| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Watson [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 8 April 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Horden, England | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2015–2023 | Sunderland | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2025 | Sunderland | 22 | (2) |
| 2025– | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023 | England U17 | 5 | (1) |
| 2023 | England U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2025– | England U19 | 4 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:07, 3 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 20 June 2025 | |||
Thomas Watson (born 8 April 2006) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. [2]
Born in Horden, Watson first joined the Sunderland academy at the Under-9 level. [3]
On 18 April 2023, Watson made his professional debut for Sunderland, appearing as a substitute in the EFL Championship against Huddersfield Town. [4] [5] Despite a back injury hampering his ability to feature at the start of the 2023–24 season, Watson signed a new three-year contract with Sunderland in September 2023. [6] [3]
On 7 December 2024, Watson scored the first league goals of his professional career in a 2–1 EFL Championship win for Sunderland against Stoke City. [7]
On 1 April 2025, Watson was announced as a signing for Premier League-side Brighton & Hove Albion for a £10m fee, officially joining the club at the start of the forthcoming transfer window. [8] A month later, on 24 May, he came off the bench and scored a stoppage-time winner to complete the 2–1 comeback win over Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final, securing Sunderland's return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017. [9]
On 1 June 2025, Watson joined Brighton & Hove Albion, signing a contract until June 2029. [10] He scored on his debut, coming off the bench to add Brighton's sixth of the evening in their 6–0 away win over Oxford United in the EFL Cup. [11]
Watson is noted for his pace and directness. [12]
Watson made his England U17 debut in January 2023. That same month he scored his first England U17 goal in a 6-0 win over Germany U17. [13] [14]
Watson made his England U18 debut during a 1–1 draw with Belgium in Marbella on 11 October 2023. [15]
Watson was included in the England U19 squad for the 2025 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. [16] He made a goalscoring debut for that age group during a 3-1 warm-up win over Iceland at St George's Park National Football Centre on 6 June 2025. [17]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sunderland | 2022–23 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Championship | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 [a] | 1 | 22 | 3 | |
| Total | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 3 | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2025–26 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Career total | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 4 | ||
Sunderland