Hadjam's Brighton Move: A Step Back as Transfer Looms

Jaouen Hadjam is still a Young Boys player on paper. On the pitch, though, he has already started to disappear.

The Algeria international was kept out of the action in Switzerland on Sunday, left unused on the bench as Young Boys beat Vaduz 4-2 in the league. For a 23-year-old who has been a regular starter and helped deliver the 2023-24 Swiss title, that was a pointed change – and it comes with a £10 million move to Brighton increasingly expected.

Head coach Gerardo Seoane had already planted the seed in midweek. He questioned how sharp Hadjam could be “when he is on the verge of a potential transfer,” hinting that the defender’s mind might already be drifting towards the Premier League.

So when the team sheet dropped and Hadjam’s name was not in the XI, the story wrote itself.

The full-back did not vanish entirely. After the final whistle, he stayed out for around 15 minutes, signing autographs and posing for photos with supporters. Normally, that would be just another Sunday for the former Paris FC youngster. This time, the scene felt different. The embraces lasted a little longer, the applause a little louder. Around the ground, it was read as a goodbye.

Hadjam has built his reputation primarily as a left-back, but his ability to switch to the right only strengthens his appeal. He has already collected 21 caps for Algeria, and arrived at Young Boys from Nantes in time to play his part in last season’s title win. Until this weekend, he had started their previous games.

If Brighton complete the deal, they will add yet another versatile full-back to a department already bristling with options.

Ferdi Kadioglu was a standout at left-back last season, scooping the club’s player of the year award after a campaign in which he also showed he can operate on the right. Maxim De Cuyper, converted from winger to full-back, offers a different profile again and has often looked more dangerous pushed higher up the pitch in the Premier League.

Hadjam would walk into that mix: a left-sided defender in his prime years, comfortable on both flanks, hardened by title pressure in Switzerland and international football with Algeria.

For now, he waits. Benched, applauded, photographed. Still in yellow and black, but with his next chapter seemingly edging closer by the game.