Brighton Head to Europe
Courtesy of SussexLive
Matchweek 37 - 2022/23
With one weekend still left to play, this Premier League season has already been packed full of unexpected storylines, incredible results, and outstanding performances. Brighton is one of the most notable of these standout performers, and their impressive form has finally been rewarded. Next season, they will be playing in a European competition for the first time in their history.
After they beat Southampton 3-1 last weekend, Brighton knew they had enough points to secure European football for next season. However, they still had to aim for sixth place as it meant qualification for the Europa League, rather than fall to seventh and qualify only for the Europa Conference League. Welcoming Manchester City to the Amex Stadium on Wednesday, the Seagulls held the newly-crowned champions to a 1-1 draw. The point against City was enough to earn the much-needed Europa League spot, safely out of seventh-placed Aston Villa’s reach.
Brighton have been one of the biggest overachievers in recent memory. Under previous manager Graham Potter, they pulled off a ninth-place finish last season that was their best ever at the time. Known for strategic recruitment and able to get the best out of their players, Potter’s side was adept at signing lesser-known players, turning them into must-have commodities, and reinvesting profits from their sale back into the squad. They turned a $10 million profit on Leandro Trossard, $15 million on Yves Bissouma, and $59 million on Marc Cucurella. When Potter left for Chelsea in September, Roberto De Zerbi stepped in and Brighton have done even better since.
Changing managers partway into a season is difficult, but the South Coast club has adapted incredibly well. Their sixth place finish this season beats their own recent record, and the Seagulls are playing beyond expectations, their style even envied by Pep Guardiola. Most importantly, they haven’t just found success against bottom-half teams. Brighton have beaten Arsenal, Manchester United (twice), Liverpool, and have earned unbelievable results like demolishing Wolves 6-0, West Ham 4-0, Chelsea 4-1, and Leicester City 5-2.
While De Zerbi has not yet had the time to make his impact with transfers, his success has come from making his side more than just the sum of their parts. He’s blended new faces with existing players and turned a somewhat average-looking roster into one of the most dangerous attacking sides in the league. Even losing key players like Dan Burn to Newcastle or Leandro Trossard to Arsenal, Brighton have adapted seamlessly.
Kaoru Mitoma has had a breakout first season after being loaned out last year, transformed by De Zerbi from an unknown winger into one of the first names on his team sheet. Alexis Mac Allister, in his fourth year at the Amex, is one of Brighton’s biggest stars and has clubs lining up for his signature after his standout World Cup performances for Argentina and backing them up with strong weekly performances. And lifelong Seagulls Solly March and Lewis Dunk are playing better than ever. March, who has been a Brighton player for nearly a decade, is having his best ever season with 16 goal contributions in all competitions, and Dunk has been rewarded for his defensive efforts with a recall to the English national team. De Zerbi is masterfully mixing old with new and creating the perfect combination for success at the top level.
Off the field, the club’s structure is equally successful. Owner Tony Bloom has pioneered a data-driven approach to recruitment, using extensive databases of player statistics to ensure that his club discovers under-the-radar players who have top-level potential. Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister, Pervis Estupinan, and Marc Cucuella are all examples of this detailed scouting creating huge results. And in a show of appreciation for backroom staff, Bloom takes care that the success is not just felt by the players on the field. After securing Europa League qualification, he announced that all club staff will also receive a 20% pay bonus as recognition for their collective effort in achieving such success.
The performance against City that earned them qualification was nothing to sniff at either. Manager Pep Guardiola has created a ruthless winning machine–arguably one of the best teams in history–and very few sides have been able to keep up with them. Not only did Brighton match City, but they outperformed them for stretches of the game and even outshot the Cityzens 20 to 13.
As another example of their phenomenal recruitment, Brighton’s tying goal came from 19 year old Julio Enciso. Signed as a hidden talent from Club Libertad in Paraguay for just $14 million last summer, Enciso has turned into one of the league’s hottest young players and his world-class strike was a sign of the stunning ability he’ll continue to show off in future seasons. Guardiola praised the Brighton manager’s ability before the game, and witnessed firsthand just how well De Zerbi had set up his attacking press to challenge City’s possession-based style. Few can say they put City to the sword, but Brighton looked equally likely to come away with three points as the three-peat champions.
As good as the Seagulls have been this season, it will be an even bigger challenge to replicate it next year. Brighton are a club who are built on smart recruiting, efficient development, and not being afraid to sell players for profit at the right time. As a result, they will probably lose a number of important figures this summer. Arsenal are interested in Moises Caicedo, who already nearly left for the Gunners in January, young forward Evan Ferguson has caught the eye of Manchester City, and Alexis Mac Allister has Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and many more calling his phone day and night.
Whether they lose big names or not, Brighton are in such a good place that the losses will likely have little impact. They’ll have plenty of strong backup options in case players do move on, and will be prepared to find replacements to continue refining De Zerbi’s highly dangerous roster. Now boasting European qualification as well, there’s greater appeal for current players to stay, and they’ll even start to attract better players looking for high-level competition. No matter how the summer transfer window goes, Brighton will certainly be back as a team that everyone should watch out for.
Ian Katan
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