Here are my thoughts on Albion's summer transfer window. (Photo: Getty Images)placeholder image
Here are my thoughts on Albion's summer transfer window. (Photo: Getty Images)
Brighton have brought in more potential this window, but they’ve lost more proven quality… let’s have a look.
With the summer transfer window over, it’s time to dig into everything that’s happened at Brighton and Hove Albion.
Before we look at details, I thought it’d be handy to give you my thoughts right now (not at the end of this, right now).
Brighton have kept as many key players as they could.
Mitoma was linked with Bayern for quite some time, with it looking more likely that he’d leave than not. Who could miss out on the whole Carlos Baleba situation with Man United as well? With the track record Brighton have with selling midfielders, it’s a huge win to have him in blue and white (for now).
As an Albion fan myself, I’m aware that at times the fan base can be fickle (I found Lewis Dunk’s jibe at fans with the ‘Hurzeler out, in, out, in’ sign at the darts last year a good indication of this). And it’s true.
Everyone can be fickle; it’s the swings and roundabouts of the game.
However, when it comes to players, it can feel tougher to get rid of your best at Brighton.
The process of providing players with potential opportunities to shine in the Premier League and watching them develop into proven players within two or three seasons is remarkable.
Albion’s scouting is unquestionably good, but the idea is to sell… so our best talent leaves us.
‘We’re a selling club, ' has been said by Paul Barber on many occasions, and I understand that. Does every fan? That’s an argument for another day.
However, businesses and emotion often tip-toe a fine line in football.
For Albion fans, that story of seeing a player break into the first team and rattle the Premier League’s top sides is special.
But for the business, the plan is to sell. It’s not a trick, it’s the target all along.
For Brighton, it’s a reality check. Yes, The Seagulls are a solidified top ten finishing side in England’s first division, but there’s another level. That comes in the form of indispensable funds, heritage and history.
That’s what analytics and scouting cannot buy (yet). But that isn’t a dig.
Brighton have surpassed the odds, but the real world of top-level football is inevitable.
With that said, I’m now unleashed. Let’s get into it.
We’ll start with the main outgoings:
Joao Pedro: The Brazilian star forward moved to Chelsea in a deal worth €63.70m.
Pervis Estupinan: The left-back joined AC Milan for a reported fee of €17.00m.
Simon Adingra: The winger transferred to Sunderland for €24.40m.
Evan Ferguson: The Republic of Ireland international striker joined AS Roma on a season-long loan with a €3.00m loan fee.
Tariq Lamptey: The right-back joined Fiorentina.
Julio Enciso: The attacking midfielder moved to Strasbourg for a reported £16m fee.
Valentin Barco: The central midfielder, initially on loan at Strasbourg, made his move permanent.
Abdallah Sima: The left winger joined Lens.
Igor Julio: The centre back has left for a West Ham loan reportedly
Facundo Buonanotte on a loan to Chelsea (why?)
Matt O’Riley: Loan to Marseille (De Zerbi’s current club)
The biggest kicker in this list has to be Joao. He joined Brighton from Watford on July, 2023, following an agreement reached in May of that year.
The transfer fee was reported to be a club record, in the region of £30 million.
He made quite the impact, and he became a staple in the Albion side. Joao was the top goalscorer in the group stage with 6 goals in the 2023-24 Europa League.
Last season, he racked up 10 goals and 6 assists for the seaside club. It’s yet another star Chelsea have plucked from the roster of talent at the Amex, and boy did he make an impact.
The Brazilian forward's Club World Cup stint saw him score a crucial brace in Chelsea's 2-0 semi-final win against his former club, Fluminense, followed by another goal in the 3-0 final victory against Paris Saint-Germain.
Admittedly, that hurt a bit. Not because of how well he was doing, but because it was for Chelsea. Our newfound rivalry with the London side all began after Graham Potter decided to leave midway through a promising Brighton campaign.
