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Feb. 1, 2026Updated 2:34 pm EST
Brighton & Hove Albion have reached an agreement with Marseille over the return of Matt O’Riley.
O’Riley has been on loan at the Ligue 1 club since September and The Athletic reported that the clubs were in talks over his return.
Marseille will have missed out on a further financial windfall after the Ligue 1 club’s exit from the Champions League at the league phase stage this week under former Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
A deal had hinged on whether Fabian Hurzeler, De Zerbi’s successor at the Amex Stadium, believed O’Riley, 25, could make a contribution for the rest of the season in an area of the pitch where there is already widespread competition for places. Rules would have prevented the versatile midfielder from going back out on loan to another club, having already played for Brighton and Marseille this season.
O’Riley moved to Marseille on a season-long loan on the final day of trading in the 2025 summer transfer window. Playing as the No. 10, he started Brighton’s first two Premier League games of the campaign in August. He scored a second half penalty in a 1-1 home draw against former club Fulham and also featured in a 2-0 defeat at Everton.
O’Riley has been a regular for De Zerbi at Marseille, contributing a goal and six assists in 25 appearances out of a possible 31 across all competitions. The 25-year-old Danish international has scored three goals in 23 Premier League outings for Brighton since a £25million move from Celtic during the summer transfer window in 2024.
Feb 2, 2026
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