Eastbourne Borough are excited to announce the loan signing of forward Zak Emmerson from EFL League One side Blackpool.

The 19-year-old joins the Sports until January 2, 2024 and previously worked with boss Mark Beard at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Emmerson became the second youngest player in EFL history at 15 years and 73 days old when he came on as a substitute for Oldham Athletic against Walsall in 2019.

He then joined Brighton for an undisclosed fee, and worked with Beard in the youth ranks at Albion where he averaged almost a goal every game for the Seagulls’ Academy sides.

The former England Under 18 international scored 20 goals in 26 games for Albion in the 2021/22 season, leading to a move to Bloomfield Road where he put pen-to-paper on a three-year contract.

And after working with him at Brighton, manager Beard is looking to get the best out of Emmerson once again.

“I’m delighted that Zak has signed with us,” he said.

“He’s someone I’ve worked with and known for four years now, having signed him from Oldham for Brighton Under 18s.

“In the two seasons we worked together, he scored almost a goal a game and earned a call up to the England youth sides before his move to Blackpool.

“He will add fire to our front line, and has the right character to fit in well with the rest of our squad.

“He’s a different type of forward to what we’ve got, he’s a natural finisher and has that aggression in the air that we’ve perhaps missed so far.”

Emmerson is available for tomorrow’s game away at Yeovil, and we would like to thank Blackpool for their co-operation in making this move happen.