[Albion] Valentín Barco **Signed 20/01/24**

[GT49er]

Bringing them in is just part of it. It's what you do with the new recruits that really counts.

Another club might gazump us on our targets but will they be able to embed them in the same way?

Caicedo choosing Chelsea over Liverpool shows you that footballers generally don't work like that! Amazing what a difference another £5 or £10K a week can make to a young South American's thought process!

 

[The Fits]

That tactic will work with some, but for many younger players both the leg work we put in prior to a transfer, and the clear pathway once here, will always attract a decent amount of them.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

That plan - waiting to see who Brighton are trying to sign and go in and gazump them by bidding a couple of £M more and offering bigger wages - has already been suggested by several pundits on various outlets. Talksport for one. Makes a lot of sense - unfortunately!

But it's ultimately pointless. These players aren't necessarily any 'better' than any others, there is a large volume of potential talent out there. We sign them because our analytics say they will fit seamlessly into our system, and by doing that, along with our development pathways and so on, we are giving them a chance to shine and maximise their abilities.

So they become in demand and we make big profits in selling them, and pundits ask 'where did we find them?' with the benefit of hindsight, but it isn't really the finding of them that was key. Helps, but far from the only thing

 

[Russconha]

Gingers and beanpoles are the last bastions of hope for people that like to call a spade a spade.

 

[GT49er]

But it's ultimately pointless. These players aren't necessarily any 'better' than any others, there is a large volume of potential talent out there. We sign them because our analytics say they will fit seamlessly into our system, and by doing that, along with our development pathways and so on, we are giving them a chance to shine and maximise their abilities.

So they become in demand and we make big profits in selling them, and pundits ask 'where did we find them?' with the benefit of hindsight, but it isn't really the finding of them that was key. Helps, but far from the only thing

Pointless? Really? So if Chelsea or Liverpool had spotted that we were getting a young lad called Caicedo from Independient del Valle for £4M it would have been bad business to immediately offer Independente twice that, and offer the player more money too, it would have been bad business, and utterly pointless?

I don't think so!

 

[Bakero]

Caicedo choosing Chelsea over Liverpool shows you that footballers generally don't work like that! Amazing what a difference another £5 or £10K a week can make to a young South American's thought process!

Oh, I'm not saying our reputation/plan will convince all players to ignore bigger offers and sign for us. Far from it.

What I mean is it won't necessarily work out well for the gazumpers or the player.

 

[Bakero]

Pointless? Really? So if Chelsea or Liverpool had spotted that we were getting a young lad called Caicedo from Independient del Valle for £4M it would have been bad business to immediately offer Independente twice that, and offer the player more money too, it would have been bad business, and utterly pointless?

I don't think so!

Moises would've done well whatever but would his progress have been as fast of he'd signed for Chelsea back then rather than us? Doubt it.

 

[Goldstone Guy]

Bringing them in is just part of it. It's what you do with the new recruits that really counts.

Another club might gazump us on our targets but will they be able to embed them in the same way?

Exactly. It's one thing spotting a player. It's another thing, and stage two of the process, to understand that the player will fit the system and be an effective part of the group. And then the player has to gradually get exposure to playing in the first team, without weakening the team and results too much. We can probably offer player development and career progression to certain players that the "top six" clubs can't. I suppose this gets more difficult the more successful we are and the higher the expectations become.

 

[Pavilionaire]

That plan - waiting to see who Brighton are trying to sign and go in and gazump them by bidding a couple of £M more and offering bigger wages - has already been suggested by several pundits on various outlets. Talksport for one. Makes a lot of sense - unfortunately!

Except that how many clubs have the sort of track record that we do in:

a) Giving that kid a shot at Premier League / European first team football
b) Using that route to produce a World Cup winner (MacAllister)
c) Using that route to producing the third biggest transfer in world football history (Caicedo).

 

[GT49er]

Except that how many clubs have the sort of track record that we do in:

a) Giving that kid a shot at Premier League / European first team football
b) Using that route to produce a World Cup winner (MacAllister)
c) Using that route to producing the third biggest transfer in world football history (Caicedo).

None yet - because they hadn't cottoned on to the fact that we were identifying wonderkids and signing them up cheaply. Now they know that's what we do, they'll be investigating every youngster we show an interest in and looking to gazump us. More money - more likely to sign. It really isn't rocket science!
And in terms of their ambitions, why bother with the middle man when they can go straight to their dream team of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United or wherever?

 

[chickens]

Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City can’t afford to shop for the players we want.

This is nothing to do with finance, it is down to players getting the exposure to first team action that allows them to develop from “hot prospect” to exciting young Premier League star.

A team with genuine title aspirations can’t take significant risks just to develop individual footballers. We give the youngsters game time, instead of them signing and disappearing without trace into an U21 setup that players rarely emerge from.

We turn the raw material into the finished product on a regular basis. That’s good for the player, their agent, and the clubs who go on to buy from us. (Hi Todd!)

The simple fact of the matter is we have a great track record of developing talent, despite a total overhaul of our coaching team.

