Football
Exclusive: Brighton’s Charlie Tasker Attracting Loan Interest from Stoke and West Brom
Brighton and Hove Albion's teenage prospect, Charlie Tasker, is wanted on loan by Championship clubs. The 19-year-old defender has attracted interest from Stoke City and West Brom, with potential offers on the table. Tasker, who has impressed during pre-season, is seen as a promising option for the Seagulls' right-back position.
Milton Keynes Dons v Brighton & Hove Albion U21 - Bristol Street Motors Trophy by Pete Norton | Getty Images
Brighton and Hove Albion are bracing themselves for loan bids for their teenage sensation Charlie Tasker, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
The 19-year-old is tipped to be a real star of the future and our sources have learnt that a number of clubs have already been in touch with the Seagulls about trying to sign the 19-year-old defender.
Potential loan deals have been discussed with two Championship clubs looking to offer the talented right-back regular football this season.
Stoke City and West Brom have both expressed an interest in signing the player on loan, with Wolves and Fulham having been previously rumoured to want to secure a permanent deal for the highly-coveted defender.
Tasker has been part of the Seagulls’ pre-season training camp in Spain this summer and has impressed manager Fabian Hurzeler.
Ghana international Tariq Lamptey and former Holland international Joel Veltman are ahead of Tasker in the first-team pecking order and the youngster knows he will have to bide his time before making his breakthrough.
Lamptey, 24, played 20 games last season for the club, while Veltman, 33, played 24 games last term.
But at 33 Veltman, respectively, is at the back end of his career and Brighton view Tasker as a promising option to become their regular right-back.
LOAN OFFERS
The Seagulls have been happy to listen to loan offers for Tasker, a 6ft 1” defender that has worked his way into the first team squad via the club’s academy system.
Tasker penned a new contract with the Seagulls in June this year having been with the club since he was just eight years’ old.
Brighton Under-21s head coach Shannon Ruth recently revealed: “We’re really proud of what Charlie has achieved since he joined us at the age of eight."
“He made really good progress last season in the under-21s and deserved to make the step-up to first-team squad involvement."
“He really enjoyed being around that environment and we’re delighted he’s signed a new contract.”
Last season Tasker was included by German boss Hurzeler in the Seagulls’ matchday squad for the second half of the season.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.