Defender leaves Brighton after loan spell

Former Austria international Markus Suttner has left Brighton to join Fortuna Dusseldorf on a permanent deal.

The 32-year-old returns to the Bundesliga club after making six appearances during a loan spell there in the second half of last season.

Suttner joined Albion from Ingolstadt in July 2017 following the club’s promotion to the Premier League but was restricted to just 18 appearances in all competitions.

Seagulls boss Graham Potter said: “Markus has trained exceptionally hard and been a pleasure to work with during my time here, but this move gives him a chance to play regularly.

“He will be returning to a team that he knows well, and it is a move that makes sense for all three parties.

“I would like to wish him all the very best for the future, in what is an exciting next stage of his career.”

Suttner, who was capped 20 times by Austria and part of their Euro 2016 squad, played only once for Albion last season, in the Carabao Cup defeat to Southampton.

Ollie McAninch

Ollie McAninch is a former public and private sector economist turned digital media pioneer. After working in the media for over a decade, he helped develop The London Economic to promote independent investigative journalism. When he isn't contributing articles, Ollie spends the bulk of his time looking after animals, pressing apples and planting trees.