Town have confirmed the loan signing of Brighton & Hove Albion’s Paraguayan international forward Julio Enciso.
Enciso, who celebrates his 21st birthday today, was first mentioned as a target of the Blues and Leicester by media in his home country last week when TWTD confirmed he had been a player Town had eyed in the previous couple of windows. News that he was set to sign emerged from Paraguay on Tuesday evening.
According to reports in Italy and Paraguay, Valencia, Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund all showed interest in taking Enciso on loan, while it’s claimed Manchester United made an approach to Brighton after the deal had been done with the Blues, eyeing the Caaguazu-born attacker as a potential replacement for Alejandro Garnacho, who is expected to depart Old Trafford.
"I am so happy to be here,” Enciso told TownTV. "The conversations with the manager have been good. I am very grateful to him and the club for believing in me. I can’t wait to get going. I’m a real fighter and I will do my best in every game.”
The new recruit, Town’s third of the window, will join up with his new teammates in the days to come and may be involved at Liverpool on Saturday.
Enciso, who is 5ft 8in tall, joined Brighton from Club Libertad in his home country for £9 million in 2022.
He has made 22 starts for the Seagulls - 14 in the Premier League - and 33 sub appearances, scoring five goals.
One of those goals was a superb strike against Manchester City in May 2023 which sealed Brighton’s place in the Europa League and was selected as both the Match of the Day and Premier League Goal of the Season for the 2022/23 campaign, and was also nominated for the FIFA Puskas Award.
Capped 23 times by Paraguay, scoring twice, Enciso is contracted to Albion until the summer of 2026.
As he is 21, the club’s first ever Paraguayan international doesn’t count towards the 25-man Premier League squad, which has to be resubmitted shortly after the transfer window closes. The Blues are understood to be covering his wages in full.
Town and the Seagulls did January loan business for a South American attacker last year, Ecuadorian international Jeremy Sarmiento coming in and playing a big part in the promotion to the Premier League and creating one of Portman Road’s most memorable moments with his last-gasp winner against Southampton.
The Blues have been after three attacking players in this window, forwards Enciso and Jaden Philogene, who joined from Aston Villa last week, and a number nine, who they now have just under a fortnight to recruit before the Monday 3rd February deadline.
Having added Enciso and Philogene, Blues boss McKenna now has an abundance of options for the roles behind number nines Liam Delap or George Hirst, particularly on the left side.
Whether he might look to move anyone on before the window closes remains to be seen. Nathan Broadhead’s former loan club Sunderland were keen to bring him back to Wearside late in the summer window, while we understand Middlesbrough have more recently been keeping tabs on the Wales international.
Jack Clarke could only return to Sunderland having played for the Blues and Black Cats already this season.