Solly March Eyes a Premier League Return After Brighton Exit
There is something jarring about picturing Solly March training on his own. For the best part of a decade he was one of the most familiar sights in blue and white, a one-club man who racked up 300 appearances for Brighton before being released at the end of last season. Now the former Seagulls winger is doing the fitness work solo, his summer of fitness work in Doha and Portugal keeping him sharp while he waits for the right offer, as The Argus reported.
March’s situation matters to Albion fans because he was never just a squad number. In an age of relentless squad churn, a one-club servant reaching 300 games is a rarity, and the sight of him now scrapping for a fresh start still stings for many on the terraces. Speaking to talkSPORT, the winger admitted, tellingly, that he expected a new deal at the club he served for so long — a reminder of how quickly football moves on, even from its most loyal servants.
‘I thought I would get a contract’
March did not hide his surprise at the way his Brighton chapter closed, nor his determination to stay in the top flight rather than chase a quick move abroad.
“There have been a few things, of course. There always is, like stuff abroad which right now is probably not for me. I still want to play in the Premier League. I definitely think I can do that so maybe I’ve got to be patient. I don’t know.”
He was candid, too, about the strangeness of life as a free agent after so many years inside a first-team dressing room.
“But it’s difficult. You get itchy feet. You’re at home alone, training on your own. It’s a strange, weird one.”
What Solly March offers a Premier League club
For all the uncertainty, March made his pitch to prospective employers clearly, leaning on the versatility and know-how built up over more than a decade in the division.
“I think I can play many positions. I think I’ve got quality that maybe still a lot of teams in the Premier League don’t have. And I think the experience helps. Helping teams when you’re older, you’ve played 300 games. You know what it’s like and you can help young players coming up and advise them.”
There is conviction in how he feels physically, as well. Pre-season, he insists, has left him in the best shape he has known for some time.
“I still think I’ve got the quality. I still think pre-season is big for me, the way I’ve trained. I’m feeling good now. The best I have in two years.”
For a player who gave Brighton a decade and reached that 300-game landmark, the itchy feet are understandable. March insists he can still cut it at the top level, and he is prepared to wait for the move that proves it. The image of him training alone, then, need not last long — but for now, one of the Amex’s most dependable servants is a free agent with a point to make.
