How is the Premier League transfer window progressing for Brighton and Hove Albion - football writers Derren Howard, Frankie Elliott and Jacob Panons discuss.
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00:00 Thanks for joining us today for the Sussex World Brighton Transfer Window special. Today
00:08 I'm joined by Brighton writers Frankie Elliott and Jacob Pannans who are going to have a
00:12 look at the transfer window so far, see how Brighton have done and then have a look at
00:17 the transfer window in a slightly wider context as well and see what it means for the rest
00:23 of the Premier League.
00:26 So as things stand, Brighton have been fairly active. They've brought in Jao Pedro from
00:32 Watford for £30 million, Bart Verbruggen joined for £16 million from Anderlecht and
00:37 they've brought in a couple of free transfers. James Milner arrived after eight seasons at
00:42 Liverpool and Mo Dahoud also came in from Borussia Dortmund as well and he's done fairly
00:49 well in pre-season, looks quite good in the midfield. So Frankie, just starting with you,
00:55 do you think Brighton, they've obviously lost Alexis McAllister, how are they looking at
01:01 the moment? Are they stronger than last season or is it still work in progress?
01:06 I think on the balance of things, if you went from this time last year, I think you would
01:10 say they're overall stronger. I know they've lost one of their best players in Alexis McAllister
01:15 but they still have Kai Sedo who I think is their best player and by what we are seeing
01:23 and hearing now, I think he's going to be a Brighton player until at least January now,
01:26 which is a great thing for the club. And on top of that, I think the signings, they are
01:31 a step up from what the signings you would see last year. We're seeing some more ready-made
01:36 players to play in the first team for both the Europa League and the Premier League.
01:41 Mo Dahoud, Borussia Dortmund player who has featured in Champions League football and
01:46 played for a team that's one of the best in Germany. James Milner, we know about him from
01:50 his experiences with title winning teams at Manchester City and Liverpool. Jal Pedro,
01:55 breaking the bank for Jal Pedro, that shows a sign of intent. A very exciting winger who
02:00 is someone who could really set the league alight next year playing under Roberto Di
02:04 Zerbi. And then the two other signings in Bart Verbrangen and Igor Julio, two up and
02:09 coming players who have been playing very, very well in their respective leagues in Holland
02:14 and Italy. So all five of those signings are players that I could see arguably starting
02:20 the first game of the season. Maybe not James Milner, but the other four clearly could be
02:25 challenging the first team straight away. So that's a real, I think, change of intent
02:29 from what we normally see, which is Brighton signing players who are ones for the future
02:33 who may take six or seven months to grow into the signing, adapt to the English league.
02:41 So in regards to who they've signed and the squad they've already got as well, they've
02:45 kept most of the players that were part of that brilliant side last year. I think they're
02:49 in a much stronger position than where they were this time last year.
02:51 Yeah, yeah, no, I agree. It does look like the signings they've made have improved the
02:56 first team. But Jacob, if you were Moises Caicedo, you joined Brighton, Brighton a club
03:02 that are known for buying players with potential, developing them and then looking to sell them
03:08 on for a profit. So Caicedo played very well for the last 18 months, didn't get his move
03:15 to Arsenal last January. Arsenal bid 70 million, Brighton turned it down. And now Chelsea have
03:21 been in for him all summer. He's had this all summer where is he going to move? Is he
03:26 not? Brighton aren't budging on this 100 million valuation. Is Caicedo going to be, if not
03:33 fuming, is he going to be gently simmering that he hasn't got his move? He wants to play
03:39 in a big club. He wants to play in Champions League football. How do you think that dynamics
03:44 going to play out?
03:45 It's going to be really interesting because, you know, we've seen in the past, sometimes
03:49 football players throw their toys out the pram when they don't get these big moves.
03:53 And, you know, although Brighton is a fantastic project and there's hundreds and thousands
03:57 of players across the planet who would, you know, chop off their left arm to play for
04:00 Brighton and especially in the set they've got right now. Caicedo is naturally going
04:04 to be frustrated. You know, this move has been rumoured for almost two years now. It's
04:08 always felt like it was just a matter of days away from being announced and now it looks
04:11 like it's collapsed yet again. Yeah, he's going to be frustrated. I think it's going
04:15 to really show his character, how he deals with this. If he puts his head down, works
04:18 hard till January and earns that move again, then fair play to him. But there is always
04:23 the risk that, you know, his heart's not going to be in it. Mentally, he might have already
04:27 moved on. He might have, you know, already been telling family, he might be looking at
04:30 flats in London. You never know what's going on behind the scenes. But yeah, you do wonder
04:34 mentally if he's still going to be 100% at the club knowing that in January things might
04:39 move on. And then I also worry about what's going to happen with Brighton if Caicedo does
04:42 leave in January, because that's when the games in Europe, if you do progress, really
04:46 come thick and fast. But yeah, it'll be really interesting to see how he reacts to this,
04:51 you know, negative news on his part.
