As many of his teammates head for the Premier League following Brighton's promotion-winning season, Richie Towell will remain in the Championship.
It has been another season of frustration for the former Dundalk player. He made just one appearance for Brighton in the league this season, coming off the bench in a 2-0 win against Rotherham. That was in addition to one start and one substitute appearance in the FA Cup.
Speaking local Brighton paper The Argus, manager Chris Hughton said that Towell will be going on loan to a Championship club.
Players like Rohan [Ince] and Richie will go out on loan.
We have been really delighted with Richie but we are very keen for him to get out on loan to the Championship next season.
Towell signed for Brighton 18 months ago on a two-and-a-half year deal after a prolific season for Dundalk. His most notable playing time for the club since was when he came off the bench in last year's playoff semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday.
The 25-year-old then endured a frustrating pre-season. After training well and topping many of the club's in-house fitness tests, Towell suffered an injury which hampered his progress.
Despite the lack of game time at the Amex, it is encouraging to hear Hughton speak positively regarding Towell. It will also certainly be beneficial to see him, hopefully, get some much-needed first-team football in the Championship next season.
