Brighton might reluctantly sell 27-year-old forward Kaoru Mitoma for about £66m this summer, as he enters the final two years of his contract, with Chelsea one of the clubs interested. (CaughtOffside), external
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Scott McCarthy
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesAnother weekend, another Brighton win over Chelsea, another inquest into how £250m worth of players, management and recruitment staff could have swapped Sussex for Stamford Bridge and yet the Albion still maintain a hold over the Blues.
Easy one to answer. Just start by looking at the Chelsea XI who took to the field for their 3-0 defeat on Friday night. £1.5bn spent and not a fit and available centre-forward.
Robert Sanchez dropped for being a calamity all season. His replacement, Filip Jorgensen, having a Valentine's Day nightmare by shipping three goals he should have done better with. All while Kepa Arrizabalaga helps Bournemouth in their unexpected push for Europe. Chelsea's best goalkeeper in the Premier League this season plays for the Cherries.
Somewhere at the heart of this squad and transfer mess is former Brighton head of recruitment Paul Winstanley. And his successor as Brighton head of recruitment, Sam Jewell. Chelsea paid handsomely for both within 12 months of each other, presumably because they thought they were buying the brains behind the Albion's success.
But Winstanley and Jewell were just cogs in a machine. The brains behind the entire recruitment operation and the only person who knows how all those algorithms fit together is the one bloke who cannot be bought - Tony Bloom.
Todd Boehly can chuck all the money he wants at Brighton but the only way Chelsea - or anyone else for that matter - can replicate the Albion's success is through purchasing Bloom himself.
Meanwhile, there is one player who Brighton have quite rightly made unavailable for sale. Eyebrows were raised when two bids from the Saudi Pro League were turned down for Kaoru Mitoma in January. Supporters of other clubs balked at Brighton rejecting a rumoured £75m.
Mitoma, though, is irreplaceable - as shown by his stunning opening goal against Chelsea.
In over 30 years of watching Brighton, I am struggling to think of a more technically excellent goal. The first touch was exquisite. The finish almost as good. Lionel Messi-esque.
Mitoma is a special player. Watching him in a Brighton shirt is an absolute honour.
Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external
Aston Villa, Brighton, Chelsea and Tottenham have all been closely monitoring Middlesbrough's 16-year-old midfield twins Anton and Bailey Palmer. (TBR Football), external
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Image source, Getty ImagesBrighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen has said he's "loving" the responsibility of being the number one at the club and believes success is on the way for the Seagulls.
After beating Chelsea twice in the space of six days at Amex Stadium, the Dutchman spoke about the importance of picking up consistent results.
"It was so important. We speak a lot about consistency. Everyone knows we have a good team but we strive to be a little bit more consistent and be as good as we were [on Friday] in every game we play," he said.
"It's really important to raise the bar again and show this level every game. We need to show this intensity every week."
Since missing the opening two, the 22-year-old has played every Premier League game for the Seagulls this season.
"I'm loving it," he added. "Everybody wants to play every game - same goes for me. I really love to play every game and develop and help the team.
"We have a very strong squad, with a lot of good attacking and defensive options - that's a big strength of ours. I'm really happy to be part of it and great things are coming."
Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Brighton and Chelsea.
If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.
Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:
Image source, PA MediaWe asked for your views on Brighton's big win over Chelsea on Friday night.
Here are some of your comments:
Tim: Another win over Chelsea inside a week! What a result. Probably the best 90 mins we've had since early this season. All the talk is of how bad Chelsea were - not much of how well we played, keeping them at arms' length. All this with barely 30% possession and hitting teams on the break. Is this going to be the way?
Colin: Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma, Tariq Lamptey and Carlos Baleba were all outstanding. It should really have been 7-0 as we missed a few that really should have been taken. Chelsea are moaning about injuries, but no mention of the six or seven injuries we still have.
Pedro: Brighton are a smouldering volcano, that, every now and then erupts against a top team. Impossible to predict and frustrating to support - turn your back and you'll likely miss something crucial. When the squad finally come through their injuries, there will be one hell of an explosion of talent, pace and quality. The top six, keep looking over your shoulder, the Gulls are coming!
Nicholas: Brighton looked more organised and structured at the back and the quick counter-attacks paid off. A more positive feel about the club and having watched the clever substitutions by Fabian Hurzeler, and how the players behaved, I would say they are bonding as a family again. Top four here we come!
Charles: Albion have sent a message to the teams above them: 'Watch out - we're coming'. A mature, controlled performance, taking our chances and solid at the back.
Philip: What a brilliant performance. We outplayed Chelsea in every part of the field. It was like part two of two. Wish we could play them every week! Mitoma and Minteh ran them ragged with brilliant support from Georginio Rutter. Well done lads. Let's keep this going for the rest of the season.
Rob: It might seem churlish but I didn't think we, Brighton, played well at all generally. Commentators using the words 'outclassed' and 'battered' are so far away from the reality - we merely had to be semi-competent to beat an utterly woeful Chelsea. Ah well, three points!
Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?
Have your say on Brighton's performance
What did you make of Chelsea's display?
Come back to this page on Saturday to find a selection of your replies
Image source, Getty ImagesAdam Webster is only a few months from his sixth anniversary at Brighton and just two games off racking up 150 appearances for the club, but has his sights set on "getting a lot more than that" over the next few seasons.
After turning 30 last month, Webster told BBC Radio Sussex, he has neve rbeen happier.
"I was saying to my wife the other day that I love the fact I've been here for such a long time now," he said. "In football, it's not that common anymore. There are a few boys here that have been here for a while, but if you look at most clubs, then there aren't a lot of players.
"So I love that about this club. I love it here and I feel like we have got so much more to achieve together.
"Personally, I'm close to 150 appearances but I want to get a lot more than that. I obviously look at the likes of Lewis Dunk, who has made a lot of appearances here, and it is motivation for me.
"I want to try and achieve that."
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Sport pundit and former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha has been answering your questions on your club.
James Crook asked: Do you think it is time to sell Lewis Dunk? Every time he has played recently we look vulnerable and the amount of mistakes he makes is costing us a lot.
Nedum replied: I don't think it is time to sell him because the one thing that Brighton do well, despite bringing in players most years, is have a level of stability. That reflects in Dunk and the culture of a club changes if you don't have as many established players.
He might not have played as well this season compared with other years, but he is still very much the leader of the football club.
Brighton is his home, so I would imagine they would be very reluctant to get rid of someone who means so much to the club, even if he wanted a move away.
I would be wary of letting the captain go because it can send a funny message out.
He might be out of form but he is not a bad enough player to think you need to sell him. It is instead about having the belief he can get better.
Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford
Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesIn the same way Brighton's intense rivalry with one south London club Crystal Palace emerged out of circumstance rather than geography in the 1970s, so an irritation with Chelsea is emerging now.
The reality is Chelsea have used their financial muscle to not only plunder Brighton's playing squad but manager Graham Potter and his backroom staff as well as recruitment specialists Sam Jewell and Paul Winstanley.
It gives an extra edge to meetings between the pair, particularly at Amex Stadium, and why the controversial manner of last Saturday's FA Cup success even sweeter.
But the league return is important beyond merely extending Brighton's bragging rights.
It has been a strange first season under Fabian Hurzeler, with positive periods being followed by difficult ones.
In Premier League terms, Brighton go into the Chelsea game on the back of a 7-0 hammering by Nottingham Forest and a very disappointing home defeat by Everton.
Hurzeler's side are delicately placed at the bottom of the top half of the table - with a small cushion, no more than that, to loads of teams below.
Supporters want to beat Chelsea because it's Chelsea. Brighton as a club need to win to stay clear of a slippery slope.
Brighton came out on top when these two sides met in the FA Cup last weekend, and Chelsea did not offer much in attack after taking an early lead.
Enzo Maresca's side just seem to be going through a flat period at the moment. They are still fourth in the table, but their performances have definitely dipped.
The Seagulls' results have been very up and down too, and it's hard to pick a winner - so I am going to go with a draw.
Sutton's prediction: 1-1
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on the one thing no-one is talking about at Brighton.
Here are some of your comments:
Mike: Are we overdoing the intensity? This season's injuries are worse than last, which none of us thought was possible and we are picking them up in training. Fabian talks about the need for intensity in training. It seems like the two could be related!
Alastair: This is an ageing team with Lewis Dunk, Danny Welbeck, Joel Veltman, Jason Steele, Solly March, Adam Webster and James Milner, all in their 30s and beginning to show it.
Fred: We are one Welbeck injury away from having no number nine for the rest of the season.
Mohan: The fact that Veltman is one of our best players. He is the warmest character off the field, but the master of the 'dark arts' on-field. We must pin him down on a new long term contract! He is quickly becoming a club legend.
Joey: We need to start spending more on wages to entice players to stay rather than cashing in. We have spent big and rejected a huge offer for Kaoru Mitoma but players won't want to stay long given our current wage structure.
Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Chelsea (kick-off 20:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Captain Lewis Dunk "is doubtful" but he will be assessed after the training session today. However, Mats Wieffer has trained this week and "might be an option," but a decision will be made today.
Left-back Pervis Estupinan is unavailable, while Solly March has returned to team training but Hurzeler thinks it is "still too early" for him to feature.
On beating Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth round last weekend: "We have set our standards high, so it is about challenging ourselves, improving and playing more intense. It's not about outplaying the opponent. Chelsea are a good side - they have proved it before and they will prove it again."
Hurzeler said he expects "a very intense game" against Enzo Maresca's side and there is the possibility they will change their game plan, so Brighton "have to be prepared for that and adapt."
He said it is "not as simple" as keeping the same starting XI that beat them six days ago because "everyone has shown they want to play" in training this week.
On new signing Diego Gomez, who featured from the bench in the FA Cup: "He is adapting really quickly. He is a good learner and his body is very resilient. He's very helpful in and out of possession and has great skill. You can see that he loves that he's here and he's enjoying playing football for Brighton."
