Coppola spent the second half of 2025-26 on loan at Paris FC Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty ImagesJuly 16, 2026 Updated 6:16 am EDTBrighton & Hove Albion central defender Diego Coppola has made a permanent move to Paris FC.The 22-year-old Italian, frustrated by a lack of minutes, joined Paris FC on loan in the January window for the rest of last season. He fitted in well, making 13 appearances as they finished in 11th place in the Ligue 1 table.Both clubs confirmed the permanent move on Thursday, with Coppola signing a deal through to 2031.Coppola has returned to the French capital to link up with former Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior. Rosenior, who spent three years at Brighton as a player between 2015 and 2018, succeeded Antoine Kombouare as head coach of Paris earlier this month, marking his return to management following his Chelsea dismissal in April.Coppola made nine appearances for Brighton after signing from Hellas Verona for £9.4million 13 months ago.Brighton sporting director Mike Cave said: “Diego made a good impact with Paris during his loan there last season and it was a transfer both he and Paris FC were keen to pursue.“With growing competition for places, this move suits all parties and allows Diego to make the next step in his career.”Coppola could not see a pathwayCoppola gave up on his move to Brighton, because he could not see a route to regular game time under Fabian Hurzeler. His path was blocked last season by the dominant partnership Jan Paul van Hecke and Lewis Dunk.That and the hope of forcing his way into the Italy squad if they qualified for the World Cup (they missed out) motivated his loan move to Paris. The centre-back rebuild during this summer’s transfer window made Coppola’s desire to get away inevitable.Van Hecke has been sold to Tottenham and Luka Vuscovic has moved in the opposite direction. Brighton have also signed Pascal Struijk from Leeds United and Michael Svoboda from Venezia.Jul 16, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms