Brighton have signed Leonardo Ulloa for the second time, but this time on loan from Leicester City. The deal was announced this morning after The Argus and Sky Sports broke the news that The Seagulls were close to landing the Argentinian striker on Saturday evening.
The 31-year-old rejoins three-and-a-half-years after he left the club for a club-record transfer fee of £10 million to join The Foxes.
In his first spell at the club, Ulloa became a fans favourite netting 26 goals in 58 appearances. Since joining Leicester, Ulloa has netted 18 goals in 86 appearances of which six were scored in Leicester’s title-winning season in 2015/16.
Ulloa also holds a proud record at The Amex of being the first player to score a hat-trick there when The Seagulls beat Huddersfield Town.
Speaking to the club’s website, manager Chris Hughton said: “We’re delighted to welcome Leo back to the club. He’s scored goals at Premier League level and will further strengthen our attacking options.
“I wasn’t here during his first spell at the club, but I know he was very well thought of by all concerned, including the club’s supporters.
“He’s achieved a great deal since he left, including winning a Premier League title, and his experience at this level will be hugely beneficial to us.
“Albion fans will know all about him – he’s a physical striker that holds the ball up well, and he’s capable of scoring goals, which we hope he will continue to do back here.”
How beneficial a signing Ulloa be:
The one big question is how beneficial will the signing of Ulloa be. Astute for a number of reasons, he might provide a heap of Premier League experience, having made 86 appearances for The Foxes.
Another reason the signing of Ulloa is he is a potent target man as he has shown many Brighton fans in his first spell at the club. He is one of the best in terms of holding up the ball and bringing other players into play. He also has the ability to score all types of goals through headers and volleys, getting in behind and finishing.
What does this mean for Albion’s strike force:
The addition of Ulloa now means Brighton have five strikers at their disposal in him, Jurgen Locadia, Tomer Hemed, Glenn Murray and Sam Baldock. This is an awful lot of strikers to try and play in a 4-4-1-1 formation. It means that one of the strikers may be surplus to requirements and the one most likely to be left out would be Hemed, who has been back up to top scorer Glenn Murray this season and with the arrival of Locadia and Ulloa, it will push him further down the pecking order.
One thing is for sure, Brighton have done a great thing getting Ulloa back and he will add to another quality option to the Brighton strike force and will hopefully help steer the club away from relegation with his goals.