04:53 Yeah. Frankie, you said he's Brighton's best player. He hasn't moved now in two transfer
05:00 windows. Do you agree with Jacob? Do you think there could be a bit of an issue there with
05:04 how he... because De Zerby, he's proved in the past he won't settle for it, will he?
05:08 If any player's not pulling for the team, it's an interesting dynamic, isn't it?
05:14 It is. I feel the people that are more desperate for this move to happen in this window are
05:20 Caicedo's agents or maybe the people that surround Caicedo, because there's a lot of
05:25 money to be made for them personally. This is a big, big deal. They'll be looking if
05:29 he does go or when he does go. We expect to be close to three figures. So a lot of money
05:33 is being made by a lot of people. But from the player himself, he's featured in the pre-season
05:38 games. He's looked very, very sharp. He was, I thought, he was very impressive against
05:41 Newcastle and came on for a bit of the Brentford game as well. So according to his teammates,
05:47 Lewis Dunn came out and said he'd been working incredibly hard in pre-season. From what we've
05:50 seen on the pitch, I don't see much of a changing character. I don't think that's Caicedo's
05:54 style. I think he is a hardworking individual that will give his all for any team he's playing
05:59 for. I'm sure he wants the move to play Champions League football at some point, but we've got
06:04 to remember his age as well. He's only 21 years of age. The person that has moved for
06:08 a lot of money this summer, Declan Rice, for that three-figure sum, he's been linked with
06:13 a move away from West Ham for two, three years. He eventually got that deal. I think there's
06:17 nothing to rush him away from Brighton either. This is a very, very good Brighton side. They
06:21 will be playing in Europe next season. Chelsea obviously won't. Chelsea can offer him more,
06:26 maybe long-term. But for the time being, I don't think Caicedo will see much desperation
06:30 to get the move. He's 21 years of age. There's a long career ahead of him still there, obviously,
06:36 regarding he doesn't get any major injuries. So in the long run, I think for the player
06:42 himself, which is the most important thing, I don't think he'll be too desperate just
06:46 yet. I think that deal will eventually happen, whether it be January, the following summer,
06:51 whenever it may be. He's still got another three and a half years left on his contract.
06:55 So in regards to it comes September 1st and Caicedo is still a Brighton player, I think
07:02 obviously that benefits Brighton, but I don't think that upsets Caicedo too much.
07:05 Do you think he'll start against Luton?
07:09 I don't see why not. I really don't see why not. Like I said, we have spoken a number
07:13 of times about players that are usually difficult when these moves don't come off. I really
07:19 don't see Caicedo being like that. I feel that the Zerby clearly likes him, the squad
07:24 clearly likes him. He clearly loves being around the Brighton set-up. If he is available,
07:30 he is their best midfielder, he should start. It's that simple.
07:34 Jacob, do you think he'll start against Luton?
07:36 Yes, like Frankie said, if he's around, you've got to use him. He's Brighton's best player
07:41 hands down. He's one of the best holding midfielders in the world. If you've got to use him, then
07:46 you've got to use him because otherwise he's a waste. But like I said previously, it kind
07:50 of depends how things are. If he's maybe had a bit of a tantrum behind the scenes to Zerby,
07:53 he's not going to put up with that and he might play. But if he's happy and he's at
07:57 the club, 100% play him.
08:00 You're a West Ham fan, Jacob. Is he as good as Declan Rice?
08:03 Don't get me started. I mean, obviously I watch a lot of Kaysedo with work. I watch
08:10 a lot of Declan Rice in my personal life. I think Kaysedo is a better player. I will
08:14 say that. I think he's a lot more versatile and obviously he's three years younger as
08:17 well. And Declan Rice three years ago wasn't anywhere near the player Kaysedo did. I'll
08:22 probably get tons of West Ham fans DMing me now. Absolutely few me now that I've said
08:26 that. But it is a fact. Kaysedo at 21 is far better than what Declan Rice was at 21. And
08:32 even now with Declan Rice, with that experience playing more international football than Kaysedo,
08:37 I do think Kaysedo is a more attractive option. Definitely. If I was a club looking for a
08:42 hold of midfielder, I would go for Kaysedo. But that's not to say Declan Rice isn't
08:45 a fantastic football player as well.
