When it comes to transfers, Brighton and Hove Albion don’t often get it wrong.
But even they, the club who brought Kaoru Mitoma, Moises Caicedo, Yves Bissouma and Pervis Estupinan to the Premier League while handing big breaks to Solly March and Tariq Lamptey, cannot claim to get things spot on 100 per cent of the time.
Big things were expected of Michal Karbownik when one of the most exciting young talents in Polish football arrived in a £5 million deal back in the summer of 2020.
Karbownik had, after all, been linked with the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. Leeds United and Celtic too, via Sport and the Daily Record.
“Karbownik is a footballer who can move to a top league in Europe,” former Poland international Tomasz Hajto said a couple of years back, when the then-19-year-old was making his name at Legia Warsaw.
“I like this boy more and more from match to match. I don’t remember having seen a boy of 19 for the last 15-20 years who plays at this level. In such a big club, he takes responsibility.
“If he continues to develop in this way, then (he could one day be worth) £50 or 60 million.”
Leeds and Celtic wanted Michal Karbownik before Brighton switch
While impressing as a full-back at Legia, some had even suggested that Karbownik’s eye-catching technical ability and impressive ball-control could pave the way for a future in midfield.
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“In my opinion, the optimal place for Karbownik is in the middle of the field,” claimed veteran coach Boguslaw Kaczmarek. “He could play the same roles as Joshua Kimmich at Bayern Munich. Or Marco Verratti at Paris Saint-Germain.”
Now 22, there is, of course, still plenty of time for Karbownik to reach the heights many expected of him. But after playing just twice in three years at Brighton – neither of his appearances coming in the Premier League – it’s impossible to deny that the first big move of his career has been nothing short of a colossal misstep.
Now out on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf in Germany’s second tier; Karbownik could leave Brighton this summer for around half the fee they paid to bring him in in the first place. Interest, you would imagine, is likely to be rather less frequent than it was a couple of years back.
“The final phase of the season has begun,” explains Fortuna chief Christian Weber (Express). “Of course, this means that internal decisions are being made and are imminent.
“That applies to both the guys who are there and guys who might fit in with us. We are moving things forward and are in talks (over keeping Karbownik).”
Everyone makes mistakes. Even Brighton, believe it or not.
In other news, Michael Owen lauds Leeds United’s Luis Sinisterra after win over Nottingham Forest
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