Brighton & Hove Albion’s biggest arrivals in history
Brighton has had a tumultuous history, having spent most of the late 80s and 90s in the lower half of the football league; however, they’ve slowly been rebuilding the team.
After earning a promotion back to the Championship in 2011, they finally made it back to the Premier League in 2017.
The comeback is impressive for a team that hasn’t had the money to make marquee signings. The club has changed hands several times in the past few decades, having three different owners since 1996.
With the uncertainty of Brighton’s future it seemed as if punters would have been much better off with a fixed odds bet like when playing lightning roulette online or a game of blackjack.
However, things have settled down now, and under the stewardship of Tony Bloom, the club is looking better than ever.
Enock Mwepu – €23.00m
Brighton’s most expensive signing came in 2021 when they signed young Zambian midfielder Enock Mwepu from Red Bull Salzburg for €23 million.
Enock didn’t quite have the start to his Brighton career that he’d hoped for, as it was a season plagued by injuries.
While he did impress when he made it onto the field, scoring twice and providing five assists in 18 games, he missed over half the season due to injury.
Things didn’t get much better in the 22/23 season, as he was forced to retire at 24 due to a hereditary heart issue.
Adam Webster – €22.22m
Webster joined Brighton in 2019, having joined the club after a stellar season for Championship side Bristol City.
Adam slotted in immediately at the heart of the Brighton defence and played 29 games for the club in his debut season, scoring once.
His second year was somewhat blighted by injury, managing just 22 appearances but scoring two goals. This season he has played almost every game, and he is now one of the first names on the team sheet for the Seagulls.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh – €19.00m
While Webster immediately settled in at Brighton, the same can’t be said for Alireza Jahanbakhsh. Having joined Brighton from AZ Alkmaar for €19 million in 2018, the winger made 25 appearances in his debut season without registering a goal or an assist.
He was limited to just 12 appearances the following season, where he managed two goals. His final season yielded a similar output, scoring twice and assisting twice in 25 games.
He was sold in the summer of 2021 to Feyenoord for €1 million – not a good return on investment.
Marc Cucurella – €18.00m
Despite spending just one year at the club, many Brighton fans would consider the signing of Marc Cucurella a resounding success.
He joined the club from Spanish side Getafe in 2021 for €18 million. He played every Premier League game that year, scoring once and providing one assist.
When then-manager Graeme Potter left the club to manage Chelsea, one of his first purchases was Cucurella. He spent €65.3 million to acquire his services, giving Brighton a profit of €47.3 million in just one year!
Pervis Estupiñán – €17.80m
The last signing on our list is one of the newest arrivals at the club, having joined Brighton on August 16th, 2022, from La Liga side Villareal.
Brought in to replace the departing Cucurella, Pervis has had a lot to live up to! So far, the left-back has played 11 games for the club, providing one assist and has looked assured as part of the Brighton back line.
He is currently part of the Ecuador squad at the 2022 World Cup and has played both games as his team looks to make their way out of the group stage. While it’s too early to know whether this signing is successful, he certainly looks like a top player.
