Tommy Watson ‘to be available’ for Championship loan after Sunderland play-off hero’s £10m Brighton struggle | OneFootball

Tommy Watson is drawing Championship loan interest after a testing first season at Brighton.

According to Sky Sports, the 20-year-old is expected to be available on loan this summer, with several second-tier clubs keen.

He scored on his Brighton debut in a 6-0 EFL Cup win over Oxford United, but minutes were limited and he spent the final months of 2025-26 at Millwall.

Brighton agreed a £10m deal for Watson last summer. His move had been announced weeks before Wembley, where he came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner against Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final and send Régis Le Bris’ Sunderland back to the Premier League for the first time since 2017. He officially joined on 1 June on a contract to 2029.

Horden-born Watson progressed through Sunderland’s academy from under-nine level, making his senior debut in April 2023 against Huddersfield Town. He signed a new three-year contract that September after recovering from a back injury.

His breakthrough arrived in December 2024 with the first league goals of his professional career in a 2-1 win over Stoke City.

Source: Sunderland Echo