Inside Brighton’s transfer dealings after raking in more than £200MILLION

HOW COULD Brighton afford to turn down Arsenal’s £70million offer for Moises Caicedo in January?

Because they had already raked in more than £200m from selling players – and staff – to the Gunners and other Premier League rivals in the preceding 18 months or so.

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To put that figure into context, the Seagulls’ total income for 2021/22 was £175m.

And yet this season they are threatening to finish in the highest position in the club’s history because their sophisticated production line of talent is showing no signs of slowing down.

Apart from Brighton themselves, it is Arsenal, their title-chasing opponents on Sunday at the Emirates, who have been the biggest beneficiaries of the Seagulls’ brilliant recruitment.

Centre back Ben White cost them £50m in summer 2021 and has been an integral part of their improvement. Leandro Trossard followed White to North London from the South Coast in January for an initial £21m.

Even if the Gunners fail to win the title that seemed to be in their grasp, the cash boost of returning to the Champions League will more than cover the cost of their purchases from Brighton.

Newcastle will also feel they have got value for money for Dan Burn, signed last summer for £13m.

But as Caicedo and fellow central midfielder Alexis Mac Allister consider whether they should seek a big move this summer, they should pause for thought.

Because the grass isn’t always greener. And everyone is replaceable.

Chelsea shelled out £55m, rising to a possible £62m, on left back Marc Cucurella, after the Spaniard had one good season for the Seagulls in the Premier League.

Then the Blues’ new owners spent £21.5m to poach head coach Graham Potter and his backroom staff, plus head of recruitment Paul Winstanley.

Potter and most of his entourage have already left Stamford Bridge and a lot of Chelsea fans would love to see Cucurella follow them. Both men, to an extent, are victims of the chaos at Stamford Bridge under the new regime.

Winstanley might yet prove his worth – but only if his skills prove more transferable from the Amex.

In the meantime, Cucurella’s replacement Pervis Estupinan (a £15m snip from Champions League semi-finalists Villarreal) and new boss Roberto De Zerbi have hit the ground running, and then some.

It’s worth remembering that Caicedo himself – who cost £3.6m two years ago – was a bit-part player for Brighton last season.

He stepped up to become a first-team regular because of the summer departure of Yves Bissouma to Tottenham for £25m, rising to £30m.

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The Seagulls have missed neither Bissouma nor Neal Maupay, who has done little to justify the £15m fee Everton paid for him.

In Maupay’s place, teenage sensation Evan Ferguson is increasing his value with almost every appearance.

Arguably the most brilliant signing of them all is £2.5m breakout star Kaoru Mitoma. The Japan international, had already displaced Trossard as first choice on the left wing of De Zerbi’s team before the Belgian departed for nearly 10 times the fee that the Seagulls paid for Mitoma in 2021.

Brighton may even have already found the next Mitoma. Winger Simon Adingra, signed from Danish club Nordsjaelland last summer for £6m, has been on loan this season at Union Saint-Gilloise, the Belgian club owned by Seagulls supremo Tony Bloom where Mitoma spent last year.

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The Ivorian, 21, recorded 11 goals and nine assists in 30 games to send USG into the current play-offs – better stats than Mitoma managed.

So no-one at the Amex will be panicking if so-called big clubs come up with the huge sums that will be necessary to sign Caicedo, Mac Allister or any of their other players.

Brighton will have already lined up their replacements. Or upgrades.