

Yasin Ayari is now an established Premier League player for Brighton and for Sweden

Ayari cemented himself as a regular fixture in Brighton's midfield last season alongside Carlos Baleba, in a twist of events that neither Coventry nor Blackburn fans could have possibly foreseen, given his lack of game time with either club in the division beneath.

The current 14-time capped Swedish international played 34 times in the Premier League last season, and it appears as though he is on track to reach a similar tally again this campaign.

Ayari has made six appearances in the Premier League so far this season, and scored a stunning strike from outside the box against Spurs in the Seagulls' 2-2 home draw.

Having struggled in the Championship for both Coventry and Blackburn, Ayari has not let that experience negatively impact him and has since thrived.