Premier League teams who buy from us have seen their purchase cut it in the Premier League, we’re de-risking their purchasing process, and that’s worth a lot to a football club’s board with the current market value of players.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

Probably mentioned a few times, bigger/historically successful clubs have to have instant, ready made, hit the ground running type signings. They don't really do the develope late teens type. If they want a youngster, it's quite often through their academies.

 

[sparkie]

...and if they send these players on loan, the receiving club has their own agenda...

 

[Taybha]

So basically I've written off Gary Goals too soon ? Sorry Gaz

 

[Pavilionaire]

None yet - because they hadn't cottoned on to the fact that we were identifying wonderkids and signing them up cheaply. Now they know that's what we do, they'll be investigating every youngster we show an interest in and looking to gazump us. More money - more likely to sign. It really isn't rocket science!
And in terms of their ambitions, why bother with the middle man when they can go straight to their dream team of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United or wherever?

It's been going on since the Hughton years. It's been 5 years since we recruited Gyokeres and loaned out Ben White to Newport County, 4 years ago we grabbed Burn, MacAllister, Sanchez, Connolly. Something was clearly going on at that point and went into overdrive in 2019/20 with Trossard, Lamptey, Molumby. Did the rest of the football world REALLY not know what was happening?!?

You cannot underestimate how important the prospect of first team action and a guaranteed tidy Prem wage is to these kids. Even Colwill wasn't sure he'd start at Chelsea, despite having just had a stellar Prem season with us and winning the Under-21 Euros with England.

What IS still going under the radar is our nurturing of the leadership group to guide these kids towards greatness. You can track a direct line from Calderon, Bruno, Crofts, Zamora, Sidwell, Murray, Gross, Welbeck, Lallana, Milner. The rest of the football world thought these players were done but the Albion identified them as players with leadership attributes and key leadership roles to play, the sort of qualities the lack of which will do for Chelsea this season and years to come.

 

[The Fits]

It's been going on since the Hughton years. It's been 5 years since we recruited Gyokeres and loaned out Ben White to Newport County, 4 years ago we grabbed Burn, MacAllister, Sanchez, Connolly. Something was clearly going on at that point and went into overdrive in 2019/20 with Trossard, Lamptey, Molumby. Did the rest of the football world REALLY not know what was happening?!?

You cannot underestimate how important the prospect of first team action and a guaranteed tidy Prem wage is to these kids. Even Colwill wasn't sure he'd start at Chelsea, despite having just had a stellar Prem season with us and winning the Under-21 Euros with England.

What IS still going under the radar is our nurturing of the leadership group to guide these kids towards greatness. You can track a direct line from Calderon, Bruno, Crofts, Zamora, Sidwell, Murray, Gross, Welbeck, Lallana, Milner. The rest of the football world thought these players were done but the Albion identified them as players with leadership attributes and key leadership roles to play, the sort of qualities the lack of which will do for Chelsea this season and years to come.

Love that.
Not Gross though.. Gross is that old head now but he was signed at absolute prime and is probably more important than any other player over the last few years
.

 

[GT49er]

It's been going on since the Hughton years. It's been 5 years since we recruited Gyokeres and loaned out Ben White to Newport County, 4 years ago we grabbed Burn, MacAllister, Sanchez, Connolly. Something was clearly going on at that point and went into overdrive in 2019/20 with Trossard, Lamptey, Molumby. Did the rest of the football world REALLY not know what was happening?!?.

Frankly, as far as the rest of the world knew, nothing was going on. We were just little old Brighton, desperately scrabbling about to keep ourselves in a division above ourselves. Our signings were of no interest to any 'big' clubs.

 

[Live by the sea]

Caicedo choosing Chelsea over Liverpool shows you that footballers generally don't work like that! Amazing what a difference another £5 or £10K a week can make to a young South American's thought process!

It was nearer to £50k a week for Moises and a longer contract

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City can’t afford to shop for the players we want.

This is nothing to do with finance, it is down to players getting the exposure to first team action that allows them to develop from “hot prospect” to exciting young Premier League star.

A team with genuine title aspirations can’t take significant risks just to develop individual footballers. We give the youngsters game time, instead of them signing and disappearing without trace into an U21 setup that players rarely emerge from.

We turn the raw material into the finished product on a regular basis. That’s good for the player, their agent, and the clubs who go on to buy from us. (Hi Todd!)

The simple fact of the matter is we have a great track record of developing talent, despite a total overhaul of our coaching team.

Premier League teams who buy from us have seen their purchase cut it in the Premier League, we’re de-risking their purchasing process, and that’s worth a lot to a football club’s board with the current market value of players.

Excellent assessment.

 

[Bakero]

Frankly, as far as the rest of the world knew, nothing was going on. We were just little old Brighton, desperately scrabbling about to keep ourselves in a division above ourselves. Our signings were of no interest to any 'big' clubs.

I think we did take a fair few by surprise including many within our own fanbase.

Papers, pundits and punters don't tend to get excited unless clubs are paying big money for players they've already heard of.