James Milner has officially signed for Brighton on a free transfer, having left Liverpool this summer following an eight-year spell filled with success. He is the second of the four senior players released by Liverpool at the end of the season to find a new club. Milner has signed an initial one-year contract with Brighton, with the option to extend it by a further year, and will formally join the south-coast club on July 1.
Milner will provide welcome knowhow alongside Adam Lallana, and could take up a more focal role at the AMEX. Having turned 37 in January, he made 43 appearances in his final campaign on Merseyside. His move to Brighton comes as they prepare for life without Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo, who are both heading to Liverpool. This will be Milner’s seventh club in his senior career, which began in 2002 with spells at Leeds, Swindon (loan), Newcastle, Aston Villa and Man City before he joined the Reds.
Brighton will enter the Europa League for the first time in their history next season, and Milner’s experience in Europe could be invaluable. It is assumed that he will be involved as a regular starter, and he will be joined as a new signing by Mahmoud Dahoud, another free agent following the expiry of his contract at Dortmund. Good luck, Milly!