Brighton squad value up by 44% – Why every club wants Roberto De Zerbi

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Squad value up by 44% 

Brighton remain one of the most remarkable stories in the Premier League. On the field, the sort of football being played has made manager Roberto De Zerbi one of the hottest commodities in European football, with Bayern Munich the latest club to knock on the door following reports linking the manager with moves to Barcelona and Liverpool. Off the field, the story has also been remarkable. Earlier this week, The Athletic reported that the club had made a profit of £122.8 million (€143.4m), an almost £100m (€116.8m) increase from the previous season. 

According to The Athletic, it is the second-highest pre-tax profit for any club in the Premier League since Tottenham in 2018. A significant achievement made all the more impressive when we consider that it doesn’t include the sale of Moisés Caicedo and Robert Sánchez (both Chelsea) this season. Indeed, over the last two seasons combined, Brighton have made a transfer profit of €168.6m, which worldwide ranks the club second only to Portuguese giants Benfica. 

The transfer dealings, in particular, have been a big part of the story. Not only did the club earn a significant profit from selling players. But also received a significant fee when Graham Potter moved on to Chelsea. Potter, in fact, became the most expensive head coach in history when he joined Chelsea in 2022. Brighton ended up replacing Potter with De Zerbi. In his first season with the club, the Italian led Brighton to a sixth-place finish, finishing just five points behind Liverpool and nine points out of the Champions League. 

De Zerbi in demand – Brighton squad value up by 44%

This season it feels like Brighton have taken a slight step backward. Some of that might have had to do with the added strain of playing in the Europa League. Another factor might be the departure of key players. Losing midfielders like Mac Allister and Caicedo certainly has hurt the club. Furthermore, new arrivals Mahmoud Dahoud and Carlos Baleba have been unable to fill the void left by big-name departures. Dahoud has since left the club on loan to VfB Stuttgart, where he is also struggling for game time. 

Whether it is the added games or having to replace big-name departures, the fact is that Brighton are currently ninth in the Premier League with 42 points, six points behind last season’s pace. But perhaps that transitional period was to be expected given the turnover. Also, part of the story is also that Brighton remain just six points behind sixth-placed Man United. On top of that, Brighton players stay in demand. That is best reflected in the growing squad value of the club. Since the start of the season, Brighton’s squad value has risen by 44.8% from €348.8m to €505.1m – the second biggest increase in the Premier League. 

In the minds of many working in the business, De Zerbi is one of the key architects of Brighton’s rise within the Premier League. With all that in mind, it is, therefore, not surprising that the 44-year-old Italian has caught the interest of top clubs around Europe. But one thing that has to be kept in mind is that Brighton have created an environment in which coaches can outperform the odds. Indeed, the example of Potter at Chelsea highlights that the Brighton model might not work at other clubs. And that is a cautionary tale for both De Zerbi but also any club looking into signing the Italian.

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