Another bad news hits Brighton: The head coach of Brighton shed tears as four of his star players made a final decision to terminate their huge contracts.
Another set of unfortunate news for Brighton: Four of their top players have decided to end their enormous contracts, bringing the head coach of Brighton to tears.
A really unpleasant statistic was making the rounds two weeks ago. Roberto De Zerbi’s purportedly excellent Brighton team and Roy Hodgson’s pathetic Crystal Palace team had each won four of their previous 17 Premier League games. One was let go soon after, and the other has been connected to the open positions at Barcelona and Liverpool.
This added to a broader story that was starting to emerge: Brighton was regressing. Work had been done on De Zerbi. It turns out you can’t sell Robert Sanchez, Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister, and any other player and still lose your manager, his whole backroom team, and your head of recruiting in less than a year. Heave heave. It was the new kids on the block getting back at them.
Of course, though, they weren’t. Even if that statistic might have been accurate at the time, more context is needed. Hates, hates, hates, etc.
They have done this while trying to replace the £140 million duo of Caicedo and Mac Allister, as well as bringing in academy product Jack Hinshelwood, age 18, and new striker Joao Pedro, age 22.
In their last 20 games, the Seagulls have won 10, drawn six, and lost only four. In addition to playing some of the most alluring and captivating football around, they are also the best-run club in Europe, as proved by the latest Uefa financial report, which validated long-held suspicions.
With a pre-tax profit of £130 million in 2022–23, Brighton is the second-place European club, trailing only Barcelona. Since Uefa began keeping data, only two teams have earned more money in a single fiscal year than the Seagulls: Monaco and Tottenham, both in 2018.
This is mostly due to the fact that they have the highest net transfer income in Europe ($75 million), surpassing that of other well-known selling teams like Lille, Ajax, and Sporting CP. However, it is also bolstered by a 27% year-over-year rise in revenue to £225 million, placing the team just £3.5 million behind Real Madrid for the 20th-highest revenue and 10th-highest operational profit in Europe.
Naturally, with lower player sales anticipated this summer, all of these numbers will probably drop by next season, but that is not a terrible thing.
After being linked to a £100 million departure earlier in the season, Evan Ferguson has not scored in over 700 league minutes since November. This has at least temporarily stifled interest in him.
Although Brighton can afford to hang out for the best price for Mitoma, who is already 26 years old, he will likely get the most interest. Another name that might be in great demand is Estupinan, although the Seagulls may be able to cling onto him because of his protracted injury layoff.
“Teams have worked out De Zerbi’s system a little bit—you saw it with that Luton game at the end of January,” says Seagulls Central editor Adam MacDonald. Brighton has a crew that is really approachable.
Our midfield is weaker now that we’ve lost guys like Caicedo and Mac Allister, and we don’t appear to be as strong in the middle of the field without the clear-cut ball winner we lost with Caicedo. That has changed things significantly.
“Brighton was tough to beat a few years ago, but they didn’t score many goals. We score a lot of goals these days, but we also give up a lot. The price you pay to play in De Zerbi’s systems is that.
“The one area in which you can criticize the manager is his continued goalkeeper rotation,” says Scott McCarthy of the Brighton fansite We Are Brighton. While Mikel Arteta abandoned the plan following several weeks of negative publicity, De Zerbi has continued to alternate between Bart Verbruggen and Jason Steele every few games.
“It is no coincidence that the Albion set a club record run of 25 league games without a clean sheet, and neither goalie has covered themselves in glory.”
Nevertheless, Brighton is still playing well and improving with each player who returns from injury despite these problems. Adingra and Mitoma have recently made a comeback, and this weekend Enciso is anticipated to return to the bench. Milner and Pedro ought to be available in the upcoming month. We’re filling holes.
And Brighton is still fifth in the Premier League after overcoming the injury problem. They play their FA Cup fifth round match against Wolves midweek, and then they play Roma in the Europa League last 16 immediately after.
Following victories over Marseille and Ajax in the group stage, the Roma trip will provide this already jilted fanbase with even more European memories.
There’s a lot of hope that this season can yet produce something truly exceptional, according to MacDonald. We’re still quite competitive in the league. This is like the beginning of a new mini-season. We’ve survived the challenging winter and are back and stronger than before.
However, this is less likely to occur at the Amex, according to football finance expert and Brighton supporter Kieran Maguire. Nothing is assured because talent identification is a risky process. Brighton’s owners, however, not only use data, but they also comprehend it better than many other clubs, which gives them a competitive edge.
It doesn’t make me a pianist, I always say, even if you give me a piano. I’m not guaranteed to understand a spreadsheet full of data correctly in order to hire the best players.
Tony Bloom is the greatest asset for Brighton. He is a lifelong fan who is not going anywhere. The club has intelligent people in the appropriate positions.
Recruiting is an essential component in expanding, maturing, and growing into a larger club with a more recognizable brand. Whether they like it or not, Brighton is already on that route due to its own prior success. They are, as Maguire puts it, a big-time club.
Despite appearing to be under the radar, everything suggests Brighton is stronger than ever. They might now have the room they need to take their next step forward, thanks to this lack of focus.
The Premier League came first, followed by the top half, and then Europe. It doesn’t seem too far off to win your first major award. It might even occur sooner than anyone anticipates.
