Diego Coppola had a short spell at Brighton and has now provided details about his Seagulls departure.
The defender joined the English side from Hellas Verona in the summer of 2025. This came after he impressed in Serie A during the 2024/25 campaign, helping the club to survival in the top-flight.
This promise faded quickly at Brighton, as the centre-back played just five times in the Premier League in the first half of last season. This led to a loan move to Paris FC, where he played more regularly in Ligue 1.
Coppola returned to England in the summer but soon joined the French side permanently. As he continues to do well in Paris, the player has opened up about his departure from Fabian Hurzeler’s side.
Seagulls’ transfer approach changed Coppola’s mind
The 22-year-old spoke to Sportmediaset in a detailed interview about his career so far. His time at Brighton was a key aspect of it, as the player revealed that he saw a future for himself with the Seagulls during his loan at Paris FC.
He rejected the idea that the Premier League side didn’t want him.
“At first, they didn’t even want me to go on loan. I wasn’t playing much, but they still saw something in me, even if it didn’t seem like it, since I kept reading everywhere that I’d been rejected regardless.”
“But the reality is different, and Brighton know the truth, but I don’t even want to go around flaunting it; I’m not interested in doing so, and that’s why I won’t.”
Coppola revealed that his desire to play for the national team was key to the loan exit.
“I didn’t want to risk being left out of the national team. The call-ups would be in March, and I knew that if I had stayed on the bench in Brighton, Coach Gattuso would never have called me up for the matches against Northern Ireland and Bosnia.”
The defender disclosed that he was in touch with the Seagulls regularly during the loan and had plans to return and play regularly.
“During that loan period, I spoke weekly with a Brighton representative who was in charge of players still owned by other clubs. He told me he was very satisfied with the games I was playing in Paris. In fact, everything went well: we stayed up and finished mid-table.”
Exit explained
Coppola further made it clear that Brighton’s own transfer plans impacted his decision.
“In the summer, they sold van Hecke, who was the defender who played in my place. Dunk had aged a year, although he was still a top player. They made me believe I was going back to base to get back into the group.”
“But in June, I saw that they had started buying central defenders on the right and left. So I asked myself two questions: go and see, maybe something has changed. And indeed, that’s what happened.”
The Italian also makes it clear that Paris FC were keen on him and this proved key.
“In Paris, they wanted me at all costs. They quickly made an official offer to Brighton, who said they were open to a transfer. So I jumped right in. It’s not a decision I regret; in fact, I still stand by it today if they ask me.”
Decision paying off
Coppola has played ten times in Ligue 1 this season. More than that, he has also stayed within the Italy national team setup, having made an appearance against Belgium about a month ago.
This is good news for the defender, who has hinted at his ambitions of playing for the Azzurri regularly. This suggests things are falling into place and an exit from Brighton has helped him.
The Seagulls may have had a long-term plan for him but they clearly didn’t trust him to replace Jean-Paul Van Hecke.
