| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lorent Tolaj[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2001-10-23)23 October 2001 (age 23)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Aigle, Switzerland[3] | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Port Vale | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2016–2018 | FC Sion | ||
| 2018–2022 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | (0) |
| 2022 | →Cambridge United (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | →Salford City (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2023 | →Dundee (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Aldershot Town | 44 | (19) |
| 2024– | Port Vale | 28 | (9) |
| International career | |||
| 2017 | Switzerland U17 | 3 | (2) |
| 2018–2019 | Switzerland U18 | 5 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | Switzerland U19 | 4 | (9) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:25, 22 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
Lorent Tolaj (born 23 October 2001) is a Swiss professionalfootballer who plays as aforward forEFL League Two clubPort Vale. He represented Switzerland internationally up tounder-19 level. He scored eight goals in one match to set the record for the most goals scored in an under-19 Euro qualifier.
Tolaj joinedBrighton & Hove Albion fromFC Sion in 2018. He won theSussex Senior Challenge Cup with theunder-23 team, though he never played a first-team game for the club at senior level. He instead spent time on loan atCambridge United,Salford City andDundee. He joinedAldershot Town in July 2023 and scored 25 goals in the 2023–24 season, also winning theNational League Player of the Month award for January 2024. He was sold to Port Vale in June 2024.
Born inAigle,[3] Tolaj joinedBrighton & Hove Albion'sacademy in June 2018 after playing youth football for Swiss sideFC Sion.[4] On 3 December 2019, he played for the under-23 side againstNewport County in the second round of theEFL Trophy, when his missed penalty lost theshoot-out following a 0–0 draw after 90 minutes.[5] CoachSimon Rusk said it was a result despite Tolaj also missing "a golden late chance" before the final whistle.[6] He missed nine months of the2020–21 season with knee andhamstring injuries.[7]
On 31 January 2022, he joined Brighton teammateJensen Weir atEFL League One clubCambridge United on loan until the end of the2021–22 season after having scored eight goals and three assists for the Brighton under-23 side in the first half of the campaign.[8][9][7] A day later, he made his debut for the U's as a substitute in a 2–0 away defeat atBolton Wanderers.[10] On 18 April, it was confirmed that Tolaj had left theAbbey Stadium and returned to his parent club after only making five substitute appearances in all competitions for Cambridge.[11] Cambridge managerMark Bonner said thatJoe Ironside had returned from injury quicker than expected and that he wanted to prioritise playing time for his club's own players.[12] Tolaj scored two goals for the Seagulls' under-23 side in their 4–2 win overWorthing in the 2022Sussex Senior Challenge Cup final.[13] Following the game, coachAndrew Crofts said that "he probably felt a little bit hard done by [at Cambridge] but Lorent has got an exciting future".[14]
On 23 August 2022, Tolaj signed forLeague Two sideSalford City on loan for the2022–23 season.[15] He scored his first goal in theEnglish Football League (EFL) on 22 November, in a 1–0 EFL Trophy victory overBradford City atMoor Lane, winning praise from managerNeil Wood for hisshooting.[16] This was his only goal in 17 appearances for the Ammies.[17] On 31 January 2023, Tolaj left Salford and joinedScottish Championship clubDundee on loan until the end of the season.[18] He made his debut for the Dark Blues as a substitute in a league game away toHamilton Academical.[19] He made a further two substitute appearances for managerGary Bowyer.[20] In April, Tolaj returned to Brighton after suffering an injury to hisachilles tendon, and would only briefly return toDens Park before the issue flared up again.[21][22] On 16 June 2023, Tolaj was released from his contract with Brighton without making a first-team appearance atFalmer Stadium.[23]
On 7 July 2023, Tolaj joinedNational League sideAldershot Town on a one-year deal.[24] ManagerTommy Widdrington recalled how head of recruitment Jamie Hedges had to persuade him to playnon-League football in England to win a move back into the EFL rather than return to Switzerland and earn more money in theSwiss Challenge League.[25] Tolaj wassent off in a pre-season game atFarnborough.[25] He scored a brace in his debut for the Shots, in a 5–2 league win overOxford City.[26] On 28 August, Tolaj would play part of a league game away toEastleigh as agoalkeeper after Shots goalieJordi van Stappershoef was sent off.[27] On 14 October, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 win overLewes in anFA Cup qualification round match at theRecreation Ground to earn himself a place on the FA Cup Team of the Week.[28][29] On 4 November, he scored a brace against League Two sideSwindon Town in a 7–4 victory in the FA Cup proper.[30] In February 2024, the club announced they had triggered an option in Tolaj's contract to see him remain there until June 2025.[31] This came after an impressive run of form during January, scoring four goals and assisting another, which won him the National League Player of the Month award.[32] On 12 March, he scored a brace in a 4–1 win overEbbsfleet United to win a place on the National League Team of Midweek.[33] Aldershot missed out on the play-offs at the end of the2023–24 season after finishing in eighth place, two points behindGateshead.[34] The Aldershot Town Supporters Club named him their Player of the Season, while the players voted him as Players’ Player of the Season.[35]
On 28 June 2024, Tolaj joined League Two clubPort Vale for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract.[34][36] On 7 September, he scored a goal and provided two assists in a 4–1 win atNewport County and was subsequently named in the EFL League Two Team of the Week and the overall League Two Player of the Week.[37][38] He was dropped from the starting eleven but impressed when he was started alongsideJayden Stockley in his preferred centre forward role in January 2025.[39] He put in two consecutiveplayer of the match appearances at the start of February, scoring a brace in a 3–3 draw atSwindon Town to also be named as the League Two Player of the Week.[40][41]
Born in Switzerland, Tolaj is of Kosovan descent and is aMuslim who fasts duringRamadan.[42][43] He has represented Switzerland internationally atunder-17,under-18 andunder-19 levels.[44] On 19 November 2019, Tolaj scored eight goals in Switzerland U19's 16–1 win overGibraltar U19, setting the record for the most goals scored in an under-19 Euro qualifier.[45]
Tolaj is aforward who can hold the ball up and also has good movement around the penalty area.[46] He has a powerful left-footed shot.[47] He described himself as "a number nine striker", adding "I'm a powerful striker, quick and I'm confident in front of goal".[48]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion U21 | 2019–20[49] | — | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2021–22[50] | — | — | — | 3[a] | 2 | 3 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2021–22[50] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Cambridge United (loan) | 2021–22[50] | League One | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |
| Salford City (loan) | 2022–23[51] | League Two | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6[a] | 1 | 17 | 1 | |
| Dundee (loan) | 2022–23[51] | Scottish Championship | 2 | 0 | — | — | 1[b] | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Aldershot Town | 2023–24[52] | National League | 44 | 19 | 5 | 5 | — | 2[c] | 1 | 51 | 25 | |
| Port Vale | 2024–25[53] | League Two | 29 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[a] | 1 | 33 | 9 |
| Career total | 89 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 113 | 37 | ||
Brighton & Hove Albion U23
Individual