World Cup 2022 honors Brighton's values
Brighton had never had a player compete in a World Cup final, until the last one in Qatar. Mac Allister broke that barrier. The 23-year-old midfielder was impressive throughout the tournament, and assisted Di Maria to make it 2-0 in the final against France. "It was a very special moment for the club. 25 years ago, the club almost went bankrupt and now we have a World Cup winner," said Brighton CEO Paul Barber.
In 2012, Barber started working with owner Tony Bloom to set up a new transfer model. Since then, Brighton has continuously improved and got talented players on the cheap. In 2019, it only cost them $8.5 million to buy Mac Allister from Argentinos Juniors. Now, the price of the player wearing the number 10 shirt has doubled.
The same story goes for seven other World Cup players. Brighton recruited Robert Sanchez when he was a 15-year-old goalkeeper of the Levante academy. Now, Sanchez is a Spain international and one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. Brighton bought two Ecuador internationals, Jeremy Sarmiento and Moises Caicedo as teenagers from Benfica and Independiente del Valle. Now, Caicedo is one of the most sought-after midfielders. Another Ecuadorian, Pervis Estupinan, was bought from Villarreal for $17.8 million after they sold Marc Cucurella to Chelsea for $65 million.
Kaoru Mitoma, the assist midfielder for Tanaka to seal a 2-1 win for Japan over Spain in the group stage, joins Brighton in 2021 from Kawasaki Frontale for just $3 million. Before shining at the World Cup, Mitoma has scored and assisted in the Premier League this season.
Brighton spent just $15.5 million to buy Leandro Trossard from Genk in 2019. The 28-year-old winger is the club's best attacking player this season, contributing seven goals and three assists, including a hat-trick. against Liverpool at Anfield. Trossard will be the mainstay of the Belgian team after the "Golden Generation" era.
In 2020, Tariq Lamptey signed for Brighton after being dropped by Chelsea. Currently, the 22-year-old defender is the mainstay of "Seagull" and is a Ghanaian player.
Brighton's eight World Cup players are all 25 or under, with the exception of Trossard. This reflects the transfer policy that values young players established by Barber and Bloom. Thanks to that, they overcame financial difficulties, going from the second division to the Premier League in just seven years. This season, Brighton even entered the Top 4 despite losing coach Graham Potter (to Chelsea), Technical Director Dan Ashworth (Newcastle) and key players such as Bissouma (Tottenham), Cucurella (Chelsea), Maupay (Everton), or Ostigard (Napoli).
"I think it's important that the foundation is laid by the club," Potter said upon his move to Chelsea. "In football as in life, people come and go, but the core remains. I don't think Brighton is nearing the end of its story."
After the 2022 World Cup, Brighton will likely continue to sell players. Mac Allister could bring in $60 million. Caicedo is worth at least $40 million.
However, Brighton is not worried about relegation. "Seagull" will continue the policy of buying cheap and focusing on young players. "The club is not a prison. We want the contract to be respected, but when there are special opportunities for the players, we also have to be open and realistic. We are not a club with a huge budget. We will be looking for young players that we can develop," said Barber CEO.
