Brighton & Hove Albion Sign Centre-Back Diego Coppola from Hellas Verona
In a significant transfer move, Brighton & Hove Albion have announced the signing of centre-back Diego Coppola from Hellas Verona, according to a report from Sports Mole. The 21-year-old Italian defender has agreed to a five-year contract with the Seagulls, set to keep him at the Amex Stadium until June 2030.
The transfer fee for Coppola is believed to be around €11m (£9m), making him Brighton’s fourth signing of the summer transfer window, following Tom Watson, Do-young Yoon, and Charalampos Kostoulas, who arrived last week for a reported £29.8m. Sports Mole reports that Coppola’s addition is an exciting one for the club, with head coach Fabian Hurzeler praising the young defender’s physical presence and potential for development.
“Diego is an exciting addition for the club,” Hurzeler told the club’s official website. “Although he is still young, he is tall, strong and mobile and he will give us a real physical presence. He has made impressive progress in Serie A and deserved his call-up to the Italian national team. We look forward to helping him develop even more.” Sports Mole notes that Coppola will continue to represent Italy at the Under-21 European Championship in Slovakia this summer before linking up with his new Brighton teammates for pre-season.
Coppola’s career has been on the rise in recent years, emerging through Hellas Verona’s academy before making his professional debut as a 17-year-old in December 2021. The 6ft 4in defender went on to make 85 first-team appearances for the Serie A side, including 33 starts in the 2024-25 campaign as I Gialloblu narrowly avoided relegation and finished 14th in the table. Sports Mole reports that Coppola’s impressive performances at club level were rewarded with a first senior call-up to the Italy squad earlier this month.
According to Sports Mole, Coppola made his debut in a 3-0 defeat to Norway in 2026 World Cup qualifying, before playing again for the Azzurri three days later when they beat Moldova 2-0, coming on as a second-half substitute. The young defender is comfortable operating in a back three or back four and is set to battle with Lewis Dunk, Jan Paul van Hecke, Adam Webster, Igor Julio, and Eiran Cashin for starts under Hurzeler next season.
Brighton & Hove Albion secured an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League last season, narrowly missing out on a European qualification spot. With Coppola’s addition, the Seagulls are looking to strengthen their squad and make a push for European football next term. As Sports Mole reports, Coppola’s signing is a significant step in the right direction for the club, with Hurzeler spoilt for choice at centre-back following the young Italian’s arrival.
Source link