He praised Adam Webster's "character" and how "every time we need him, he is there" to step in for injured defenders.
On pushing for the top eight: "We want to play this game and give our home fans another win so they have a good weekend. To make them proud and be happy is what they deserve. But on top of that, of course, we want to improve and take the next step in our process."
On how important the games at Amex Stadium will be in deciding where Brighton finish this season: "Every game will be crucial, so we have to see every game as a final. We need our fans as the 12th man and I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the last game, so I am hoping it will be the same for Chelsea."
Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
After spending more than any other club in the Premier League this summer, Brighton had genuine aspirations of building on Roberto de Zerbi's fine work and challenging the top four.
However, Fabian Hurzeler's side are 10th after 24 games in the German's first season in charge.
He has been seriously hampered by injuries and been forced to use 30 players in the league - the third most behind bottom two Ipswich and Southampton.
That is seven more than high-flying Nottingham Forest, who currently sit third.
Everton would like to bring in former player David Weir as their director of football, a position the 54-year-old Scot currently occupies at Brighton. (Telegraph - subscription required), external
Following a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of high-flying Nottingham Forest, Brighton then bounced back with an FA Cup fourth round win over stuttering Chelsea to continue their inconsistent form this season.
The transfer window is now closed so boss Fabian Hurzeler's playing cards for the remainder of the season are set.
But Seagulls fans, you know your club best - so we need you to tell us the one thing that no-one is talking about at Brighton but really should be?
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Brighton and Chelsea defender Gary Chivers says "target man" Danny Welbeck and "superb" Tariq Lamptey impressed in Brighton's FA Cup fourth-round win over the Blues, adding that Enzo Maresca should be looking out for the two in-form players when the Blues travel to Amex Stadium for the second time in a week.
Speaking on BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast, Chivers said: "They have an experienced player in Danny Welbeck. He knows where to run, when to hold the ball up and when to give it.
"Long may he stay fit because a fit Welbeck, playing at his peak, is brilliant for Brighton. He is the target man, he knows the game inside and out, and he brings players into the game. He is the focal point.
"Joao Pedro likes to drop off between the midfield and forward positions, but with Danny Welbeck you know that you can hit something long and he will hold it up and challenge for the ball. We do ever so well with Welbeck in the side.
"Tariq Lamptey gave Malo Gusto a hell of a roasting. It looked like he had a point to prove.
"He has got so much pace as well. He was just running riot every time he got the ball. Whether he went inside or outside, he put some lovely balls in the box.
"He just looked a danger every time and he was a threat all game. I thought he was superb."
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea have lost just one of their seven Premier League away games against Brighton (W4 D2), going down 4-1 in October 2022.
Meanwhile, only Liverpool have come from behind to avoid defeat in more Premier League games this season than Chelsea (seven times – W3 D4). The Blues have also won two of their past three league matches when behind at half-time (v Tottenham and West Ham), as many as across their previous 31 when trailing at the break.
The latest episode of Albion Unlimited has landed.
The Seagulls have sailed through to the FA Cup fifth round and are set to face Newcastle United next, so what better time for BBC Radio Sussex's Johnny Cantor to dive into the podcast archives and reminisce about their previous trips to the north east?
Plus former Brighton players Gary Chivers and Warren Aspinall preview another meeting with Chelsea, this time on Valentine's Day at Amex Stadium.
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Scott McCarthy
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesWhat was the most impressive thing about Brighton knocking Chelsea out of the FA Cup?
Some would say the Albion bouncing back from their heaviest league defeat in 57 years seven days earlier. Others might go for the control and volley from Kaoru Mitoma which won the game - or the terrific performances of Tariq Lamptey and Georginio Rutter.
For me, though, it was the unrelenting commitment shown by Seagulls supporters to booing Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez and Moises Caicedo any time they touched the ball.
Do not underestimate the concentration and effort levels needed to maintain that sort of performance over an entire 90 minutes. And it was treatment all three deserved thanks to the classless manner in which they left Brighton.
Cucurella forced through his transfer before saying it had been his dream to play for Chelsea - despite his publicly stated dream having always been to play for Barcelona.
Likewise, Caicedo demanded a move to the club he supported as a boy, seemingly forgetting his love of Manchester United was already all over the internet.
Sanchez, meanwhile, burned his bridges before Chelsea came calling by throwing his toys out of the pram when replaced as Brighton number one by Jason Steele.
Compare that Albion fan reaction with the reception Alexis Mac Allister gets whenever Liverpool play Brighton. Mac Allister left in a respectful, classy way which means he will always remain popular at the Amex.
Given it seems Todd Boehly's only idea for improving Chelsea is to copy Brighton, the club can surely expect future bids from Stamford Bridge for players like Carlos Baleba or Jan Paul van Hecke.
Saturday night provided a lesson to the current Albion crop that the grass is not always greener elsewhere.
However, if you do move, do it in the right way.
Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external
