Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth has completed a permanent move from Brighton & Hove Albion to Coventry City following an outstanding season on loan with the Sky Blues. By Nick Staunton
The 25-year-old has signed a long-term contract with Coventry, who are preparing for their return to the Premier League after a 25-year absence. The transfer is reportedly worth an initial £22.5 million and could rise to around £30 million through performance-related add-ons.
The deal makes Rushworth Coventry’s record signing, surpassing the fee paid earlier this summer for Swiss defender Aurèle Amenda.
It also ends the goalkeeper’s seven-year association with Brighton. Rushworth joined the Seagulls from Halifax Town in 2019 but did not make a senior competitive appearance for the club.
Instead, he developed through a succession of loan spells at Worthing, Walsall, Lincoln City, Swansea City and Hull City before joining Coventry for the 2025–26 campaign.
Promotion Hero Returns Permanently
Rushworth played every Championship match during Coventry’s title-winning season, making 46 league appearances and keeping 17 clean sheets.
His performances helped Frank Lampard’s side finish the campaign with 95 points and earn promotion as Championship champions. Rushworth also secured the division’s Golden Glove award after recording more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper.
The goalkeeper’s consistency made him one of Coventry’s most important players and convinced the club to pursue a permanent agreement despite reported interest from other Premier League teams.
Lampard described the transfer as a major signing, praising Rushworth’s professionalism and the role he played in the club’s promotion. The Coventry manager will now be able to retain an established goalkeeper who already understands his playing system and defensive unit.
Brighton are reported to have negotiated both a sell-on clause and an option to buy Rushworth back in the future. Those protections could allow the Seagulls to benefit financially should his value continue to rise.
For Rushworth, the move offers the Premier League opportunity that remained difficult to secure at the Amex Stadium.
He will now enter the new season as Coventry’s expected first-choice goalkeeper, with the Sky Blues investing heavily to give Lampard a squad capable of competing in the top flight.
