Galway native moves from Brighton to Middlesbrough on loan

A Galway soccer player will be hoping taking a step down in divisions cross-channel will reignite a career which has stalled at club and international level.

Aaron Connolly has just completed a loan move until the end of the season from Brighton in the Premier League to Championship promotion contenders Middlesbrough.

Connolly, a native of Castlegar, had made a flying start to his career in England, highlighted by scoring a brace of goals in his first start for Brighton in a 3-0 home league win over Tottenham in October of 2019.

He made 24 league appearances for Brighton in his first season, with his energy and pace soon bringing the 21-year-old to the notice of the Republic of Ireland set up.

Making his international debut as a substitute against Georgia in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, Connolly’s early appearances in the green shirt were also full of promise.

He has gone to earn eight Irish caps but is still awaiting a first international goal. Injuries and a loss of form haven’t helped his progress in the interim and he has fallen out of favour with both Brighton and Ireland boss Stephen Kenny.

Connolly has made over 50 appearances for Brighton, but he has only featured six times in all competitions for the club so far this season.

Graham Potter, the Brighton boss, has said that Connolly’s loan move to Middlesbrough will benefit all parties. “Aaron is at the stage where he needs to play football, and this could be a good move for him.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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