08:47 Yeah, yeah. So one player who it seems 100% will not be in the starting line-up is Rob
08:53 Sanchez against Luton Town. His career has taken a funny turn. He was on a really upward
09:00 trajectory until the middle of last season. He made a couple of clangers and then he was
09:05 dropped for Jason Steele. De Serby's decision was vindicated, wasn't it really? Steele's
09:11 been excellent with the way he plays out from the back and also the saves that he's made
09:17 as well. And Sanchez didn't take it well. He's fallen out with De Serby completely.
09:21 It looks like the relationship can't be repaired. Brighton have signed Bartlett Bruggen. He's
09:27 been linked with Chelsea and Arsenal. Do you see that working, Frankie? He's got to move,
09:33 hasn't he, somewhere this summer?
09:35 Yeah, I mean the club want him gone. That's pretty much for sure. And obviously Sanchez
09:39 wouldn't want to be around the club either. He's not a wanted man. I have a feeling that
09:44 the only move that's going to be available right now would be to be a number two at a
09:47 big club. I would assume that if he moved to Chelsea or to Arsenal, he would be behind
09:52 Kepa or Ramsdale in those situations. But at the same time, you could argue it's a step
10:00 up because it's playing for a bigger team. And in the Arsenal situation, he'll be part
10:04 of a Champions League squad. So I think he was always destined to have a big move. A
10:11 lot of clubs have seen him as a very promising goalkeeper, Spanish international, very young
10:16 for a goalkeeper as well. I think he's 24, 25. So there's still a long career ahead of
10:21 him because obviously a lot of keepers play until their mid-30s. But in regards to whether
10:27 he will see this move as an opportunity to be in a different position from what he is
10:32 at Brighton, which is currently he's Brighton's number three goalkeeper, you'd say. I don't
10:36 think he'll be anything other than number two because, I mean, from what we can see
10:41 at Chelsea, Pochettino is very happy with Kepa and wants to start him as his main man. And
10:45 then with Ramsdale, he was Arsenal's goalkeeper last year. And also in that situation, David
10:49 Rier is more closely linked, the Brentford goalkeeper, to moving to Arsenal. So it looks
10:54 like the only real option for Sanchez in the Premier League is Chelsea. And he would see
11:00 himself as having an opportunity to get that number one spot because we know how shaky
11:03 Kepa is. But he's a bit lost in the woods at the moment because he's gone from being
11:08 one of the best up-and-coming goalkeepers in the Premier League, you would say, at the
11:12 end of the season under Graham Potter when they finished ninth, to being the forgotten
11:17 man, which is such a shame, really. I did think there was a really good goalkeeper in
11:22 there.
11:23 Jacob, his transfer value has definitely dipped, hasn't it? The fee that Brighton can command
11:28 for him now has reduced. Do you think he'll move on alone or perhaps permanently this
11:35 summer?
11:36 I think Brighton have got to push for a transfer, really a permanent transfer, because like
11:41 I think I said this last season when he first wasn't playing, it's kind of a use him or
11:45 lose him kind of thing. Because if you're not using him, his transfer fee just drops.
11:48 I mean, I think this time last year or the year before, there were rumours that Leicester
11:52 wanted him for £50 million. If you got £15 million from now, you'd probably be relatively
11:57 happy with that. It's, you know, football, it moves so quickly that I think you need
12:01 to pull that trigger pretty quickly and try and get him out the door because every game
12:04 that he doesn't start is just another million of his value. So I think Brighton will be
12:08 pushing to get him out the door permanently. But he's obviously going to be on some decent
12:12 wages, so loaning him out wouldn't be the worst option in the world. But I think the
12:15 priority at this stage has to be getting rid of him and getting rid of him permanently
12:19 quickly as well, because he's obviously not happy and you don't necessarily want players
12:22 like that around the club who don't want to be there. And Deserby said that as well.
12:26 Yeah, the club have really backed Deserby on this, haven't they? Because Deserby's basically
12:30 said he's not for me. And that's lost, like you said, he's seen his value dip and Brighton
12:37 have been prepared to take that loss almost based on Deserby's decision there, haven't
12:43 they?
