It is no secret that Brighton’s transfer business has been hugely successful over the years, with plenty of players signing and leaving the club for a sizeable profit, which is a credit to the club’s recruitment process.
The January transfer window is fast approaching, and it’ll be interesting to see whether Roberto De Zerbi will add to his first-team squad in the New Year.
With data provided to us by BonusCodeBets, we can bring you Brighton’s top-four record transfer arrivals.
1. Joao Pedro – £29.3 million
Pedro only joined us in the summer of 2023, but has caught the eye with some strong performances already. The Brazilian signed for a club record fee of £29.3 million from Championship side Watford, and he’s a player that could play a key role for the Seagulls in future seasons.
Pedro netted a late consolation goal against Chelsea not so long ago, which was his tenth goal in all competitions for Brighton this season.
At the age of 22, it’ll be interesting to see how long Brighton can keep hold of him, as the early stages of his time with the club could see him attract interest from other clubs in future transfer windows.
With Brighton’s history of recruitment, a fee just shy of £30 million could be a shrewd investment for a player of Pedro’s quality, who has already shown his talent in European competitions this term as well.
2. Carlos Baleba – £23.2 million
Baleba arrived at the Amex Stadium on a five-year contract, having signed from French side Lille for a fee of £23.3 million.
Baleba had already broken through to the Lille first-team prior to signing for the Seagulls, and will be looking to nail down a place in the starting XI on a more consistent basis moving forwards with the Premier League side.
The 19-year-old has plenty of room to develop as a player, and the club will be keen to see that as early as possible, as he’s likely to be the long-term replacement for Moises Caicedo, who left the club in favour to sign for Chelsea earlier this summer.
It can take some time for players to adjust to the physical demands of Premier League football, and if Baleba can adjust in the near future, he could be another player that Brighton potentially move on for a huge profit.
3. Enock Mwepu – £19.7 million
Mwepu caught the eye in the early stages of his professional career with Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg, where he made over 60 appearances for them over a four-year spell.
Those strong performances saw him earn a move to Brighton & Hove Albion. He scored his first goal for Brighton in the EFL Cup defeat on penalties against Leicester City, in what was one of only two goals that Mwepu scored in his brief time with the senior squad.
The former Zambia international was forced to call time on his playing career unexpectedly in October 2022, as he was diagnosed with a rare hereditary heart condition. Mwepu is still involved at Brighton though, as he’s now a coach of the club’s under-9s team, which is a role he’s held since January 2023.
4. Alireza Jahanbakhsh – £19.3 million
Jahanbakhsh is one of the few players from within the top-four that we never saw fully justify the price paid by the club.
The Iranian winger had previously played for AZ Alkmaar prior to signing for Brighton, and netted 37 goals, and was on hand to provide 31 assists for his AZ Alkmaar team-mates in his time with the Dutch side.
However, for one reason or another, Jahanbakhsh only scored four goals and provided two assists for Brighton, which doesn’t make for the best of reading when he made 61 appearances across all competitions for them. The 30-year-old left Brighton in 2021, as he returned to the Netherlands, although this time, he signed for Feyenoord.