Since then, players have left the Sussex club in flocks for Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have paid Brighton approximately £274 million to £284 million since 2022 for players and staff, including Moises Caicedo (£115m), Marc Cucurella (£63m), Joao Pedro (£50m/£60m), Robert Sanchez (£25m), and manager Graham Potter (£21m-£22m).
The exact total depends on the final fee for Joao Pedro and the precise compensation for Graham Potter and his staff.
It’s a shame to see Tariq Lamptey depart too. The defender had been with us for five-and-a-half years before his move to Fiorentina.
Funnily enough, he’s one of the rare examples of a player coming from Chelsea to Albion on a permanent deal!
Whilst he had ups and downs for us, there’s no doubt that his work rate was exceptional.
Making 122 appearances for the club, there’s no doubt that he was a key part of building The Seagulls' foundations in the Premier League. Not to mention, he was a lovely bloke… which made him a fan’s favourite. It’s a sign of change at the club, with a plethora of new defensive signings this window.
Now let’s take a look at Albion’s incomings:
Charalampos Kostoulas: Striker, joined from Olympiacos for £31.4m
Tom Watson: Winger, joined from Sunderland for £10m
Maxim De Cuyper: Left-back, joined from Club Brugge for £17.3m
Diego Coppola: Centre-back, joined from Hellas Verona for £9m
Olivier Boscagli: Centre-back, joined from PSV Eindhoven on a free transfer
Yoon Doyoung: Winger, joined from Daejeon Hana Citizen for an undisclosed fee
Bonus addition to the 2025/26 squad:
Stefanos Tzimas: Striker, officially signed in the February 2025 winter transfer window. He spent the rest of last season on loan at FC Nürnberg, but now joins up with the Albion first-team squad. While not a summer signing, he will feel like a new arrival this season.
All eyes will inevitably fall on the two Greek forwards tasked with carrying the goalscoring burden we have.
Charalampos Kostoulas has arrived from Olympiacos in a £31.4 million deal, while Stefanos Tzimas, who signed in the winter window, has now linked up with the squad.
Between them, that’s close to £50 million invested, and Albion will be hoping both can come good quickly.
It’s a bold gamble, especially considering the club missed out on a loan deal for Harvey Elliott, who might have brought instant Premier League nous.
Without Joao Pedro, there’s little margin for error, and the pressure will fall heavily on the Greek duo to deliver.
Danny Welbeck, a legend in his own right, still has a part to play.
But at 34, Albion can’t rely on him to provide week in, week out.
The question now is whether Brighton’s faith in youthful promise will translate into goals.
If it doesn’t, Fabian Hurzeler’s side could find themselves dangerously short of firepower, especially with a few injuries.
In defence, Diego Coppola looks like the real deal. He’s tall, strong, and has a certain air about him.
When Lewis Dunk first saw him, he must’ve quietly thought: ‘that's the lad who’ll be nicking my armband one day’.
Of course, it’s early days and he’s still just 19, so time will tell whether he grows into a proper defensive leader or just another one of those ‘next big things’ we whisper about on North Stand Chat until he quietly moves on in three years.
But for £9 million? He looks like a bargain.
On the left, Maxim De Cuyper has already made a good impression on me.
Defensively, he’s got more quality than Estupinan.
The Belgian feels steadier, more traditional, the kind of left-back who remembers he’s supposed to defend first.
He’s still raw, and you can see the inconsistency creeping in at times. But the building blocks are there.
Give De Cuyper this season to iron out the rough edges, and Brighton might just have found a proper left-back for the long haul.
There’s a lot more that could be commented on, and I’ll be uploading a video this week with more transfer window thoughts.
But overall? Minus the gutted feeling of losing a star striker who was heading off anyway, and there’s plenty to be liked.
Here’s my verdict:
The good: Solid defensive reinforcements, two Greek lads who could be huge parts of Brighton’s campaign, Mitoma stayed, and so did Baleba.
The bad: We sold Joao Pedro to Chelsea and Brighton didn’t sign any proven Premier League replacements for him.
The Chelsea: I prefer not to speak.
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