Harry Howell has come through the Brighton youth system and has recently started picking up minutes for the Under-18s and Under-21s.
The Englishman is only 16 years old, but he has already created a lot of hype amongst Seagulls supporters.
The youngster is also the cousin of Jack Hinshelwood, and the network he has because of this could be a huge help in his development.
Howell has won a Premier League 2 Player of the Month award this year, so what can he bring to Brighton? And where will he fit in?
VAVEL explores all here.
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Club Career
Howell began his footballing career in the Brighton youth academy.
At the age of 14, he was given his U18s debut, where he helped his side to a 2-1 victory against Leicester City.
Across the rest of the 2022/23 season, he played another seven games in the U18 Premier League and picked up one goal and one assist.
He scored his goal against Norwich City.
And he provided his assist against Spurs.
In total he played 517 minutes.
He impressed in his appearances and was permanently promoted to the side for the 2023/24 season.
His season consisted of 1,061 minutes across 16 games in which he scored six goals and provided two assists.
In the U18 Premier League, he played 12 games, scoring four goals and assisting two.
His goals came against Spurs, Reading, Fulham, and Southampton.
And his assists came against Norwich and Aston Villa.
He also played two games in the FA Youth Cup.
His incredible form had continued into this season and that saw him given a couple of opportunities to play for the U21s.
In the Round of 16 of the EFL Trophy, he was substituted on for the final minutes against Reading.
The fixture went to penalties and the 15-year-old stepped up to win the shootout 3-2 for the Seagulls.
A perfect start in the U21s for Howell.
Four days later, he was given a start in the Premier League 2 against Liverpool U21.
He scored a brace in a 4-2 thrashing of the Reds.
It was these two games where supporters really started to see how special he is.
Unsurprisingly, he was moved up an age group once again for this season.
So far, he has scored 11 goals and provided four assists in 20 games.
In total, he has played 1,570 minutes of football.
In the league, he has made 17 appearances, scored eight goals and assisted four.
He scored against West Brom, Nottingham Forest, and Liverpool.
He also scored a brace in a 10-0 masterclass against rivals Crystal Palace, and he also scored a hat-trick against Spurs.
He assisted against Spurs, Manchester City, Norwich, and Liverpool.
In the EFL Trophy, he has played two games.
He scored a brace against League One side Wycombe Wanderers.
The youngster has also played one U18s game in the FA Youth Cup.
He scored his side's only goal in a 2-1 loss to Newcastle United.
It is important to note that Howell has been putting up these statistics and performances while playing in competitions for players four or five years above his age.
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International Career
Howell does not turn 18 until next year, but he has already picked up many international youth caps.
He made his England U16 debut on August 22, 2023, at the age of 15 years, four months, and two days.
He was given 10 U16 caps in total, and in these games, he scored against South Korea and assisted against Saudi Arabia.
He was given his England U17 debut on September 4, 2024, at the age of 16 years, four months, and 15 days.
He has so far been handed 10 U17 caps.
On his debut, he scored a brace against Mexico.
Six days later he picked up a brace of assists against Germany.
He also scored in a 4-0 win against Latvia.
Neither the U16s nor the U17s have lost a game when he has played.
Both of his debuts were given to him by Neil Ryan.
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What can he bring to Brighton?
Brighton have produced some very good players.
But Howell is a level above all of those who have come throw so far.
He is a special talent.
In terms of style and profile, he has aspects of former player Alexis Mac Allister, Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard, and Tottenham's James Madison.
There are also a few comparisons that can be made to players within the club already.
Firstly, he shares similar tactical awareness and versatility to his cousin Hinshelwood.
He also has the ability to impact games with his vision and passing.
This is something that has been seen with Hinshelwood too.
Another Seagulls player Howell can be compared with is Andrew Moran.
Both the Englishman and the Irishman have a lot of creative qualities and technical proficiency.
The 16-year-old can also be mirrored with Luca Barrington in terms of being two-footed and impactful on both wings.
Howell's other attributes of note are his excellent penalty taking, ball-striking ability, and dribbling skills.
He is still very young and very raw, but if the club continue to handle his development well, he will likely be a crucial part of the squad within the next five years or so.
As mentioned, Howell is extremely versatile.
So, it should not come as a surprise that he has played multiple games in six different positions.
As a left midfielder, he has played two games and as a right midfielder he has played three games.
On the right, he scored one goal and picked up one assist.
He has the skills to play in both of these positions, but Fabian Hürzeler does not use wide midfielders in his preferred formation.
So, it is very unlikely Howell will be played in these areas while the German is in charge.
He has played four games as a central midfielder, in which he scored once and assisted twice.
This is statistically very good.
However, Brighton already have Carlos Baleba, Mats Wieffer, Matt O'Riley, Yasin Ayari, Hinshelwood, and Diego Gómez as midfield options.
They also have Malick Yalcouyé and Kamari Doyle out on loan, who are banging at the door for a first team place.
Howell is a solid midfielder, but the squad's other options are better suited to what is required in the middle of the park in the Premier League.
The youngster's attacking qualities would also be wasted playing this deep.
However, it would be a very surreal moment for all involved if he partnered his cousin in midfield at some point.
As an attacking midfielder, he has played seven games.
He scored one goal in this position.
He has all the attributes to play as the 'number 10' and it would not be a surprise to see him behind the striker at some point.
The current options are Georginio Rutter, João Pedro and Brajan Gruda.
And out on loan, there is Facundo Buonanotte and Julio Enciso.
Of course, at the moment, all of them are ahead of Howell.
But the Brighton model requires a few big sales every window, which could present him a chance over the next few years as it is likely at least three of the current options are sold on for a big profit.
The youngster has also played seven games as a right winger.
In these games, he has scored five goals and picked up three assists.
Eight goal contributions in seven games playing up age groups is seriously impressive.
The Seagulls' main right winger options are Yankuba Minteh and Solly March.
And out on loan, the only such option is Caylan Vickers.
Immediately, you can see there may be a space in the squad for Howell when he is ready.
Hürzeler's right wing role is very unique and requires attacking and defensive quality and a lot of work rate and intensity.
This looks like it could suit Howell very well.
He has played eight games as a striker, scoring five goals and assisting one.
His ball-striking ability makes him a clinical finisher, but he perhaps does not have the stature to be a lone out-and-out number nine.
If he is to play up top, he will have to get himself ahead of Danny Welbeck, Stefanos Tzimas, Evan Ferguson and Joshua Duffus.
It has also been reported that Tony Bloom is looking to bring in a striker in the summer transfer window.
So, Howell will have even more to do if he is to be given a chance as the striker.
He is still young, so it would be crazy to suggest he is in the squad anytime soon.
It is likely he will be given a loan move across the next couple of years.
But when he does break through, it would be no surprise to see him make that right wing position his own.
Remember the name; Harry Howell.
