An astonishingly good XI of players sold by Brighton since 2017: White, Mac Allister, Caicedo…

Brighton & Hove Albion have been a model football club since they were promoted to the Premier League back in 2017.

The Seagulls have steadily built over the last six seasons, having consolidated their place in the top flight before creeping up into midtable and up to sixth last term, qualifying for the Europa League by spectacularly finishing ahead of the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham.

They’ve done that despite consistently having one of the lowest wage bills and constructing their squads for relative peanuts. They’ve continued to sell off their best players for massive profits and somehow keep improving. We’ve put together this full XI of players they’ve sold since getting promoted.

GK: Robert Sanchez

By no means the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, Sanchez has nevertheless been sold on to Chelsea and looks set to be Mauricio Pochettino’s first-choice option for the 2023-24 campaign.

He arrived at Brighton as a 15-year-old and developed in their academy before making the step up to the first team after experience out on loan at Forest Green and Rochdale.

The 25-year-old has since made almost 100 Premier League appearances for Brighton, has earned two caps for Spain, and cost Chelsea a fee in the region of £25million.

Now watch them sign a 17-year-old from Peru that turns out to be even better.

RB: Ben White

Brighton’s best academy graduate since Gareth Barry, White established himself as a superstar in the making out on loan at Leeds United back in 2019-20.

The young defender played every single minute for Marcelo Bielsa’s side as they earned promotion from the Premier League. Leeds then tried to sign him for a big-money fee, but Brighton recognised what a jewel they had and consistently rebuffed their approaches.

White only went on to play one full season at his parent club, but he further demonstrated his class by taking to Premier League football seamlessly. He ended up moving to Arsenal for £50million and looked worth every penny as he adapted from centre-back to right-back in the Gunners’ title charge last season.

What a player Ben White is. 🎥 @afcfreedland pic.twitter.com/tAvWqQ5HD2

— Gunners (@Gunnersc0m) August 13, 2023

CB: Leo Ostigard

Having been signed as a promising teenager from Molde back in 2018, Norwegian defender Ostigard never made a senior appearance during his four years on Brighton’s books.

But he evidently showed enough about himself in a series of loans, particularly at Genoa, for Napoli to come calling for a fee in the region of £4.2million.

The centre-back only played a peripheral squad role in his debut season at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, but he ended it as a Scudetto winner nevertheless. More opportunities might be more forthcoming in year two, following the departure of key man Min-jae Kim.

CB: Dan Burn

The 6’6″ colossus returned to his native Tyneside for £13million – one of their first additions after Newcastle United’s game-changing takeover.

Burn has proven an excellent signing for the Magpies, but Brighton can consider it good business too. He wasn’t a guaranteed starter at the Amex and was only originally signed for a nominal fee from Wigan.

LB: Marc Cucurella

Brighton laughed all the way to bank when they sold Cucurella to Chelsea for £56million, netting a £41million profit in the process, before upgrading on him with Pervis Estupinan for just £15million.

DM: Moises Caicedo

The Premier League’s new all-time most expensive signing cost Brighton just £4.5million back in 2021.

Manchester United could have nabbed Caicedo at the time but reportedly baulked at a “clusterf*ck” involving various intermediaries. Brighton were prepared to put the work in and have reaped the rewards.

READ: Recalling the time Man Utd could’ve signed Moises Caicedo for just €5m

CM: Alexis Mac Allister

Back in 1997, Brighton were famously on the brink of oblivion. A final day 1-1 draw at Hereford United kept them in the Football League by the skin of their teeth. The prospect of ever boasting an Argentinian World Cup winner was unthinkable back then.

Twenty-five years later, they there were, proudly welcoming Mac Allister back to their state-of-the-art training facilities after he shone alongside Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria out in Qatar. From the day he lifted football’s most prestigious trophy, the writing was on the wall that his days at Brighton were probably numbered – but his final six months were arguably his best yet, outstanding for the Seagulls as they qualified for the Europa League.

Sure enough, the 24-year-old midfielder has since moved to Liverpool for what looks like an astute pick-up at £35million (with add-ons the fee could rise to £55million).

CM: Yves Bissouma

Yes, Bissouma was distinctly underwhelming in his debut season at Tottenham. But Harry Kane aside, the 2022-23 campaign was an utter sh*tshow for Spurs and it would’ve been difficult for any new addition to look good in such a dysfunctional side.

It would be daft to write the Malian midfielder off just yet. New boss Ange Postecoglou has brought some much-needed positivity to the club and it would be no surprise to see Bissouma make £25million look an absolute bargain in good time. It shouldn’t be forgotten quite how good he was at the Amex.

FWR: Alireza Jahanbakhsh 

We weren’t going to have a world-beater for every single spot now, were we? That would just be unrealistic.

A rare mis-step from Brighton in the transfer market, devilishly handsome Iranian forward Alireza was signed for a club-record £17million fee in 2018. He didn’t quite live up to the billing with a poor return of just two goals and one assist in 50 Premier League appearances.

He was sold at a considerable loss, but has since won the Eredivisie with Feyenoord. And he did leave Brighton with memories of one absolute banger.

WHAT A GOAL 😱😱😱

Take a bow, Alireza Jahanbakhsh 🙌#BTAllDayer pic.twitter.com/YfZeoKRNUF

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 1, 2020

ST: Viktor Gyokeres

The big Swede only made a handful of cup appearances for Brighton and had to forge his path elsewhere.

After whilst on loan, Coventry City signed Gyokeres for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2021. He since developed into one of the finest strikers in the Championship and has since become Coventry’s record sale – at €24million, he’s also Sporting Lisbon’s record signing.

One that got away for Brighton, although they’ll have little regret with Evan Ferguson emerging as their next superstar No.9. According to journalist Melissa Reddy, Brighton “already have the next British record transfer brewing” in the Republic of Ireland international.

FWL: Leandro Trossard

An excellent servant for Brighton, Trossard approached the final six months of his deal and still netted the club their inevitable healthy profit when he was sold to Arsenal in January 2022.

The Belgian winger made an immediate impact at the Emirates, notching 10 assists in his first 20 Premier League appearances for the Gunners, but has been adequately replaced at his former club. Same as it ever was.

READ NEXT: The 2022-23 top six head-to-head table: Brighton extraordinary…

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