Brighton land Lopez and Hammond

Brighton land Lopez and Hammond

Published Sep. 1, 2012 7:16 a.m. ET

Brighton have made two more deadline-day signings by bringing in Athletic Bilbao midfielder David Lopez and Dean Hammond on loan.

The 29-year-old Spaniard Lopez has penned a one-year deal after passing a medical and joins Andrea Orlandi and Scott Dobbie in moving to the south-coast club.

"He is technically very gifted and has great ability," boss Gus Poyet told Brighton's website.

"He is a right-sided midfielder and gives us another option. Ultimately he is going to bring extra quality to the squad and a different attacking midfield option."

ADVERTISEMENT

Lopez will not be in the squad for Saturday's Championship clash at Burnley and will join up with his new team-mates on Monday.

Also, Hammond has rejoined his hometown club on a one-year loan from Southampton.

The 29-year-old came through Albion's youth set-up and made his senior debut in 2000 before being appointed captain at the age of 23 prior to joining Colchester. He then led Southampton to back-to-back promotions.

"He knows the club, he has experience, he has presence and he knows the division. He's a winner and he has quality," Poyet added.

"We have a lot of quality in our midfield. We need that presence in midfield. The fact it was Brighton helped him make a decision. It's important that the fans know how much he wanted to come back.

"He is a real man. We wanted that extra experience and presence on the pitch and in the dressing room. He shows what we were looking for. We didn't know he was available and as soon as we knew there was a small chance we went for it and waited for it to happen."

share