“Eating alone in my apartment” – Player explains difficulties of joining Brighton, was left a little lost

Leo Skiri Østigård was at Brighton & Hove Albion for four years between 2018 and 2022.

The defender came up through the ranks of Molde FK’s youth system. He was promoted to their first team when Ole Gunnar Solskjær was in charge. His performances for the Norwegian side convinced the Seagulls to sign him.

Østigård wasn’t given opportunities for the Premier League side’s senior team and had to settle for minutes with Brighton U21s during the 2018/19 season. He was then sent out on loan to four clubs before leaving the English club permanently in 2022, without making an appearance for their first team.

The Norway international arrived at Stade Rennais from Napoli in the summer window. Speaking to Ouest-France, the 24-year-old has opened up about his time at Brighton.

Østigård arrived at the English club when he was 18 years of age. The transfer saw him leave his country for the first time in his career. The centre-back was honest in detailing some of the challenges he faced while staying away from his friends and family.

“The only thing that scared me was that I wasn’t the best at English [laughs],” he said.

“At first it was difficult. I was eating alone in my apartment, I had to call someone to restore the electricity. In a new country, you have to learn to enjoy living alone, and I now know how to deal with that.”

Leo Skiri Østigård has also stressed he “doesn’t regret anything” that has happened in his career so far, including his Brighton experience.