Hadjam's Potential Transfer to Brighton: A Farewell in Switzerland

Jaouen Hadjam’s Swiss farewell is starting to look like it’s already under way.

The Algeria international was pulled out of the firing line by Young Boys on Sunday, left on the bench and unused as the Swiss champions beat Vaduz 4-2. For a player who had started their previous games, the decision felt anything but routine.

All this with a £10 million move to Brighton on the horizon.

Young Boys head coach Gerardo Seoane had already laid the groundwork in the week, openly questioning how focused his full-back could be “when he is on the verge of a potential transfer.” On Sunday, his team sheet answered that.

Hadjam watched on as his team did the job without him. Then he took centre stage again – not on the pitch, but on the touchline.

The 23-year-old spent around 15 minutes after the final whistle signing autographs and posing for photos, lingering with supporters in a way that, this time, felt different. He has always been generous with fans, yet on this occasion the scene was read as a possible goodbye.

If it is, he leaves having played his part. The former Nantes defender joined Young Boys in time to help them secure the 2023-24 Swiss title, adding domestic silverware to a career that began at Paris FC and has already brought him 21 caps for Algeria.

A natural left-back who can also operate on the right, Hadjam fits neatly into Brighton’s growing collection of flexible defenders. Ferdi Kadioglu excelled on the left last season and walked away with player of the year honours, but he too can switch flanks. Maxim De Cuyper, a converted winger, offers another option on that side, though his sharpest work in the Premier League so far has arguably come higher up the pitch.

Brighton look to be arming themselves with yet another full-back comfortable in multiple roles. If Hadjam’s wave to the Young Boys fans was indeed a farewell, the next one could be to a new crowd on the south coast.