ANDREW MORAN HAS joined Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan from Brighton.
The Republic of Ireland U21 international has already made his Premier League debut for the Seagulls and will now spend this campaign with the Championship club in a bid to play regular first-team football.
Moran’s performances at underage level in England since signing from Bray Wanderers have marked him out as one of the club’s rising stars.
✍️ We are delighted to complete the capture of highly-rated midfielder Andrew Moran from Premier League leaders Brighton & Hove Albion.
— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) August 26, 2023
The Seagulls starlet joins on a season-long loan deal and becomes our fifth summer signing.
👋 Welcome, @AndrewMorannn!#Rovers 🔵⚪
The 19-year-old penned a new four-year contract at the Amex Stadium in April having scored 13 goals and notched up six assists in 23 games for Brighton’s U21s last term.
Brighton Technical Director David Weir explained: “Andrew is really highly thought of here – he has been a key player for the under-21s in the last year and that has seen him be involved in the first team.
“The next step for him though is to get regular minutes in senior football and we’re confident he’s ready to test himself in the Championship.
“We will be keeping a close eye on his progress throughout the season.”
Moran’s Premier League bow came in Brighton’s 4-1 win at Everton in January and he also got off the mark for Ireland’s U21s with a goal in the 2-2 draw with Ukraine in June.
Earlier this week he found the net twice for Brighton’s U23s as they beat Walsall in the EFL Cup, and he has now become Rovers manager Jon Dahl Tomasson’s fifth signing.
Rovers’ Director of Football, Gregg Broughton, added: “We are delighted to welcome Andy to Blackburn Rovers. He is a player that we have worked hard on all summer to attract to the club.
“Andy is one of the many talented young Irish players to have been recruited by Brighton and he will bring a great attacking threat to our squad.
“He is capable of playing centrally and in wide areas, he is very comfortable in possession and he is aggressive without the ball. We would like to thank Brighton for their support with this loan deal, which we hope will be very successful for all parties.”