12:44 Yeah, it's been really admirable, really, because I think you'd get a lot of clubs who
12:47 would, you know, you could have got 50 million for Robert Sanchez a couple of years ago,
12:51 and now you're not going to get that. And a lot of owners, I think, in the Premier League
12:54 and across the globe wouldn't back their manager there, because it's essentially maybe costing
12:59 50 million pounds to stand behind Deserby. And, you know, Deserby might not even be here
13:03 in 12 months time, he might be at a bigger club. So it takes, you know, it's really admirable
13:08 that the owners and the board have stood behind him and, you know, put their money where their
13:12 mouth is and lost money to support the manager. Because, I mean, I'm a West Ham fan. At West
13:15 Ham, I don't think the owners would have done that. I think they would have cashed in the
13:18 money or they would have got rid of the manager to save that money. So it really, I think
13:22 it's, you know, it's a green flag for the owners there that they are doing that. And
13:26 I think any other manager that comes in after Deserby will see that as a huge benefit that
13:30 the owners are going to stand behind you regardless of the financial cost it may be.
13:34 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Strong position of Brighton at the moment, isn't he, Frankie Deserby?
13:40 He seems, the results that he's made, how popular he is with the fans, his influence
13:46 is just growing and growing, isn't it? At the club, he challenges the players. And even
13:51 after the season, when you saw pictures of sort of the chairman and Tony Bloom in the
13:56 changing rooms, Deserby took those opportunities on social to say, look, we've got to go for
14:02 the Carabao, we've got to go for the FA Cup, we've got Europe. And he challenges everybody,
14:06 doesn't he? At every level at the club. And it's quite amazing to see that, really, considering
14:12 he's only been there in a relatively short space of time.
14:16 Yeah, absolutely. I think one of the main reasons they looked to employ him when they
14:21 interviewed him was his ambition and his attention to detail. I don't think he was ever, you
14:26 know, happy with just being a good manager at Brighton and getting, you know, a top 10
14:34 finish or getting to the FA Cup, the semi-final of the FA Cup. These weren't good achievements
14:39 to him. He enters every competition to win it. And, you know, the facts are there. He
14:45 was around March time or February time last year when his sort of Deserbyism football
14:51 was starting to take hold. He was asked about Champions League football with Brighton in
14:56 mind. Nine times out of ten, most Premier League managers dismiss, you know, from that
14:59 size club will dismiss it very quickly and say they're just taking it game by game and
15:04 such forth. But with him, he was like, yeah, we're trying to get Champions League football.
15:07 That's what that's our dream. That's our that's our target. And that's sort of that's a new
15:11 thing in the Premier League to see someone from outside the top six and outside the sort
15:16 of status quo saying that, yeah, we're aiming to upset the party, to upset the big boys.
15:22 And I think obviously that benefits Brighton because they're playing some great football
15:26 and they're achieving things like getting into Europe for the first time. So I think
15:30 Tony Bloom and the rest of the board see him as more pivotal to Brighton's success going
15:35 forward than any than any good player could could ever bring. So, yeah, it's brilliant
15:40 to see that he is being trusted to take this this this shit forward, because I personally
15:46 think he's one of the best young managers in Europe. And the longer the longer they
15:49 can keep hold of him, the better.
15:52 Yeah, yeah. Players seem to want to play for him as well, Jacob, don't they? Like if they're
15:56 looking to sign, bring in new players, they would see the style of football that they're
16:01 playing and they think, you know, I want to be a part of that. And that makes that makes
16:05 Brighton quite an attractive option, doesn't it, for players who are looking, planning
16:09 their next next move?
16:11 Oh, 100 percent. Yeah, I think it's really underrated the draw that good managers have.
16:17 We've seen that at Roma with Jose Mourinho. Every player that goes there says, I want
16:22 to be here to play under Jose Mourinho. And I think it will be the same with Deserby very
16:25 soon, if not, it's happening now. That if you have managers who are maybe a bit more
16:29 dull and, you know, aren't the people there, but Pep Guardiola is saying he's one of the
16:33 most influential managers of the last 20 years. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next five
16:38 years Deserby's managing a club who's in the semifinal, even winning the Champions League.
16:43 So I think any player who has the chance will be jumping at that opportunity to work with
16:47 a manager who's so, you know, forward thinking. And I think he will be considered in the same
16:52 light as Guardiola and Ancelotti and Mourinho, Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson. Obviously, that's
16:57 a big, big claim and it might be 10 years, but I think he'll be considered in that bracket
17:01 of managers very soon. So players have got to be attracted to that or any player with
17:05 a good head on their shoulders will be attracted to that because he can transform a player.
17:09 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just having a look at the latest transfer rumours, there's always so
17:14 many this time of year. One of the ones that cropped up, Julio Antiso had a great season
17:21 last campaign for Brighton, particularly towards the back end. And he's been linked with Manchester
17:28 City. He's been there, only been at Brighton for a year or so. Man City sold Riyad Mahrez
17:38 and he's been linked as a possible replacement. Frankie, that's a bit too early, isn't it,
17:45 for that? But it just shows the type of skill levels that he has, perhaps, and how much
17:51 he's impressed.
