Brighton need stronger FFP rules to stop the vultures circling

Players, managers and staff will come and go, that is a fact of footballing life. Some we will be devastated to lose, others we will wish well, and a few we will not miss too much.

Ben White was in the unusual position of really only featuring for the first team for one season, a season that just happened to be the one played behind closed doors.

He didn’t have the opportunity to become a fan favourite, and played in a position we had plenty of cover for. Undoubtedly a talent, £50 million was a fantastic bit of business for the club.

Everyone wishes Dan Burn well in the chance to end his career at his boyhood club, and everyone is surely delighted we have the services of Yves Bissouma for the rest of the season.

He is arguably the best talent ever to appear in an Albion kit, and his departure to one of ‘The Big Six’ has been on the cards for a while.

It will feel somewhat unjust if he goes to Aston Villa. They might be a club with a big history, but they are one challenging Brighton for the top ten, not fighting with Manchester City or Liverpool for the title. Villa’s budget thoug, means they can potentially put in a bid we can’t refuse.

Dan Burn’s new home has of course secured the services of our other Big Dan – Director of Football Dan Ashworth – this past week.

Newcastle have until now been battling relegation in the way we were for the past four seasons, but of course have an unlimited budget to pick and choose the talent they want, on and off the field.

It was estimated by Liverpool University’s Kieran Maguire that the Toon could have spent £200 million in the January window before triggering Financial Fair Play rules.

Ashworth left the England setup to join Paul Barber’s team, probably more for the Brighton’s ambition and ethos than for the money.

It is hard to imagine that we could compete with the Football Association in terms of wages for one of the most important jobs at the FA.

I have huge admiration and respect for Tony Bloom and the millions he has invested in the club over the past decade or more, but he can’t match the money of the Saudis or other overseas syndicates or owners.

Not that I am arguing for our brilliant fan owner to be replaced by a US conglomerate or Far East business empire, not for a nanosecond.

This all poses a question. How high can we go with the money the club can afford to offer in fees and wages? If we finish ninth or 10th but lose Bissouma, Tariq Lamptey, Alexis Mac Allister, Marc Cucurella or even Graham Potter in the closed season, is that our ceiling?

Developing great players via our youth team, or finding outstanding talent in the European leagues as everyone hopes is the case with Deniz Undav is worthy and productive work.

But if we can’t retain some of that talent because of a vast disparity in wages with the richer clubs, benefits could be fleeting.

If transfer receipts have to be called upon at least partially to cover operating costs and losses, then on-the-pitch returns are diminished.

Despite the Financial Fair Play rules, are we destined to see in effect two Premier Leagues where ‘The Big Six’ plus Newcastle, Villa and maybe Leicester City are able to vacuum up talent from the 10 teams below them?

What happens when UEFA scrap their FFP rules as seems likely and there is potentially no limit on spending imposed on clubs with billions of pounds in their owners’ pockets?

How does a team without the huge sums of cash available to Manchester United, Spurs or Liverpool break into the top 10 and stay there? How can they retain their best players and their coaching staff in order to do so?

Leicester did it of course in spectacular fashion, winning the title with the unlikely skill of Jamie Vardy and the financial backing of the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

Since then however, the Foxes have been unable to repeat the feat. Their highest finish in the five seasons since is fifth.

Big money is a fact of life in the world’s biggest league, and life isn’t fair. But huge financial advantage shouldn’t see ‘The Big Six’ expand to a big eight, who are then the only ones able to compete for European places or silverware each season.

The Premier League is never going to be a level playing field, but allow too steep a slope and it is not a true competition at all. English football is special because is is competitive and upsets can happen regularly.

It would be heart breaking to see this excellent Brighton team that has been assembled at the Amex over the past couple of seasons – both on and off the field – broken up and sold off just as we have our eyes on the prize of not just a top 10 finish, but European competition too.

Every Premier League club including Brighton should be able to earn a place in the top six. It shouldn’t be the case you can simply buy one.

Warren Morgan @WarrenBHAFC