Brighton can prove they are more than a one season wonder
Anyone following the interminable Moises Caicedo to Chelsea, Levi Colwill to Brighton saga this summer will have seen Blues fans regularly slating the Albion for having pretensions above their station after just “one season” of success.
Like other clubs, those Chelsea supporters say, Brighton are doomed to suffer the same fate as West Ham, Southampton or Leicester.
The Albion are a one-off success in the Premier League, should enjoy European competition whilst it lasts because the future holds nothing more than decline and relegation battles.
On the other side of their argument, Chelsea are a much bigger club, with a bigger history, bigger fanbase and bigger resources. Despite one poor season in which they finished 12th, their future success is guaranteed.
It is therefore an insult that Brighton think they can turn down bids of £70 million when Chelsea want one of their players.
Not to mention the Albion wanting to buy a Blues academy product, who by the way is still yet to agree a new contract with the so-called bigger club.
These Chelsea supporters are no doubt sore, having gleefully heralded the signings of Marc Cucurella and the appointment of Graham Potter and his coaching team, only for those costly outlays to end badly. No wonder they are embarrassed; Brighton take the Blues for fools every time Todd Boehly comes calling.
Tony Bloom’s refusal to roll over and accept an offer for Caicedo is frustrating them further. It might though help if Chelsea bettered the £70 million Brighton turned down for Caicedo from Arsenal in January.
That figure was not good enough for Bloom seven months ago, since when Caicedo has signed a new contract and helped bring Europa League football to the Amex. Clearly, he is now worth much more.
Having said all that, it is hard to argue that Chelsea fans don’t have a point when it comes to the Blues (and by association, the rest of the Big Six) being bigger.
Brighton do not have anywhere near the global fan base, spending power or trophy cabinet of Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Spurs or Liverpool. The Albion cannot compete financially with Newcastle United since their sportswashing by Saudi Arabia.
So is our progress under Tony Bloom bound to falter? As Dagan (@BHAfanUSA) from the Albion Obsessed podcast points out, progress under Bloom since he took over in 2009 has seen the club move from 16th in League One to sixth in the Premier League – a rise of 54 places in the English football pyramid.
Only the disastrous 2014-15 campaign that began under Sami Hyypia saw Brighton drop by more than two places on the previous season’s finishing position.
That step backwards was soon reversed by Chris Hughton jumping the Albion from 20th place in the Championship to third between May 2015 and May 2016.
So what would progress from 2022-23’s sixth place in the Premier League look like? The obvious answer is silverware without dropping too far down the Premier League table.
Two FA Cup semi finals in four years and qualification for the Europa League should indicate we are on the verge of a first top level trophy since Charlie Webb scored the only goal which won us the Charity Shield at the end of the Edwardian era. At Stamford Bridge, of all places.
Clearly, the Big Six and the increasing money coming into clubs from the US and Saudi Arabia is the big obstacle to Brighton staying amongst the European qualifiers, let alone progressing further.
But even with the already large financial gulf, we proved last season we can beat any of them on our day. Brighton can even go toe-to-toe with all-conquering City, who saw a 14 game winning run ended at the Amex in May.
Their mighty neighbours United needed penalties to scrape through at Wembley on an afternoon when most people watching acknowledged the Albion as the better team.
Brighton finished higher than Spurs or Chelsea in 2022-23, and but for several missed chances and VAR injustices, we could possibly have overturned Liverpool as well.
Our success on the pitch has put us in the top 10 or 20 clubs in the world in most global soccer power rankings, but can it be sustained?
Success brings money into the club in terms of transfer receipts, gate profits, broadcast deals, prize money, advertising revenue and income from our growing global fanbase. That has to be invested wisely.
At some point, that will also have to lead to a revised and improved wage structure. The Albion need to sustain a squad for four competitions, as well as insuring against mid season losses like Enock Mwepu or Leandro Trossard in the last campaign.
We have become a “showcase” club rather than a “feeder” one (another thing Chelsea fans do not understand). Further progress will see the Albion become a “destination” club.
Everyone knows Brighton are better run than almost any other football club in the country, which is the biggest reason for optimism.
All the while the key individuals behind the scenes remain, there is no reason to think progress cannot keep happening.
Tony Bloom we hope has another decade or two in him as chairman. Equally, we hope Paul Barber won’t be lost to the wealthier outfits either in England or the Saudi league.
Nor, we all pray to the footballing gods, will Roberto De Zerbi be enticed away to the likes of Inter Milan, Juventus or AC Milan any time soon.
Succession in all roles we know is the key, and Bloom will already have planned for the departure of De Zerbi and even Barber.
This mantra of always looking a couple of steps ahead along with our unrivalled scouting and recruitment formula puts us on arguably a more solid footing than those clubs whose fortunes have waxed and waned.
It is why comparisons to Southampton (who changed owners) and Leicester (who were badly impacted by Covid-19 and the dent it made in the revenues of King Power) do not really have relevance to Brighton.
Whatever remaining business is left to be done in the transfer window, I think our squad is strong with a good mix of experience and youth. Adam Lallana, James Milner and Danny Welbeck balanced by Julio Enciso, Evan Ferguson and new signing Bart Verbruggen amongst others.
I am not by nature an optimist, but my prediction is that we again finish the season somewhere in the top eight. Not only that, but we have a trophy of some kind to show for another season of progress and brilliant, flowing, attacking football.
Bring it on.
Warren Morgan @WarrenBHAFC