17:52 Yeah, yeah. I mean, the first thing to point out with that rumour is that Riyad Mahrez
17:57 was obviously predominantly a right winger and Antiso is predominantly from the left
18:01 and also was a forward. So he's not an out and out replacement in that sense. But yeah,
18:06 clearly, obviously, it shows. I mean, again, this is what I was saying about Brighton's
18:11 position last year. When they signed Antiso, obviously, no one knew very much about him.
18:17 He was signed for just under £10 million, a teenager from Paraguay and didn't really
18:23 become a member of the first team squad or start to feature predominantly towards March/April
18:29 time. So he had a bit of a longer wait to make an impact. But by the end of the season,
18:35 he was one of Brighton's most exciting players. Obviously, we remember those two goals against
18:39 Chelsea and Manchester City. They were really eye-catching goals. So I think it'll be...
18:44 Obviously, I don't really believe that move will happen this season, but I would imagine
18:48 that Guardiola was definitely having one eye on someone, I can see. Because we've only
18:53 really seen about three months' worth of football from him so far. He's a very, very young player.
18:57 So this season, he will hope as well, and Deserby will hope, that he will have a really,
19:02 really big impact on Brighton's season, both in Europe and domestically. So if he continues
19:07 to play the way he started, then I wouldn't be surprised if teams like Manchester City
19:11 come calling in the near future.
19:14 Yeah, yeah. What have you made of Antiso so far, Jacob? He looks quite very skilful. He's
19:20 quite feisty as well, isn't he? He likes to get stuck in as well.
19:24 Yeah, I think that's exactly what you need from young players, especially young players
19:29 from South America. Sometimes we've seen that they struggle to adapt. In Britain, we play
19:33 quite physical football, and sometimes in Paraguay, in Argentina and Brazil, it doesn't
19:38 always click because it's a little less physical. But I mean, he's coming here and he's not
19:42 afraid to get his hands dirty. He's not afraid to get a bit of blood on his shirt. And fans
19:45 love that in England. So he's made himself really popular with the fans. And like Frankie
19:50 said, he's completely turned. I remember when he was coming off the bench every other week,
19:55 he was giving the ball away a little bit too much. And you can see he was a good player
19:58 in there. But he was far off of being a starter for Brighton. And then pretty much overnight,
20:03 he's exploded. And every game, he's one of the first names on the team sheet. He's creating
20:08 so much, he's scoring goals, he's providing for his teammates, he's putting in the effort,
20:13 he's getting stuck in. It's absolutely blown my mind how much he's turned around in the
20:17 last few months. But yeah, I think he's got a really long, successful future ahead of
20:22 him. But like Frankie said, I think he's 18, 19 years old. He might not hit his peak for
20:26 a decade. That's insane to think that he might not be at his peak for another 10 years. So
20:31 it's scary to think how good he could get. But yeah, I love everything about him. I love
20:35 his flair. Love how he's not afraid to get stuck in. And yeah, he could be a really important
20:39 player for Brighton in the future. But like Frankie said, I don't see the Man City transfer
20:42 happening this window. If he has a really strong year, maybe next year. But yeah, I
20:47 think a bit premature.
20:48 Yeah, no, I agree. I really like him as well. I think he's made a great impact. When you
20:54 look at someone like Alexis McAllister as well, he took a while to... took a couple
20:58 of seasons before his best. But he's actually, in CSO, probably adapted faster than McAllister,
21:04 which is quite amazing to think when you think about his potential. But a couple of other
21:09 sort of fringe players that have been moved out. Aaron Connolly, he hasn't really featured
21:15 in the first team much for Brighton. He's moved to Hull City on... or he will be moving
21:21 to Hull City, I should say, on a permanent deal. And Sami Ento went out on loan this
21:26 season to the Championship to West Brom. Do they make sense, Frankie?
21:30 Yeah, yeah, they both make sense. Connolly, unfortunately, never really hit the heights
21:37 after his debut. He came in with a lot of... he moved through the ranks very quickly when
21:41 he signed for the under-18 team back in 2017 or 2018, I believe. And he came into the first
21:47 team, obviously, that I think everyone remembers, his Premier League debut. He scored two goals
21:50 against Tottenham when they beat Spurs 3-0 at the Amex Stadium in 2019. And he looked
21:56 a really good player. He looked a really good addition to Graham Potter's side, but never
22:00 really kicked on for various reasons. I think headspace, I think he enjoyed the Brighton
22:05 nightlife a bit too much, if I'm honest. Injury and illness as well. He's had very... he's
22:10 been very unlucky with illness as well. So I wouldn't put it all down to his mentality.
