For the last few January transfer windows Brighton have been reportedly interested in Derby County defender, Eiran Cashin.
In January 2024 the Seagulls had a £4 million bid rejected for the Irishman.
12 months later it has been reported by numerous sources that a package worth close to £15m is set to be agreed.
So, if/when the move is finalised, what will he bring to the club? And where will he fit in?
VAVEL explores all here.
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Club Career
Cashin started his career in Derby's youth setup where he made four appearances for the U18s in the U18 Premier League.
He was sent off 85 minutes into his first game.
Upon his return he started the next three games, which included wins against Newcastle U18 and Wolves U18.
In total he played 355 minutes during the 2017/18 season.
On July 1, 2018, he was permanently promoted to the U18s squad.
Across the 2018/19 season he played 1,684 minutes across 21 games.
He played 17 times in the U18 Premier League, three times in the FA Youth Cup, and once in the U18 PL - Final Stage.
The defender managed to bag five goals in his 17 league games.
He scored two against Newcastle and Sunderland, and one against Wolves.
He also picked up a straight red card in the 90th minute of a fifth round FA Youth Cup game versus Manchester City.
Come the 2019/20 season, and Cashin was still part of the U18 team.
He played 13 games in the U18 Premier League, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
Unsurprisingly, he picked up another straight red card.
He also played twice in the FA Youth Cup, once again scoring one goal and providing one assist.
His U18 goals came against Everton and Middlesbrough.
And his assists came against Brighton and Middlesbrough.
While he was predominantly part of the U18s, he started to break into the U19s and U21s.
He played 516 minutes across six games for the Derby UEFA U19s, in which he scored one goal and picked up one assist.
He scored his goal in a 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund UEFA U19.
Cashin also played one minute for the U21s in the Premier League 2.
The following season saw him only play 540 minutes across six games for the U21s.
But he did appear three times on the bench in the Championship.
After a somewhat underwhelming 2020/21 season, he broke his way into the first team.
He started the season in the Premier League 2, featuring in 13 games up until January 2022.
He scored one goal and provided one assist in 1,170 minutes of football.
The Irishman was in and out of the first team at the end of 2021 and the start of 2022, picking up the odd minutes here and there.
But after receiving his first start on February 19, 2022, he went on to start the next 14 games.
He scored in a 2-0 victory over Blackpool.
In total for the season, he played 2,441 minutes across 31 games, scoring two goals and picking up one assist.
The 2022/23 season saw Derby back League One, but Cashin was now an integral part of the senior setup.
He played 4,426 minutes in 52 across four competitions.
Of those 52 games, 43 of them came in the league.
He ended the season with one goal and one assist.
And of course, his customary red card.
His only goal came in a 2-0 win against Charlton Athletic.
Derby remained in the third tier of English football for the 2023/24 season, and Cashin had a near identical season to the previous one.
He played 10 more minutes - 4,436 - in exactly the same number of games.
However, he managed to triple his goal output.
He scored three goals and assisted one.
His goals came against Peterborough, Oxford United, and Charlton.
After an impressive season, Derby saw themselves promoted back to the Championship.
Cashin has continued to impress.
So far this season he has played 21 games and scored one goal.
He has also kept six clean sheets and captained the side on multiple occasions.
His goal was scored in a 4-0 thumping of Portsmouth.
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International Career
Cashin was born in Mansfield, but he has represented the Republic of Ireland at two different age groups.
He received his Ireland U18 debut on March 21, 2019, at the age of 17 years, four months, and 12 days.
This is the only appearance he made for the U18s.
He was called-up by Nottingham Forest Assistant Manager Andy Reid.
Three years later he received his Ireland U21 debut on June 6, 2022, at the age of 20 years, six months, and 28 days.
He played a further three games for the U21s and was called-up by former Newcastle player Jim Crawford.
Cashin's last international appearance was on September 27, 2022.
A move to Brighton and the Premier League could give the 23-year-old a chance in receiving a senior cap.
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What will he bring to Brighton?
Brighton's central defender options at this present moment are extremely limited.
Jan Paul Van Hecke is the only fully fit and sharp option, with both Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster recently returning from mid and long-term injuries.
The Seagulls only started the 2024/25 campaign with four options after missing out on PSV's Olivier Boscagli.
So, another defender through the door will only boost the squad.
In terms of style and profile, he is similar to the likes of Modena's Giovanni Zaro, Stoke's Ben Wilmot, and Atlético Goianiense's Alix Vinicius.
His general attributes point to him being a solid option for Fabian Hürzeler.
He is 23-years old, 6ft tall, and weighs 86KG.
He is also left footed.
That is something that Brighton desperately needs in their team.
When looking at his percentile rank compared to other centre backs in the Championship this season, you can see why Tony Bloom has been so keen to bring him in.
Cashin ranks in the 81st percentile for defensive actions.
He ranks in the 80th percentile for defensive aerial duels.
And he ranks in the 88th percentile for successful defensive actions.
These show he is extremely strong defensively.
However, he is also good on the ball, which is crucial for how Brighton play.
He ranks in the 78th percentile for passing yards.
He ranks in the 43rd percentile for percentage of passes that are progressive.
He ranks in the 33rd percentile for progressive passes.
And he ranks in the 49th percentile for pass completion rate.
He also ranks in the 58th percentile for shots, 25th percentile for goals, and 32nd percentile for progressive carries.
These are pretty impressive for a defender in a team who are fighting relegation.
It is clear though that he is more of a traditional defender than a modern ball-playing one.
Some people may see this as a negative, but it is always important to have a defender whose strength is defending.
His defensive qualities could have a huge impact during the second half of the season.
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Where will he fit in?
Brighton need centre halves now and in the summer for a variety of reasons.
Increasing depth and improving quality.
Webster has 18 months left on his contract and has been linked with a move away to Graham Potter's West Ham United.
Igor looks to be injured long-term and could be another player that moves on in the summer after also being linked with moves away.
It would be a surprise to see Dunk move on, but there are question marks over how long he can remain as a first or second choice centre back at the highest level.
That just leaves Van Hecke - who has been exceptional this season and last - as Brighton's only guaranteed starter.
And it would be no surprise to see some top European clubs interested in his signature over the next few transfer windows.
So, it is pretty obvious that reinforcements are needed.
And Cashin would be a great start to the defensive rebuild.
He has played 195 games in the heart of the defence, scoring 13 goals and providing 6 assists.
He has also played and scored as a left back, which gives further depth in the fullback positions in emergencies.
Another quality that Cashin can offer is the ability to play in a back three or four.
Something that Hürzeler succeeded at with St. Pauli, but is yet to do so with Brighton.
Adding more centre backs who are better suited to the German's way of playing could see him switch back to his promotion winning formation.
3-4-3.
The jump from the second division to the top-flight is always a big one, so it remains to be seen if Cashin will come in as a starter immediately.
But with the club's track record with signings and their constant pursuit of the 23-year-old, it would be little surprise to see him smashing it in the Premier League.
A deal worth around £10m looks all but done.
