€400m made in three years: Brighton show Man Utd how to sell players

James Shearman

• Updated: 14 Sept 2023 19:09 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United's recruitment often comes under criticism, but their inability to offload players is an equally damming indictment of the Glazers' ownership.

The Red Devils struggle to sell players that are surplus to requirements, resulting in the club wasting a fortune on wages each season (e.g. Donny van de Beek).

Or, they only manage to find loan moves for their wantaway stars, which typically see the players' values diminish (e.g. Brandon Williams).

READ MORE: Man Utd are the worst club in the world at selling players

United could learn a thing or two from Brighton, who have become the kings of the transfer window in recent years.

The Seagulls have sold €406.9 million worth of players over the past three seasons.

This includes the sales of Moises Caicedo (€133m) and Marc Cucurella (€65.3m) to Chelsea, as well as Ben White (€58.5m) and Alexis Mac Allister's (€42m) moves to Arsenal and Liverpool, respectively.

In contrast to Brighton, United usually sell players to clubs below them in the table, but that does not give them an adequate excuse to have only made €110.1m in the last three windows.

Brighton's top sales

4. Alexis Mac Allister - €42m (Liverpool, 2023)

Alexis Mac Allister earned plenty of plaudits at Argentinos Juniors and Brighton's brilliant use of the South American market saw them sign the midfielder for just €8m in January of 2019.

It wasn't for another 12 months that he made his Brighton debut, however, after two loan spells in his homeland, and Mac Allister found it difficult to find a home under Potter.

He played on the left, behind a striker and in deeper midfield roles, but wasn't able to establish himself as a first-choice regular. However, that changed in the 2021-22 season when he became a key contributor.

Mac Allister soon evolved into an important player for Argentina and he played a pivotal role in their 2022 World Cup triumph. He joined Liverpool after a brilliant final year at Brighton.

3. Ben White - €58.5m (Arsenal, 2021)

Ben White came through the Brighton academy, but made his name on loan at Leeds United. In fact, his form at Elland Road earned reports of a potential England call-up, despite the fact he was playing in the Championship.

After just one year at Brighton, in which he played at centre-back, right-back and central midfield in almost equal measure, White joined Arsenal for nearly €60m in 2021.

He initially played at the heart of defence, and endured a tricky time during his first campaign. However, Mikel Arteta converted him into a full-time right-back in 2022 and White starred with the protection of William Saliba next to him.

2. Marc Cucurella - €65.3m (Chelsea, 2022)

Just like White, Marc Cucurella only played one full season of football at Brighton before Chelsea and Manchester City were linked with a move after his 'Player of the Year' campaign on the south coast.

Pep Guardiola's side soon backed out after learning Brighton's asking price, but Chelsea persisted and eventually paid €65.3m to sign the Spaniard - over double the amount Man City were willing to fork out.

Cucurella suffered a torrid first season in west London as he failed to put in the displays that he had regularly produced at Brighton.

Things turned so sour that on a number of occasions he was booed off the field by the Chelsea fans. He is now the club's second choice left-back behind vice captain Ben Chilwell.

1. Moises Caicedo – €133m (Chelsea, 2023)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a Brighton player moving to Chelsea is the biggest sale in the club's history, with Moises Caicedo commanding a British transfer record to move to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023.

Chelsea had identified the Ecuadorian as their top target but, despite having agreed personal terms with Caicedo for months, the Blues failed to meet Brighton's asking price in excess of €100m.

However, Liverpool submitted a bid of around €125m for Caicedo, prompting Chelsea to better the offer in order to beat their rivals to the punch.

Caicedo finally got his move in August 2023, signing an eight-year deal, with the option of a ninth.