22:15 But yeah, loan spells for Middlesbrough, Hull City, Venecia in Serie B, they've never quite
22:22 worked either. So I think a permanent move away from Brighton is probably for the best
22:27 for him, I think, in the Championship, where he can try and get as much first-team football
22:32 as possible. Because I truly believe that he could be a very good Premier League player
22:37 if he gets himself regularly playing again and gets himself matched.
22:40 Yeah, me too.
22:41 I think at that start, that first season, he was a real threat in that Brighton side.
22:47 But yeah, working with Liam Rossinier, who he was a squad member with when he first joined
22:52 Brighton, I think they'd get on with each other quite well. I think that would work
22:55 brilliantly to revitalise his career, because he's still only very young. He's under the
22:57 age of 25. So there's still, I hope, a lot more to come from Aaron Connolly. And then
23:02 looking to Salmi Endzo, I think there is still a path into the first team for him, who's
23:05 actually a key member of Brighton's squad, mainly off the bench at the start of last
23:10 season, but was certainly featuring quite a lot in the cup matches and impressed when
23:14 he was used by De Serbi. But that foot injury, whilst he was on international duty with Ecuador,
23:21 halted his season. He's been out for three, four months now. And with the additions that
23:25 Brian have brought in, I don't think Saramento would get much game time going into the next
23:30 season. So I think a lone mover, West Bromwich, he's more than capable of being a Championship
23:34 player. I mean, if I remember saying last week on a podcast that he could have easily
23:38 moved to a lower Premier League team and made a real impact. But I think getting the strength
23:45 back in his ankle and playing, again, regular minutes for a team that should be competing
23:49 at the top end of the Championship, so a good quality Championship side, will give Saramento
23:54 a chance to shine. And as we've seen with Brighton, if you have a good lone spurn, you
23:58 impress, there is a pathway back into that first team. They're really keen to stress
24:02 that David Weir, who is head of the lone system and working more closely in that sort of deep
24:07 Dan Ashworth role that we saw for a number of years at Brighton, he has always stressed
24:11 that if you play well out on loan, there is a chance for you to make inroads back into
24:15 Roberto Di Zerbi's side. And I believe that Saramento is still held in high regards by
24:20 all the Brighton hierarchy and Di Zerbi himself. So a good lone mover, West Brom, could really
24:24 see him be lining up in the 2024/2025 side for sure.
24:28 Yeah. Yeah. And I guess Brighton will look to cut some of the other fringe players as
24:33 well that they have on the books. You sort of think that that central midfield looks
24:36 quite loaded now, doesn't it? Especially if Caicedo stays. So they've got Jakub Moda,
24:41 who's coming back from injury. I'm not quite sure on his fitness state at the moment. And
24:45 there's also the likes of Yassine Nary and then a couple of the younger players, Jenson
24:50 Weir as well. Do you think there will be further outgoings, Frankie, as it goes on?
24:56 Yeah, I feel like there should be at least one player. Now that Caicedo is not leaving,
25:03 it does look quite bulky in that midfield area. And I assume one of the younger players
25:07 would be moved out on loan. I would assume someone like Yassine Nary. I mean, he, again,
25:12 a young player, very technically gifted. But I can't imagine that he is ready for the physicality
25:18 of the Premier League just yet. Just from watching these pre-season games, I feel that
25:22 he still needs six to 12 months to develop his game in a top European league. So to speak,
25:28 because he came from obviously the Swedish league. But I don't know. De Zerby spoke after
25:34 the Newcastle game about developing the younger players himself. So I don't know whether he
25:38 wants to keep all these players because he feels they would work better under his stewardship
25:42 than getting game time elsewhere. But you would feel that one or two might have to leave
25:47 because otherwise you get a couple of unhappy campers and that's never good for any squad.
25:52 Yeah, that's going to be the challenge, isn't it, this year, Jakub? Last year, De Zerby
25:57 had, you know, he was almost scratching around for players towards the end, especially after
26:03 that FA Cup run. You look at the matches that they had to then play, Nottingham Forest and
26:07 Newcastle. They just absolutely seemed out on their feet on some occasions. But this
26:14 year he's going to have the opposite problem with all the players which are now returned
26:17 from loan. The likes of Adam Lallana are fit again and there's plenty of options now there.
