Tommy Watson loan expected with Championship move likely after Brighton and Millwall spells | OneFootball

Tommy Watson is expected to go on loan again this summer, with a Championship switch viewed as the likeliest route to regular senior football.

Sunderland Echo understands that Brighton still rate the 20-year-old after a move worth about £10 million last year, and tied him to a long-term deal. The feeling is he now needs a full season of games to progress.

Watson’s first campaign away from Wearside was mixed. He made 10 Brighton appearances before January and scored on debut in a 6-0 EFL Cup win over Oxford United. With Premier League minutes scarce, he joined Millwall in February under Alex Neil and played 12 times.

Wide competition at Brighton is fierce. Kaoru Mitoma has 12 months left, Ibrahim Osman showed promise and Diego Gomez is another left-sided option, with more recruits possible. A loan elsewhere looks the clearest path to minutes.

Born in Horden, he joined Sunderland’s academy at under-nine level and debuted against Huddersfield Town in April 2023. A back injury hampered early 2023/24, though he signed a new three-year deal that September. He broke through in 2024/25 with first league goals in a 2-1 win over Stoke City, before Brighton agreed a deal in April 2025 and confirmed his switch before June.

He then came off the bench in the Championship play-off final against Sheffield United to score a stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 Wembley comeback, sealing Sunderland’s first Premier League return since 2017. He has also played for England’s youth sides, debuting for the under-21s in September 2025.

Source: Sunderland Echo