American forward Olivia Garcia joins Brighton but will spend remainder of season in Sweden | OneFootball

American forward Olivia Garcia has joined Brighton (Credit: Brighton Women X)

Brighton have confirmed the signing of 22-year-old American forward Olivia Garcia.

Garcia arrives after two seasons in the Danish A League and will continue her development immediately with a loan move to Swedish League side AIK until the end of June.

The forward becomes the latest addition as Albion continue to strengthen their squad, while planning carefully for the future.

Her arrival comes during a busy period off the pitch with reports that Brighton rejected three bids from Juventus for Fran Kirby highlighting the club’s determination to protect key attacking players.

Brighton sign Olivia Garcia

Garcia will link up with AIK on loan where she will gain further minutes and experience in a new environment before returning to Brighton. The club believes that a spell in Sweden will provide the right balance of competitive football and personal development as she adapts to life at a new club.

Managing director Zoe Johnson spoke of the club’s excitement about the signing and explained the thinking behind the loan arrangement.

She said, “We’re delighted to welcome Olivia to the club and are really excited about her potential. She is a promising young forward who has shown strong progression at this stage of her career and brings qualities that we believe will add real value to our squad.

“We’re confident that a loan spell in Sweden will provide her with an excellent opportunity to continue her development, gain valuable minutes and experience a different environment before returning to Brighton.

“We will be following her progress closely at AIK and look forward to seeing her continue to develop and grow as a player.”

Garcia’s career so far

Garcia began her career at college with the Florida State Seminoles, where she spent two seasons competing in the NCAA first division. She quickly became part of a successful programme and gained valuable experience at a high level.

During her time there she helped the Seminoles secure back-to-back ACC league titles in 2022 and 2023.

The latter season proved particularly memorable as Florida State completed an unbeaten campaign which ended with the club lifting their fourth NCAA National Championship after defeating Stanford in the final.

Garcia turned professional in January 2024 when she signed for Danish side HB Koge. She made an immediate impact during her debut season, scoring 15 goals in 25 appearances and was named the club’s women’s player of the year.

She carried that form into the following campaign, scoring 18 goals, which made up more than half of the club’s total as Koge finished third in the Danish League. Her performances also translated onto the European stage.

Last year, Garcia made her European debut in the UEFA Europa Cup against Romanian outfit Farul Constanța. Later in the tournament, she scored the winning goal against Glasgow City and finished her time at Koge with an impressive return of 28 goals in 57 appearances.

Garcia now joins Brighton with a strong scoring record behind her and the club will be hoping her continued development on loan will see her return ready to make a meaningful impact.

That long-term planning has been particularly important this season following attacking disruptions, including the news that Michelle Agyemang returned to Arsenal to recover from her ACL injury.