26:24 He's going to have to manage that squad, isn't he, and make sure that he maintains this sort
26:28 of happy camp, as it were.
26:32 Yeah, it's going to be a really interesting few months, I think, for De Zerby and Brighton
26:36 because they've got so many players. They've got players coming out of their ears and they've
26:39 got young players who also want to play. You know, Buonanotte for one, for example, who
26:44 might not be happy to sit on the bench week in, week out. And, you know, like you said,
26:48 towards the end of last season, it was getting pretty desperate. They're asking the kit man
26:51 to play full back, I swear, one week. It was just getting so desperate. But now it feels
26:55 like they've got a plethora of players, but it can all change so quickly. We've seen it
26:58 before. You know, a couple of injuries here and there. You know, a player like Jakob Moder
27:03 hasn't played for more than a year, so you only need a couple of injuries like that and
27:06 it can completely derail you. Tariq Lamptey as well, another player who's been in and
27:10 out of the squad with injuries. So it's going to be difficult when all the players are fit
27:15 because they're all going to want to play and you want to give them their time and you
27:17 want to give them time on the pitch to get that match fitness and you can only play 11
27:21 players at a time. But I mean, De Zerby seems like a fantastic man manager as well, and
27:25 I'm sure he'll keep everyone happy. But I wouldn't be surprised in the back of their
27:29 mind if they're looking to loan out more players. Obviously, Saru Mento was someone who wasn't
27:32 going to be playing much this season. And like Frankie said, there'll be a handful of
27:36 more players. You know, Billy Gilmore is one that I'm really concerned at as well. I think
27:39 he's a fantastic player, but he needs to be playing. And at the moment, he's not quite
27:43 breaking into the squad week in, week out. So, yeah, I think it's going to be really
27:47 interesting to see what happens. But I think there needs to be more players out on loan
27:50 to give them that experience.
27:51 Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a good point about Billy Gilmore. Do you think he's a starter,
27:56 Frankie, this year?
27:59 Not the Caicedos. I mean, I can't really stress how important this Caicedos deal has been
28:05 to both Chelsea and to Bryant because with him leaving, obviously there was a gap to
28:10 be filled and there was a question of whether they signed someone or somebody steps up.
28:13 If he stays, then it's only one other player that needs to fill the midfield role. And
28:18 they signed Mo Dahoud, who I would assume would be Caicedo's partner. So if you start
28:23 those two, you have people like Gilmore still waiting in the wings, which as Jacob says,
28:28 he's gone two seasons if Caicedo was to stay for the whole season. That's two seasons without
28:34 playing regular football, which is not what he left Chelsea to do. And again, he could
28:39 be in danger of becoming another young player that falls by the wayside. So for people like
28:44 Gilmore, Ayari, Alzate that's come back off loan, he's meant to be a part of the first
28:49 team squad this year. Where does he fit into the team? With Caicedo staying, a number of
28:54 these players now will start to consider what their role is inside and question whether
29:00 they can maybe want to stick around and be just a cup starter or Europa League starter
29:06 or just on the bench or whether they feel that a move away would suit them more. I'm
29:11 sure Deserdi wants to keep them all because he would like to be able to rotate as much
29:14 as possible. But for players themselves, I can't imagine they would be too keen to do
29:21 that. So it's an interesting, we've now got just over a month of the window left. I would
29:28 assume now that they are bright and preparing to keep Caicedo. So the next move would now
29:32 be who do we get rid of. So we can maybe see a couple of changes in the next couple of
29:37 weeks. I'm sure of that.
29:38 Yeah, yeah, no, you're right. It has such a knock on effect, doesn't it? And then if
29:42 they keep in this window and then Billy Gilmore is loaned out or he leaves and Alzate leaves
29:48 and then they're left short in January if Caicedo leaves in January, it's a real fine
29:53 balancing act, isn't it? Because Alzate probably needs 30 games. Gilmore needs 30 games this
29:58 year probably. It's yeah, it's interesting to see how it's all how it's all going to
30:04 play out. But of the signings they have brought in, who are you looking at seeing this year,
30:10 Jacob? Who are you looking forward to watching play?
30:13 I think it has to be Jao Petro. When they first signed him, I will admit I wasn't over
30:18 the moon from what I'd seen of him at Watford. He didn't do anything that knocked my socks
30:23 off. He obviously looked like he was going to be a good player and maybe he'll become
30:25 a better player under Deserby. But, you know, he was only really getting goals in the championship.
