The Sky Blues are targeting another Brighton player for a loan move
Just a few days remain until the January transfer market opens, so many teams will have plans in place for the transactions they hope to complete at that time.
Naturally, that will probably center mostly on the transactions they conduct involving their own first-team squads, both in terms of arrivals and departures.
The short-term future of loan players, however, is another problem that clubs will need to deal with. Among other things, they need to decide if they are based at the best clubs to further their development in the second half of the season or if they are open to being loaned out again.
Now, it appears that Marc Leonard is one player who is now out on loan somewhere that the Brighton management may need to make this kind of decision.
Leonard’s loan stay at Northampton is drawing attention.
Leonard, who assisted the Cobblers in winning promotion from League Two the previous season, returned to Northampton Town for a second loan spell during the summer transfer window.
The midfielder has now made 74 appearances for Northampton across all competitions after making just two League Cup appearances for Brighton earlier in his career.
| Marc Leonard senior career record by club – stats from Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Northampton Town | 74 | 2 | 2 |
| Brighton and Hove Albion | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| As of 29th December 2023 | |||
The 22-year-old has contributed to the team’s season, which has seen them sit 11th in the third-tier standings, throughout that period. He has also scored two goals and supplied two assists.
In the days preceding the January transfer window, it appears that Leonard’s performance is now drawing interest from higher up the football hierarchy.
As the market’s comeback draws near, rumors from The Daily Record (December 28, 11:36) indicate that Championship team Coventry City is now showing interest in the midfield player.
There is a chance, though, that another transaction between the two teams this season will dash any hopes the Sky Blues have for a move of this kind.
Yasin Ayari having trouble with his form in Coventry
Although Leonard may have returned to Northampton during the summer transfer window, Brighton player Yasin Ayari left for Coventry at the same time.
The midfielder, who joined the Seagulls from AIK in his home Sweden in January of this year and has already made four senior games, has had difficulty since joining Mark Robins’ team.
After making that transfer in August, the 20-year-old has only made 13 appearances for the Sky Blues, starting six of the team’s 24 league games this season.
Ayari hasn’t replaced Coventry in any of their previous five games, in fact. It has been claimed that discussions on Ayari’s future are currently taking place at Brighton, as that is not the kind of game time and experience that the midfielder would have been hoping to accrue during his stay at the CBS Arena.
Therefore, this could not be good news for Coventry if they want to try to get a loan agreement for Leonard, another Brighton player, during the January transfer window.
Given that Ayari’s tenure with the Sky Blues has not been successful, Brighton might be hesitant to send another player, like Leonard, there the following month.
Given the difficulties Ayari has encountered at the CBS Arena, there might be a perception in Brighton that, should he join Mark Robins’ team, there would be no assurance that Leonard would be able to grow and thrive.
The Sky Blues are keeping an eye on Marc Leonard, who is presently on loan at Northampton Town in League One, in an attempt to strengthen their engine room.
For that reason, when the market opens, Coventry may find it difficult to persuade the Seagulls to let Leonard go there.
It’s also important to remember that Swansea and Cardiff, two other Championship teams, have reportedly expressed interest in Leonard.
Consequently, Brighton won’t have to take a chance on a deal with the Sky Blues if they do opt to transfer Leonard to the second division for the second half of the season.
In light of all of that, it appears possible that a contract signed by the two teams only a few months ago will come back to haunt Coventry when they try to sign a Brighton player in January.
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