Brighton’s reputation as one of the Premier League’s prime transfer market masters is well deserved and Albion’s intuitive wheeling and dealing has made them one of the most profitable clubs in the division.
With owner Tony Boom and CEO Paul Barber providing the brains of the operation, Brighton have been able to punch above their weight, despite their unfancied status with bookmakers in Premier League markets.
Beneath Bloom and Barber at Brighton is a recruitment team that just never seems to miss a beat, despite having its staff cherry-picked by predatory rivals on a regular basis.
Similarly, Brighton’s transfer market expertise has allowed them to remain competitive in the face of consistent asset stripping and in recent seasons, many punters have used their sportsbook bonuses to land big payouts having backed the Seagulls to beat some of the Premier League’s biggest names in one-off fixtures.
When it comes to making savvy manoeuvres in the transfer market, few clubs do it better than Brighton and below, we’ve taken a closer look at some of Albion’s most profitable moves in the Premier League era.
Undav was a peripheral figure for Brighton following his £6m switch from Belgian outfit Union SG in January 2022, though he was farmed out on loan to Stuttgart in Germany’s Bundesliga the following August, where he found his feet and excelled.
The forward scored 19 times during his maiden campaign with Stuttgart, who triggered the option to turn his temporary move to the MHP Arena into a permanent one in the summer for £25m, earning Brighton a cool £19m in profit for just 18 months of work.
Mac Allister was picked up for a modest £7m in January 2019 and quickly established himself as a classy operator and regular first-team staple during the 2019/20 Premier League campaign.
The deep-lying playmaker’s consistency in subsequent seasons put him on the radar of several big-name suitors, though Liverpool won the race to sign him in 2023, paying £35m to prise him from Brighton’s grasp.
Albion made a massive £28m profit on Mac Allister, though they might have enjoyed a bigger cut had the 25-year-old not had an exit clause in his contract.
Cucurella, who won Brighton’s Players’ Player of the Season award for 2021/22, was pursued aggressively by big-spending Chelsea in 2022 and the Londoners eventually secured a deal worth up to £63m for the defender – which was a new Brighton club record fee at the time.
That sale meant that Brighton had turned a £48m profit on Cucurella in just 12 months and was further proof that Albion’s recruitment techniques and processes were unparalleled.
Amid the confusion, Brighton stepped in and snapped up the raw diamond for just £4m in a switch that took Caicedo from Independiente del Valle to England’s Premier League.
Caicedo was initially loaned out to Beerschot in Belgium to build some first-team experience and exposure, though the hard-working anchorman was recalled in January 2022 and impressed at Albion from the get-go.
The athletic performer seemed built for Premier League football and his performances piqued Liverpool’s interest in the summer of 2023 during the Merseysiders’ midfield rebuild.
The Reds went as far as agreeing a fee with Brighton before Caicedo famously opted to join free-spending Chelsea instead. The Blues forked out a British record £100m to sign Caicedo though that fee could climb to £115m if certain targets are hit.
Brighton made a mammoth £96m profit from the signing and subsequent selling of Caicedo, making it one of the best pieces of transfer business in Premier League history.
With owner Tony Boom and CEO Paul Barber providing the brains of the operation, Brighton have been able to punch above their weight, despite their unfancied status with bookmakers in Premier League markets.
Beneath Bloom and Barber at Brighton is a recruitment team that just never seems to miss a beat, despite having its staff cherry-picked by predatory rivals on a regular basis.
Similarly, Brighton’s transfer market expertise has allowed them to remain competitive in the face of consistent asset stripping and in recent seasons, many punters have used their sportsbook bonuses to land big payouts having backed the Seagulls to beat some of the Premier League’s biggest names in one-off fixtures.
When it comes to making savvy manoeuvres in the transfer market, few clubs do it better than Brighton and below, we’ve taken a closer look at some of Albion’s most profitable moves in the Premier League era.
Deniz Undav
- Signed from Union SG for £6m in 2022
- Sold to Stuttgart for £25m in 2024.
- Profit: £19m
Undav was a peripheral figure for Brighton following his £6m switch from Belgian outfit Union SG in January 2022, though he was farmed out on loan to Stuttgart in Germany’s Bundesliga the following August, where he found his feet and excelled.
The forward scored 19 times during his maiden campaign with Stuttgart, who triggered the option to turn his temporary move to the MHP Arena into a permanent one in the summer for £25m, earning Brighton a cool £19m in profit for just 18 months of work.
Alexis Mac Allister
- Signed from Argentinos Juniors for £7m in 2019
- Sold to Liverpool for £35m in 2023.
- Profit: £28m
Mac Allister was picked up for a modest £7m in January 2019 and quickly established himself as a classy operator and regular first-team staple during the 2019/20 Premier League campaign.
The deep-lying playmaker’s consistency in subsequent seasons put him on the radar of several big-name suitors, though Liverpool won the race to sign him in 2023, paying £35m to prise him from Brighton’s grasp.
Albion made a massive £28m profit on Mac Allister, though they might have enjoyed a bigger cut had the 25-year-old not had an exit clause in his contract.
Marc Cucurella
- Signed from Getafe for £15m in 2021
- Sold to Chelsea for £63m in 2022.
- Profit: £48m
Cucurella, who won Brighton’s Players’ Player of the Season award for 2021/22, was pursued aggressively by big-spending Chelsea in 2022 and the Londoners eventually secured a deal worth up to £63m for the defender – which was a new Brighton club record fee at the time.
That sale meant that Brighton had turned a £48m profit on Cucurella in just 12 months and was further proof that Albion’s recruitment techniques and processes were unparalleled.
Moises Caicedo
- Signed from Independiente del Valle for £4m in 2021
- Sold to Chelsea for £100m in 2023.
- Profit: £96m
Amid the confusion, Brighton stepped in and snapped up the raw diamond for just £4m in a switch that took Caicedo from Independiente del Valle to England’s Premier League.
Caicedo was initially loaned out to Beerschot in Belgium to build some first-team experience and exposure, though the hard-working anchorman was recalled in January 2022 and impressed at Albion from the get-go.
The athletic performer seemed built for Premier League football and his performances piqued Liverpool’s interest in the summer of 2023 during the Merseysiders’ midfield rebuild.
The Reds went as far as agreeing a fee with Brighton before Caicedo famously opted to join free-spending Chelsea instead. The Blues forked out a British record £100m to sign Caicedo though that fee could climb to £115m if certain targets are hit.
Brighton made a mammoth £96m profit from the signing and subsequent selling of Caicedo, making it one of the best pieces of transfer business in Premier League history.