£16m Brighton ace faces dilemma - Derby & West Brom must be ready | OneFootball

Ibrahim Osman is not earning viable minutes with Brighton so far this season, as Derby and West Brom should prepare for January swoops

Clubs across the EFL will be well aware of their areas of strength and weakness in their current squads, as each team will have one eye on the January window in preparation to address those areas for improvement.

The January window is always chaotic, with teams across the EFL, including the Championship, looking to get much-needed business over the line, whether that be replacing an injured player, addressing a key area of weakness, or bringing in an exciting loan player to revitalise the squad.

In the case of Brighton and Hove Albion's Ibrahim Osman, it would be the latter, as the Ghanaian winger, who is no stranger to the English second tier, could be made available for loan in January once again.

Just 40 minutes of Premier League football in Brighton's opening five league games will surely have frustrated the 21-year-old, who should be looking for a January exit if nothing changes.

Why Championship clubs should be scrambling to sign Ibrahim Osman on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion in January

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Osman joined Brighton in the summer of 2024 for around £16 million from Danish side FC Nordsjaelland, the same club that has helped to produce the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Mikkel Damsgaard, Simon Adingra, Ernest Nuamah, and Caleb Yirenkyi.

The forward was immediately loaned out to Dutch giants Feyenoord for the 2024/25 campaign, scoring four and assisting three in 32 appearances across all competitions in Rotterdam, and subsequently headed out on loan once again to French outfit Auxerre for the first half of the 2025/26 season.

However, he would be recalled in January and sent out on loan to the Championship in the form of Birmingham City, scoring twice and assisting twice in 17 games for the Blues, with his electric performances out wide lighting up St Andrews.

Having been given a shot in the Brighton first team this season, Osman has yet to earn many meaningful minutes, and if that remains unchanged, a January loan move ought to be on the cards, as Football League World takes a look at two Championship clubs that must be prepared in case he becomes available in the winter.

Derby County

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Derby County's summer window was full of ups and downs.

The Rams confirmed the returns of Sammie Szmodics and Bobby Clark after successful loan spells, before the proposed takeover of Saudi government official Turki Alalshikh fell through, scuppering preemptive transfer plans.

However, each of Ben Brereton Diaz, Mohammed Fuseini, and David Ozoh arrived on deadline day to save the day, as John Eustace will surely be pleased with the business his team was able to conduct.

Despite this, Derby remain noticeably short in their wide attacking options, as with Jaydon Banel having returned to Burnley from his loan spell last season after impressing at Pride Park, it was a surprise to see the club neglect this area.

Reverting back to a shape prioritising wing-backs, Derby's lack of options on the wing severely limits them and makes them extremely predictable in the way they line up game by game.

Osman, having added an abundance of technical brilliance, directness, pace, and trickery to Birmingham's attacking options last January, could do the same this time around with Derby.

Eustace's side have struggled at the beginning of this Championship campaign, winning just one of their opening eight league games, as the former Birmingham and Blackburn Rovers boss ought to be on the lookout for some wingers in the winter to shake things up, as Osman could be the perfect fit.

West Bromwich Albion

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West Bromwich Albion are flying under the guidance of James Morrison, and at this stage, Baggies supporters will have very few things to complain about.

Having allowed the likes of Daryl Dike, Jed Wallace, Josh Maja, Karlan Grant, Krystian Bielik, and Alex Mowatt to leave the club over the summer, the Black Country outfit have rebuilt superbly, adding fresh blood and young, hungry players to the mix.

However, one position where the Baggies are somewhat short is on the wings, as the emergence of Harry Whitwell on the right flank has helped to replace the outgoing Wallace, whilst Kareem Tunde offers competition on either flank.

Isaac Price has operated out wide to great effect, and when Mikey Johnston returns from injury, all of a sudden, the Baggies look strong out wide too.

Though with Price tending to prefer playing through the middle, another option to compete with Johnston upon the Irishman's return from injury wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, as Osman could fill the void and then some.

The Ghanaian's energy and ability to beat a man would be a hugely welcome addition at the Hawthorns, and would provide Morrison with a completely different option to what they currently have in their squad.