Brighton Sign Canada Striker Promise David on Loan From Union Saint-Gilloise

Brighton have signed Canada striker Promise David from Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy for a reported £22m. The deal brings a player who scored at this summer's World Cup to the Amex Stadium, adding a proven goalscorer to Fabian Hürzeler's attacking options.

David, 25, arrives with a striking record in Belgium: 41 goals and nine assists in 82 appearances for Union Saint-Gilloise since signing for the club in 2024. That is better than a goal every other game — a ratio that caught Brighton's attention, and one the club's sporting director Mike Cave was happy to highlight. "He is an out-and-out striker who possesses outstanding physical attributes and a track record of scoring goals," Cave said of the signing. (BBC Sport)

The striker also made his mark on the global stage this summer. David featured in four of Canada's five World Cup fixtures as a substitute and scored in the 2-1 group-stage defeat to Switzerland. A World Cup goal is a calling card few players in the Premier League can carry into a new club.

His route to the top flight has been anything but direct. David's career began in Canada before stops in Croatia and the United States, two spells in the Maltese Premier League, and a stint with Estonian side Nõmme Kalju. He finally landed at Union Saint-Gilloise in 2024, where his goalscoring took off and put him on the radar of clubs across Europe.

For Brighton fans, the signing fits a familiar pattern. The club have built a reputation for identifying talent from less glamorous leagues and developing it at the highest level — a strategy that has served them well in recent seasons. David, with his physical presence and eye for goal, looks like the latest project in that lineage.

The structure of the deal — a loan with an obligation to buy, meaning Brighton will pay the £22m fee regardless of how he performs this season — signals real commitment from both sides. David will spend the 2026-27 season on the south coast, and the permanent transfer will follow.

What stands out is the sheer breadth of the journey. From Malta and Estonia to the World Cup and now the Premier League in the space of a few years, David's career has been a slow build rather than an overnight arrival. The 25-year-old now gets his shot on one of football's biggest stages.