Gabby George Set for Brighton Move as WSL Season Approaches

Gabby George is on the brink of swapping Old Trafford for the south coast, with Brighton closing in on a deal for the Manchester United defender ahead of the new Women’s Super League season.

The 29-year-old has a year left on her United contract after the club triggered an extension in January, a move that now ensures Brighton will have to pay a six-figure fee to get her. For a player of her profile, that is money spent with purpose, not panic.

United signed George in 2023, banking on her versatility across the back line and her experience at the top level. She has gone on to make more than 50 appearances in her three-year stay and was part of the squad that lifted the Women’s FA Cup in 2024, a landmark moment for the club’s women’s side.

Yet regular starts have not always followed, and that is the crux of this move. George wants minutes. Brighton can offer them.

Brighton’s rebuild gathers pace

Dario Vidosic and Brighton have been busy. Ambitious is the word that keeps circling around their summer, and George fits neatly into that description.

The Seagulls have already brought in Switzerland captain Lia Walti, a signing that sends a clear message about their intent to control games from midfield. Emilie Joramo has arrived from Hammarby to add further craft and energy in the middle of the pitch. George, with three England caps and more than 150 senior club appearances across Everton and United, would add steel and know-how behind them.

She is no stranger to building projects either. A graduate of Everton’s academy, George played over 100 games for the club, growing from promising youngster into one of the league’s more dependable defenders before United came calling.

Brighton finished seventh in the WSL last season. Respectable, but not enough for a club that keeps nudging its ceiling higher with each window. Bringing in a defender who has lived through title races, cup finals and international camps is exactly the kind of marginal gain that can turn mid-table security into something more dangerous.

A move with timing and intent

The timing matters. Brighton open their WSL campaign at home to Arsenal on Sunday, 6 September (12:00 BST). Walti’s former club. One of the league’s heavyweights. A fixture that will test any defensive structure from the first whistle.

Slotting George into that environment, if the deal is completed in time, would give Vidosic another reliable option to manage Arsenal’s attacking waves and the long grind of a WSL season.

United, for their part, stand to lose a versatile defender but gain a fee for a player entering the final year of her deal. Brighton, if they get this over the line, add experience, depth and a proven WSL performer just as the season starts to sharpen into focus.

For George, it is simple. A new city, a new back line to marshal, and the chance to play the regular football her career demands. For Brighton, it could be one more piece in a squad starting to look less like plucky outsiders and more like serious climbers in the WSL hierarchy.