Brighton and Hove Albion have completed the signing of Femi Azeez from Millwall, with the Super Eagles winger putting pen to paper on a four-year contract at the Amex Stadium. The move was finally sealed in the early hours of Wednesday morning after Brighton submitted a deal sheet ahead of Tuesday’s 11pm deadline, allowing negotiations to continue until the extended cut-off at 1am.
Brighton’s pursuit of Azeez had been a long-running saga throughout the closing days of the window, with Millwall rejecting at least three separate bids before the two clubs eventually found common ground. Although the exact fee remains undisclosed, reports indicate the package was worth an initial 12.5 million pounds, rising to more than 15 million pounds with add-ons. Consequently, the deal represents a significant outlay for a player who joined Millwall from Reading for around one million pounds back in 2024.
Brighton sporting director Mike Cave explained the club’s thinking behind the move, describing Azeez as an exciting attacking talent from the Championship who the club were delighted to finally sign. As a result, the winger becomes Brighton’s eleventh signing of a busy summer window that also included a club record 45 million pound move for Tottenham defender Luka Vuskovic.
Azeez’s journey to the Premier League has been anything but conventional, having come through Watford’s youth setup before spells in non-league football with Northwood, Wealdstone, and Hanwell Town. He subsequently joined Reading in 2019, and after five years there he moved to Millwall in 2024, where he went on to make 77 appearances, scoring 15 goals and registering 13 assists across his time at The Den.
Furthermore, his standout 2025-26 campaign, in which he contributed 11 goals and seven assists in the league, helped fire Millwall into the Championship playoffs and earned him a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Season.
Nevertheless, Azeez’s rise has not stopped at club level, as his breakout form also earned him a first call up to the Super Eagles earlier this year. He marked his senior international debut in style, scoring twice in a 2-0 win over Zimbabwe in the Unity Cup semi-final, before adding an assist four days later as Nigeria beat Jamaica in the final. Therefore, his move to Brighton arrives at a moment when both his club form and international stock are on a clear upward trajectory.
Azeez’s arrival makes him the second Nigerian to join Brighton this summer, following the earlier signing of teenage winger Zadok Yohanna from Swedish club AIK, meaning the Seagulls now boast two Nigerian players looking to make their mark in the Premier League this season.
In addition, his weekly exposure to Premier League football is expected to further sharpen the qualities that impressed during his rapid rise through the English game, giving Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle another in-form attacking option to call upon.
As a result, Nigerian football followers will be watching closely to see how quickly Azeez can adapt to the step up in quality, particularly given the growing depth of attacking talent already available to the national team.
Azeez will now link up with his new Brighton teammates as he looks to settle into Fabian Hurzeler’s squad ahead of the club’s next Premier League fixture. Meanwhile, his performances at club level are likely to be closely monitored by Chelle as Nigeria continues preparations for its upcoming international assignments.
The winger will be focused on making a strong first impression at the Amex Stadium as he begins the next chapter of a career that has taken him from non-league football to the Premier League in just a few short years.
