Brighton and Hove Albion youngster Leo Östigard has made it clear he doesn’t want to return to the club if it means playing U23 football.
Östigard joined Brighton from Molde last season but is yet to appear for the Seagulls first-team in that time.
This season he is spending the year out on loan with German side St. Pauli, having headed to the 2.Bundesliga side in search of first-team football.
That is something he has found, making 12 appearances in the league for them so far this season, 10 of which have been as a starter.
He’s proven to be a big hit at the club, who are currently fighting against relegation with 18 points from their first 17 games.
At the moment he’s scheduled to return to Brighton next summer, but he has insisted he has no interest in that if there’s no chance of first-team football.
“I really like playing here in front of the many fans,” Bild report him saying.
“I also want to show that, give something back to the followers. I really fell in love with the club and the environment.
“It is not in my hands, but at Brighton. But I can imagine staying here longer. I improved a lot at St. Pauli in six months.
“I don’t think I’ll be in the league when I’m 20. But I don’t want to go back to England and then just play in the U23.”
A permanent move to St. Pauli is unlikely to be on the cards for the Brighton youngster, however, with Hamburger Mortenpost suggesting as much.
They say that if it were up to those in charge at the club, they would sign Östigard ‘immediately’ and that is a decision that would be ‘applauded’ at the club as he is a player that ‘will be remembered for a long time after his departure’.
Unfortunately, ‘the sad thing’ is that this ‘beautiful story’ will probably end in the summer as the German club fear they will not be able to afford him.
According to the newspaper, Östigard’s market value has already tripled to €900,000, and his performances will have attracted interest from ‘better off’ clubs, pushing St. Pauli down the pecking order.
