It’s fair to say Jürgen Locadia’s transfer to Brighton & Hove Albion didn’t go the way anyone will have wanted.
Moving from PSV Eindhoven in the January 2018 transfer window, things started well with the player scoring on his debut for the club in the FA Cup against Coventry City, and then again on his Premier League debut against Swansea City.
Unfortunately, those were to be his only two goals that season for Brighton.
The following campaign he found the back of the net four times in 33 matches, and made no secret he wasn’t happy with his situation.
In November 2018, he spoke out to the Dutch media: “At Brighton, I do not feel that my situation will change quickly. In my opinion, I never had the chance to show what I am worth. I think winter is a good time to think if this is still good for me.
“I haven’t had a real clear explanation why I don’t play. The coach will find the other strikers better. I must, of course, respect that. But it is also my career, I cannot keep saying ‘yes and amen’. I train super hard, I am top fit, but I have to show it in ten minutes of inclusion. That is really difficult.”
“Soon there will be a conversation. I respect Brighton, but I hope they respect me in this situation. I’m only human. I want to go for the highest level and not be loaned to a club in the Championship, for example. I hope for a club in Spain, Germany, something like that. Of course I have to show it myself and then hope that I get a fair chance.”
He didn’t get that switch, and then after playing twice for Brighton at the beginning of this season, a loan move to Hoffenheim was arranged.
After six Bundesliga appearances, he’s scored three goals, with them all coming in the past three matches.
Speaking to De Telegraaf, Locadia explained he’s enjoying life in Germany: “I am now playing my matches again and that was not the case with Brighton. That is already quite some progress. This is what every footballer wants. I have scored three times now, I am starting to find my rhythm and I am important to the team, but it is not yet where I want to be. I felt I could have scored more often. I have shown that I belong in the starting team. If I keep this up, I see no reason to go back to the bench.”
With the loan move set to end next summer, the player isn’t yet concerning himself with what happens next: “I also depend on what Hoffenheim and Brighton want at the end of the season. Now I am not busy with that. This also applies to the Dutch national team. If I continue to do well, my chance may also come there.”
