Brighton, the ‘Big 7’

That day Robert De Zerbi He arrived at Brighton&Hove Albion’s facilities for the first time, surprised by his personality. Passionate and confident in the defense of his ambitious ideas, he launches a first message for all those who do not know him. “The important thing is not to win, but how you win.” He did not want to hide, from the first day, that in his methods they send the method to dominate and the danger to attack. The unexpected bet Tony Bloom The billionaire owner of Brighton, who followed him on his tours of Sassuolo and Shaktar Donetsk with his sophisticated data software, never ceases to admire English football, but his Brighton soon made his predecessor, Graham, who forgot Potter, and became a role model for. the fame he claimed on the ball in all fields. Now Brighton are competing with the greats, as if it’s a ‘Big 7’, they’ll be playing in Europe for the first time, and tomorrow they’ll face West Ham who are showing leadership in the Premier League for the first time.

The winds of fortune continue to blow in favor of the ‘seagulls’. They just got a record sale on one of their best players, Moses Caicedo, (moved to Chelsea for 133 million), they also made a very good profit from the sale to Liverpool of another of their pillars, Alexis McAllister, and a not so tough start to the calendar, against Luton Town and Wolverhampton, allowed them to score the first six points of the championship. Brighton & Hove Albion has been named this year by the Premier League as a model of management, for its ability to generate capital gains in the movement of players and for its bold commitment to football in which it finished sixth last season. Its matches entertain and unite the south coast public, which at the same time is enjoying, thanks to soccer, an economic rebirth.

Brighton have dared to compete with Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, the so-called ‘Big 6’ of English football, and their continued growth over the last two seasons deserves respect. Every year they sell their best players without difficulty, which shows the club’s organizational and planning capacity. In Tony Bloom’s Brighton all players have a substitute, to sell themselves if the price and excess value is high and justify it. That’s how the club is run and that’s what happened this year, too Caicedo and McAllisterwith goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, or the striker Deniz Undav. Before them, from 2021, Brighton squeezed the sale of White and Trossard (Arsenal), burn (Newcastle), bissouma (Tottenham), happy (Everton) o cucurella (Chelsea), with great benefits.

Mitoma and Enciso, diamonds

Who else accepts the philosophy of permanent change and continuous evolution is himself By Zerbi, which suits the club’s strategy. Brighton have lined up the signing of the Brazilian this year João Pedro, 21 years old, for which he paid 30 million pounds to Watford, and also to the young Ivorian striker simon adigra (21), who played last season on loan at Union Saint Gilloise, Brighton’s subsidiary club in Belgium, also owned by Tony Bloom. And in the room were other emerging youngsters, like Irishman Evan Ferguson, an 18-year-old pearl scorer who By Zerbi dosed, with excellent performance.

Brighton now have two more diamonds in their squad: the Japanese myth and the 19-year-old Paraguayan Julio Enciso, signed with his complete youth recruiting network in South America. They are decisive pieces of the ‘seagulls’, and the guarantee of other transfers where they can ensure their retention in the English elite. But the Brighton of By Zerbi Don’t just look at age. The Italian has also shown to be a good psychologist in the combination of experience and youth, as he did not refuse to sign a veteran as James Milner (Liverpool), aged 37, if it is for the benefit of the collective performance. The same happened with other established mainstays, such as German lewd (32) or the local idol Solly March (29), that he knows how to improve his tactics, and has already scored three of the team’s eight goals.

An example of how to climb the English football pyramid, Brighton’s story does not look easy to repeat, however. In just over a decade, the club has gone from having no ground, being kicked out of the Goldstone Ground and playing at the local Withdean athletics ground in the lower leagues, to being a top team in the Premier League, with its own ground, the American Express Stadium and a team full of emerging youngsters. And that success is not just limited to the club. Brighton has shown how a football club can have a huge impact on a city and its tourist environment. This is well illustrated by an economic report which shows a contribution to the local economy of over €650m by 2022/23, including direct revenue, visitor spend and brand value, as Brighton’s achievements increase awareness and image of the city around the world.

But to understand the beautiful image that the club gives, you need to follow the steps of the style that marks By Zerbi and his steadfast willingness to cheer on the home crowd when Brighton play. Guided by that ambitious spirit, Brighton set goals and won in stages, not just winning, but how they won, as they had four goals in every game. Today, his fans are enjoying this perfect gift, chanting euphoric ‘We are top of the league’, with a passion and pride never before seen in this beautiful corner of southern England.