There is little doubt that Brighton have been able to recruit players that have enabled the Seagulls to rise to a position challenging for a place in the European qualification spots. Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi have taken the work of Chris Hughton to a new level and seen Arsenal and others try and sign many of their best players.
So far both Ben White and Leandro Trossard have arrived at Arsenal and football.london understands that the Gunners continue to push to try and sign Moises Caicedo. Two bids have been rejected so far as Edu tries to secure the midfield arrival Mikel Arteta has craved.
With this being the third Brighton player Arsenal would sign in the space of two-and-a-half years many have suggested why the club simply don’t replicate Brighton’s recruitment strategy or even pinch their staff pulling off the mastery. In short, whilst in theory it might seem viable, in reality it isn’t.
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Firstly, Newcastle have technically already done this. The Magpies acquired the club’s technical director in February 2022 and made Dan Ashworth their new sporting director.
He has since, backed by the serious investment now available to him in the northeast, signed Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Sven Botman, Matt Targett and Nick Pope for a combined figure in the region of £180million. A figure far more than doubles what he ever saw spent in his time at the Seagulls.
For Brighton however, Ashworth was known for securing players for small fees of relatively unknown reputation and seeing them flourish in the Premier League. Beyond the aforementioned trio mentioned in relation to Arsenal, the likes of Marc Cucurella, Yves Bissouma and Dan Burn have brought in upwards of £80million.
In the current squad, Brighton have more coveted players making big impacts this season too. Kaoru Mitoma, Alexis Mac Allister and Tariq Lamptey have all been mentioned as players who could earn Brighton arguably more big fees in the future.
That said, those that believe that Brighton’s recruitment is something that Arsenal should adopt should be made aware of the bigger picture. The following list of names had also been signed under Ashworth for varying fees: Matt Clarke, Neal Maupay, Jakub Moder, Andi Zeqiri, Jan Paul van Hecke, Abdallah Sima and Deniz Undav.
Players brought in for relatively small fees who have either been sent out on one or more mixed loan deals or have failed to make it in the Brighton squad. Where clubs like Arsenal will sign a handful of players for big fees with expectations of providing a near-immediate impact in their Premier League squad, Brighton spread their investment across a larger number of players who have clearly caught the eye of their scouts and analysts.
It is a successful strategy despite the serious turnover and serial loan moves. The league position and impressive market profit are all the evidence needed to see that’s the case.
However, put simply, Arsenal could never take this approach to the market. As mentioned, the players the Gunners bring in don’t have the opportunity to bed in necessarily as they are expected to come into the side to progress the club toward its immediate goals.
Nuno Tavares for example was brought in as a competitive option to Kieran Tierney. However, after one season in which some poor displays coincided with the club missing out on the top four, Arsenal bought Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Tavares left for Marseille on loan.
The same fate could be to come for the likes of Albert Sambi Lokonga and Pablo Mari. The latter will leave permanently should his loan move to Monza see them avoid relegation and the Belgian is already receiving offers from Monaco after enduring a difficult season.
Where Brighton can afford to take the risks in their squad by both giving minutes to players and signing with this informed scattergun approach the Gunners just cannot risk it. So whilst it might be enviable to see the success the Seagulls have in the market, there’s a bigger story that means Arsenal simply are unable to replicate it.
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