Tolaj on Brighton switch, climb from National League and 'why I chose City'

"I moved to Brighton when I was 16, 17 years old," Lorent Tolaj explains, just minutes after his first Bristol City goal. The forward had opened his account in red and white with an instinctive finish in front of the home crowd at Ashton Gate in a win over Portsmouth.

"I think every kid wants to play in England," he says, reflecting on his route to the West Country. "My dream was to train with the best players, and I think they're in England. That's why I chose, with my family, to come to England really early."

Born and raised in Switzerland, Tolaj joined the ranks at FC Sion as a youngster. The Swiss Super League side, whose ground, the Stade de Tourbillion, is located in the city of Sion, offered a potential route into the world of professional football.

But in spite of the fact that he didn't speak the language, England was where Tolaj had set his sights. Without his father or brother, he headed to the south coast as a teenager, joining then recently-promoted Premier League outfit Brighton and Hove Albion.

"I knew it would be difficult, but I was ready for the challenge," he says when asked about that teenage move. "That's why I came to England because that's where you play the best football, I think.

"The first year, my mum and my sister came with me. My dad wanted my mum to come with me because I didn't speak the language and to help me adapt. It was difficult in the beginning, but after I learned the language and got used to the English culture, my mum and my sister went back to Switzerland with my dad and my brother. I've stayed in England, and I've been living in England now for eight years."

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The first three-and-a-half of those eight years were spent in the Seagulls' youth ranks. Tolaj progressed through Brighton's age group levels before enjoying a positive start to the 2021/22 campaign as part of the Premier League side's Under-23s group.

With first-team minutes not readily available in the top flight, an EFL loan move was always likely to be the forward's next step. Over the course of the next 18 months, Tolaj departed the Amex Stadium temporarily on three separate occasions without ever managing to find his feet, a spell of misfortune that naturally left him looking inward.

"I went to League One with Cambridge, League Two with Salford City and then Scotland with Dundee FC," the forward reflects. "They were really short loans. They didn't really go well with me.

"Cambridge, I didn't really play. Salford, I didn't really play, and the third club, Dundee FC, I didn't really play," he adds. "In your head, this is the third club; so you feel like it's something wrong with you, you know. But Aldershot gave me the opportunity to show myself."

The move to the Shots came shortly after Tolaj's five-year association with Brighton was brought to a close. Injury cut short the striker's temporary spell in Scotland, and when he returned to the south coast club, he was released upon the expiry of his contract, having never managed a senior appearance.

Tolaj had moved from Switzerland to England as a teenager with aspirations of leaving his mark in the Premier League. Before he had even had the opportunity to do so, he found himself putting pen to paper on a one-year deal at the Recreation Ground.

"I will never forget Aldershot," the 24-year-old smiles, reflecting on his time in the National League. "The manager [Tommy Widdrington] really believed in me and, for me, it was important to play in my position as a number nine.

"I'm not a number 10, I'm not a winger, and when I was on loan, they never really played me up front. It was great; I had one season there where I played more than 50 games, and after that, it's up to the player.

"My job is to score goals, and that's what I did. I scored 25 goals and moved up the leagues.

"It was difficult to drop from a Premier League club to the National League," he adds. "It was really difficult at the time, but I'm someone who really trusts my ability. A good player will always go up if he is a good player.

"It doesn't matter which league you're in; if you're good enough, you can make the step up and make the step up again. I'm really happy about my journey."

Tolaj's 25 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions caught the eye of several Football League clubs. Ultimately, it was then League Two outfit Port Vale that secured his services, albeit only for a single season. A 15-goal campaign as Darren Moore's side won promotion to the third tier naturally grabbed the attention of potential suitors.

Just a game into the following campaign, the Swiss youth international was on the move once more, with Plymouth Argyle his destination. Another 21 goals in 35 outings in all competitions ensured Championship links arose as soon as the curtain was pulled on the 2025/26 season and for the third straight summer, Tolaj would be headed for pastures new.

South Bristol and Ashton Gate were his destination, a choice made easy given the shared ambition between player and club.

"The manager and the club," the striker replies when quizzed over what made City the right next step on his unique journey. "They want to go higher and try to reach the Premier League.

"I want to play at the highest level as well; that's why I chose Bristol City, and I think that's a really good choice.

"I didn't reach the first team [at Brighton], and I was really disappointed not to reach the first team," he adds. "But every player has got a journey; it doesn't mean that because you didn't reach the Premier League with Brighton that you will never reach the highest level.

"As a team and as an individual, every player wants to reach the highest level. Right now, my main focus is at the club; trying to perform every game. As a striker, you want to score goals to help the team win games. But obviously it is not only about goals.

"It's about everything you do on the pitch. Everyone wants to see the striker score goals. That's the way I can help the team. Everyone has been really good with me at the club. All the staff members and the players have been really, really good.

"Obviously it is a step up. Every player is much better; especially centre-backs, they are bigger and better technically. But I think I'm doing alright."

Since his strike and this press conference, Tolaj has doubled his account for the campaign, scoring his second City goal in the Reds' defeat to Southampton last month. His tally at the extended international break is only bettered in the BS3 changing room by fellow new signing, Dom Ballard.

Like Tolaj, Ballard made the switch to Ashton Gate this summer after a stellar campaign in League One. The 21-year-old won the third tier's golden boot last term as he scored 23 goals in a Leyton Orient side that finished just three points clear of Exeter City and the relegation zone.

In the Robins' opening eight league matches, the pair have started together on two occasions, Tolaj has led the line on his own five times, and Ballard has done so once, during the win over Watford prior to the interval.

Waiting in the wings for his opportunity behind the two Championship newcomers is Elijah Adebayo, with the former Luton Town striker still building his fitness after penning a two-year deal in south Bristol this summer.

"It's healthy competition, and I think Dom's done really well, as well," Tolaj nods when asked about the fight for places under Michael Skubala. "Everyone is a bit of a different type of player, so it depends on the opposition as well.

"The manager has got good options, and even the players who start on the bench know that they might make an impact, which is good. I think everyone is really good, so it's good competition. Even in training, everyone gives everything, 100 per cent, every day, because you know, if you don't perform on the weekend, the next one will come on.

"Hopefully, we can have a successful season together."

City's season continues next weekend with a trip to The Valley to face Charlton Athletic - the side immediately beneath them in the current Championship table.

Before then, Skubala's side take on Premier League opposition in the shape of Crystal Palace, with Selhurst Park playing host to a mid-season friendly this weekend.

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