Brighton and Hove Albion have secured the signing of left-back Jaouen Hadjam (£4.5m) for approximately £10 million.
BRIEF BIO
Born in France, Hadjam began at Paris FC when they were in Ligue 2, joining Nantes halfway through the 2022/23 campaign. Yet, the following January, he moved to Swiss side Young Boys for £1 million.
An attacking full-back who overlaps, the 23-year-old is believed to be a good fit for the Seagulls.
“He is a modern left-back known for his pace, attacking output and technical abilities which fits our style of play well. He has proven himself to be a versatile player in Switzerland and we are looking forward to working with him.” – Brighton’s Sporting Director, Mike Cave
“So yeah, another left-back. I think he proved it already in the past, also in the World Cup – he’s capable of playing on the highest level. He played differently with different demands. So, now it’s very important how fast he can adapt to the Premier League, to the intensity of our game, how we want to play football. But I heard a lot of positive things and, like I always mentioned, we not only see the player, we do a lot of background information about how his character is, and he seems to be a really hard-working guy, very humble. So, great fit for us and hopefully it can help us immediately.” – Fabian Hurzeler
World Cup watchers may remember Hadjam starting Algeria’s Group J draw against Austria. He has 21 caps and three goals.
DOES HE OFFER ANY GOAL THREAT OR DEFCON POTENTIAL?
HADJAM’S STATS AT YOUNG BOYS
| Season | Starts (sub apps) | Goals | Assists | DefCons per 90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | 8.10 |
| 2025/26 | 14 (6) | 2 | 4 | 7.65 |
| 2024/25 | 29 (6) | 2 | 3 | 6.57 |
| 2023/24 | 11 (4) | 2 | 0 | 6.17 |
At Young Boys, his half-year and subsequent full seasons each brought in two league goals. Seven assists were accumulated along the way.
An xGI of 5.77 in his last fully fit season (2024/25) was decent but doesn’t scream ‘Marcos Alonso’. Those are Swiss League figures, too, so they’ll likely take a dent in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, his defensive contribution (DefCon) actions per 90 across don’t suggest this will be a productive area. Current Brighton left-back, Ferdi Kadioglu (£4.5m), banked just four DefCon points last season, too, so it’s not a role that lends itself to high defensive contributions.
As for match fitness, Hadjam suffered an ankle injury at the African Cup of Nations, which kept him out for almost four months. But he’s started two recent Super League matches.
WHAT DOES THIS SIGNING MEAN FOR DE CUYPER?
The big question is whether Hadjam has been bought as an immediate starter.
‘Player of the Season’ Kadioglu started every 2025/26 Brighton match from Gameweek 5 onwards, yet a “minor injury” made him miss Sunday’s opening win over Aston Villa. Rumours keep linking him with a move to either Galatasaray or Manchester United.
So, much depends on what happens with Kadioglu.
FPL Instinctive sums it up perfectly…
Squad-building-wise, signing a LB would signal three possibilities:
1. (Likeliest) De Cuyper is seen as a long-term LW option (+ Osman/0.40 of Minteh)
2. Ferdi Kadıoğlu gets more minutes at RB and Wieffer moves into midfield
3. Kadıoğlu goes to Galatasaray: https://t.co/Vx2pFJYun3
— Instinctive (@FPL_Instinctive) August 24, 2026
Scenario one is what Maxim De Cuyper‘s (£4.6m) owners will be hoping for, at least so long as Kaoru Mitoma (£6.0m) remains out.
If Kadioglu stays, you’d imagine he’ll continue at left-back for now – with De Cuyper further up the flank – while Hadjam acclimatises to the Premier League. All eyes on the final few days of the transfer window, then…
