Simon Adingra has completed a £21 million transfer from Brighton to Sunderland in a deal which is good news for all three parties.
The Albion bank a significant profit on the £6 million they paid to FC Nordsjaelland to sign Adingra in the summer of 2022.
Sunderland get a talented player with two seasons of Premier League experience under his belt to bolster their squad ahead of a first Premier League campaign since 2016-17.
And Adingra should get the first team football he needs at this stage of his career following a hit-and-miss 18 months in a Brighton shirt.
That poor form had seen the Ivorian winger come in for his fair share of criticism from Seagulls supporters. But to label Adingra crap or a failure is to ignore how good he was at times under Roberto De Zerbi.
There is a talented player there. One who probably needs regular minutes down the left flank to get back on track. Something he was never going to get at the Amex all the while a certain Kaoru Mitoma remains a Seagull.
Adingra followed a similar path to Sussex as Mitoma. Just like the Japanese Bullet Train, he was packed off to Union Saint-Gilloise after signing for Brighton for a season long loan.
Whilst in Belgium, Adingra registered 14 goals and 15 assists for Union. Better numbers than Mitoma during his own year in the Jupiler League.
Hopes were therefore high over what Adingra could offer the Albion when he came into the first team squad for the 2023-24 campaign.
Scoring on his Brighton debut as Luton Town were thrashed 4-1 at the Amex was a good start. It was the first of seven goals Adingra would notch in all competitions during his first season as an Albion player, alongside three assists.
Easily his best display in a Brighton shirt came when the Seagulls visited the Johan Cruyff Arena to face the mighty Ajax in the Europa League.
The Dutch giants could not contain the youthful, fearless exuberance of Adingra and Ansu Fati. Adingra teed up Fati for the opening goal.
Roles were then reversed for the clincher with Fati turning provider for Adingra – earning both players a place in the Albion history books for their starring role on one of Brighton’s greatest nights.
Adingra made more history a couple of months later, becoming the first Seagull to win AFCON. Having rushed back from injury to make it into the Ivory Coast squad for their home tournament, Adingra played a starring role in helping the Elephants be crowned champions.
He set up both goals in the 2-1 final victory over Nigeria, earning the man-of-the-match accolade in the process. Having also struck a 90th minute equaliser as Ivory Coast snuck through the quarter finals via an extra time victory over Mali with only 10 men, Adingra was also named Young Player of the Tournament.
Although Adingra would undoubtedly feel being pitched into AFCON before perhaps fully recovered from injury was worth it because Ivory Coast won the tournament, you can trace the moment his Brighton form went downhill to his return to England.
His first game back for the Albion saw Adingra score twice at Sheffield United. But he failed to register another goal or assist over the remaining four months of the 2023-24 campaign.
That despite Adingra getting a run of games down his stronger left flank due to Mitoma being ruled out with a season ending back injury.
The 2024-25 campaign under Hurzeler brought just two Premier League goals and two assists. His best performances came against lower league opponents and weakened Premier League sides in the Carabao Cup, where he scored three in three matches.
As the games and months have ticked by since Adingra last netted against Aston Villa in December, it has become increasingly clear he could benefit from a change of scenery.
Some Albion supporters who had not been so quick to write Adingra off felt a loan spell would help. Brighton though have decided to cash in, accepting £21 million.
Adingra at his best is worth much more than that. Adingra based on his form since AFCON is worth nowhere near that amount.
The challenge now falls to Sunderland to help Adingra revitalise his career. Fingers crossed they can. He was a good servant to Brighton who delivered some memorable moments over his 73 games in a Seagulls shirt.