Malick Yalcouye shines as Brighton’s unexpected number 10 revelation | OneFootball

Malick Yalcouye has emerged as Brighton’s early-season revelation, thriving as a surprise number 10 with maturity beyond his years.

As reported by WeAreBrighton.com, the 5’7 midfielder can appear slight in a league obsessed with size, and his thinning hairline sparked online chatter after Chelsea 4-3 Brighton, though chronic alopecia is the reason.

His loan at Swansea City stuttered, with 10 Championship starts and 23 substitute outings, one goal against Sheffield Wednesday, two assists versus Hull City and Portsmouth, plus a red card after headbutting Steve Cook 34 minutes into a 1-0 defeat by QPR. He started five of the 10 games he was available for before that ban, and only five of the next 26.

Austria told a different story. In 2024-25 at Sturm Graz he was Bundesliga Young Player of the Year, named in Die Besten Der Saison 2024-25, and produced 34 appearances, four goals and two assists as they retained the title.

His Brighton breakthrough came by circumstance. Injuries to Georginio Rutter, Jack Hinshelwood and Yasin Ayari pushed Pascal Gross deeper alongside Olivier Boscagli and handed Yalcouye the number 10 start at Stamford Bridge.

He volleyed brilliantly against Chelsea, then threaded a pass that released Gross for the move finished by Joao Pedro. At Leeds United, his drive forced James Trafford to concede a 71st minute corner that Maxim De Cuyper supplied for Luka Vuskovic’s equaliser.

For now he is excelling as a dynamic number 10, yet his power, ball-carrying and reading of play also suggest a future as a box-to-box midfielder.

Source: WeAreBrighton.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”