Gabby George Set for Brighton Move as Seagulls Rebuild
Gabby George is on the brink of swapping Manchester United red for Brighton blue, with the defender closing in on a move to the south coast before the new Women’s Super League season kicks off.
The 29-year-old has a year left on her United deal after the club triggered an extension clause in January, a decision that now forces Brighton to put real money on the table. The fee is expected to reach six figures for a player who can operate across the back line and brings a decade of top-flight experience with her.
This is not a case of a fringe player being quietly moved on. George arrived at United in 2023 and has since passed the 50-appearance mark, featuring in a side that lifted the Women’s FA Cup in 2024. She has been part of a winning dressing room, one that has felt the pressure of big occasions at Wembley and in the WSL run-in.
Yet the message from her camp is clear: she wants regular football. At 29, with three England caps already on her CV and time still to force her way back into the international picture, sitting on the bench is no longer an option.
Brighton are ready to give her that platform.
Brighton’s intent, spelled out in signings
Dario Vidosic is not easing his way into this job. His Brighton side have been busy, targeted, and unapologetically ambitious this summer.
Switzerland captain Lia Walti has already arrived, a statement in itself. Emilie Joramo has come in from Hammarby to add energy and craft in midfield. George now stands poised to become the latest piece in a squad being reshaped with purpose rather than panic.
Brighton finished seventh in the WSL last season. Respectable, competitive, but not enough for a club that has been steadily upgrading its infrastructure and expectations. They want to move out of the league’s middle lane. To do that, they need players who know what it takes to survive the grind of a long campaign and still deliver in the defining moments.
George fits that bill.
From Everton prodigy to seasoned pro
Before United, there was Everton. George came through their academy and played more than 100 games for the Merseyside club, growing from promising youngster into one of the league’s more reliable defenders. Those years hardened her, sharpened her positional sense and gave her the resilience that comes from defending under pressure, week after week.
That journey took her into the England setup, where she earned three caps and a taste of the international stage. She has not been a regular for the Lionesses, but her experience at that level adds another layer to what she brings into any dressing room.
For Brighton, that matters. This is a squad already sprinkled with talent; what Vidosic is adding now is know-how. Players who have seen different systems, different managers, different pressures — and can steady a game when it starts to tilt.
Arsenal opener looms
The timing of this move is no coincidence. Brighton open their WSL campaign at home to Arsenal on Sunday, 6 September (12:00 BST), a fixture that will test both their defensive organisation and their newfound ambition from the first whistle.
Arsenal will arrive with title talk never far away. Brighton, if this deal is completed in time, could line up with a back line reinforced by a defender who has gone toe-to-toe with the league’s best for years.
United, meanwhile, stand to lose a dependable squad member but gain a significant fee for a player entering the final year of her contract. Brighton gain something harder to quantify: a defender with scars, medals, and a point to prove.
If this is the level of recruitment Brighton are now operating at, seventh might soon feel like a starting point rather than a ceiling.
