The stand-out Sunderland and Brighton players to have featured for both clubs | OneFootball

Ahead of this weekend’s meeting at the Stadium of Light, several stand-out names have represented both Sunderland and Brighton. According to Sunderland Echo, the list features a prolific scorer, an academy hero and a forward who has flourished on the South Coast.

Danny Welbeck joined on loan from Manchester United in summer 2010, scoring six as Sunderland finished 10th under Steve Bruce. After returning in 2011 he moved to Arsenal for £16m, then Watford, before signing for Brighton in October 2020. Now 35, he has 192 appearances and 48 goals for the Seagulls.

Darren Bent arrived from Spurs in 2009 for a then club record £16.5m and struck 36 in 63, earning an England recall. He handed in a transfer request in January 2011 to join Aston Villa. A short Brighton loan between November and December 2014 brought two Championship goals in five games.

Tommy Watson fired a late Wembley winner against Sheffield United in last May’s play-off final to clinch promotion. With a summer move to Brighton already confirmed, he has made ten appearances, one start, and scored once in the League Cup. He joined Millwall on loan in January and is 19.

Gus Poyet, then Brighton boss, once said he would have taken Liam Bridcutt to Real Madrid, believing he belonged at the highest level. After taking over Sunderland in late 2013, he signed Bridcutt for £2.5m, but the midfielder managed 36 appearances before departing in 2016. His best spell came at Brighton with more than 150 games, and he now coaches at Gateshead.

Goalkeeper Jason Steele joined in 2017 after relegation, a troubled season for Sunderland’s keepers alongside Robin Ruiter and then Lee Camp. Brighton handed him a Premier League lifeline that summer and he remains a backup at the Amex with 63 appearances.

Source: Sunderland Echo