Femi Azeez: Brighton boss cannot give a return date, so what does that mean for Super Eagles hopes?

Super Eagles winger Femi Azeez is still waiting for a first Premier League appearance for Brighton, and head coach Fabian Hurzeler says he cannot say when it will come.

Azeez joined Brighton and Hove Albion from Millwall on transfer deadline day. All Nigeria Soccer, which credited The Argus, reported on 22 October that the 25-year-old will not play in Brighton's Conference League match at Jablonec.

Soccernet reported in September that he scored 11 goals and gave 7 assists for Millwall in the 2025/26 Championship, as we covered at the time of his move.

What Hurzeler said

According to the All Nigeria Soccer report, Hurzeler said his return date is unclear.

“It's not quite clear how long it will take.”

He added that the problem is minor.

“It seems to be not a big issue but therefore we have to be patient with Femi.”

The report did not name an injury. That matters, because Hurzeler's earlier timetable has moved. In September, speaking to BBC Sport, as quoted in Soccernet's earlier piece, he said Azeez would “definitely be at the level after the international break” if all went to plan.

Analysis: a deadline-day signing with no date

Read together, the two comments show a gap between the plan and the reality. In September the target was the end of the international break. A month on, the coach's own words are that the timing is unclear, even as he plays the issue down.

For Nigeria, the question is the November qualifiers. Azeez was left out of the Super Eagles squad for the last round of AFCON qualifiers, according to Soccernet's earlier report, and no official squad for the Tanzania games has been confirmed in the sources checked. If Azeez has still not played for Brighton by then, selection would depend on coach Eric Chelle weighing a winger without recent club minutes against others in form. That is a judgement for Chelle, and none of the reports say which way it will go.

For Brighton, a signing on deadline day who has yet to play has little to show for it so far. Patience, as Hurzeler says, is the only realistic response until a return date emerges. For context on the Eagles' wider options, see how George Ilenikhena’s form is changing Chelle’s options.

The next update is likely to come in Hurzeler's next press conference.