30:30 I was never his biggest fan. I always thought there was a lot of room for improvement. I
30:34 thought 30 million was maybe a little bit too steep. But from watching some of the stuff
30:38 he's been doing in preseason, he's really impressed me. And, you know, maybe he's one
30:42 of those players who needs to be around better players. He needs to be with a better manager.
30:45 Obviously, there's a lot of instability with Watford with the man who's going to be the
30:48 manager that week. So obviously having Deserby there could completely change his career going
30:53 forward. So I'm really excited to see how he adapts with better players in the team
30:57 that's going to be playing in Europe as well. He's got some fantastic players around him
31:01 who will help him get more goals.
31:03 Yeah, yeah. One of Deserby's press conferences after the summer series, Frankie, he said
31:10 that he really pushed for the Jao Petro signing. Is he a player that you think can thrive under
31:16 Deserby? And is he one of the players that you're most looking forward to watching this
31:22 season as well?
31:23 Yeah, I think he, from what we've seen so far, he seems to be the perfect Deserby signing.
31:29 I think we saw how much Matoma and Solly March thrived in the Deserby system last year. Obviously,
31:35 a lot of chances are created for and by the wide players in that system. And Jao Petro
31:41 being both a striker, he can play as a centre forward and come in off the left as well.
31:47 He will, I think, benefit massively from the very much attacking style of play that Deserby
31:52 likes to play. He's a box of tricks. He's incredibly quick, which is always handy. The
31:58 athleticism is vital in the Premier League. And he's got end product as well, I think,
32:02 against Chelsea. I know it's only pre-season, but he came off the bench, he won a penalty
32:06 and then provided a brilliant assist within 15 minutes. That's a very good sign of what
32:11 a winger basically needs to be, is to have good end product for goals and assists, which
32:16 I think he can get a lot for under Deserby.
32:19 The player I'm most interested in seeing outside of Jao Petro is the latest signing, Igor Hulia.
32:24 I think from what I've seen and what I've read, he's a really interesting player. He
32:32 likes to take risks. He's quite a brave player. He's not the traditional centre back that
32:39 plays quite conservatively. He likes to drive into midfield. He's incredibly athletic. He's
32:44 meant to be absolutely rapid. So, that energy and that sort of gun-ho approach, I think
32:51 again, in a very carefree, Deserby footballing style, will really thrive. As a left-sided
32:59 centre back is what Brighton need. So, I would imagine he will be a regular starter straight
33:05 off the bat against Luton. So, to see how he works in the Premier League alongside Louis
33:10 Stonk, whether they can form a really great partnership, I think they will and would be
33:16 interested to watch if that flourishes.
33:18 Dennis Zundepp, he seems to be on the move as well. What do you make of that, Frankie?
33:24 Is that the right decision? I quite like him. I think he's a really sharp finisher. But
33:29 when you look at Welbeck, Ferguson and Pedro, does he get in above those? It's just a consequence
33:35 of they've just got so many good players in that position at the moment now, is it?
33:40 Yeah, it's such a shame for him because I think by his accounts and by all Deserby and
33:46 all Brighton fans will say that the first six or seven months for Ndab last season was
33:50 not particularly great. Everyone came in with a lot of high hopes after he was a regular
33:56 goal scorer for the team he was playing in Belgium. So, a lot was expected of him but
34:00 he didn't get much game time when he did play. He didn't look particularly up to speed. I
34:05 remember particularly also what came to a head when he was brought on in the FA Cup
34:09 semi-final at Wembley and looked miles off it and missed a number of great chances with
34:14 some poor touches and finishing. So, it seemed that he was, if you'd asked me after that
34:19 game I'd assume he would be almost the first player out the door in the summer. But he
34:23 turned it around. It was quite a beautiful thing to see. He was one of Brighton's best
34:28 players towards the end of that season, scored a number of goals. I remember the goal against
34:31 Arsenal where he lobbed over Ramsdell Head was a brilliant finish and it looked like
34:35 he was now starting to make a claim as to why there was so much hype and expectation
34:40 around him. But I guess he's just been done by the numbers game which is the fact that
34:44 Jal Pedro is the new man in. Danny Welbeck is a well-established, experienced Premier
34:49 League striker and Evan Ferguson is the young, up-and-coming teenager that Brighton aren't
34:53 going to get rid of. I think De Serbi said he only wants three strikes in your squad
34:59 which is what you normally expect for a team that plays one up front. So, by the law of
35:03 averages, Undab is the most likely to go. I don't feel they would sell him. I think
35:10 Welbeck is getting older so there is a position still there for Undab in the future. But right
35:15 now, again, probably a move to a club that is, say, something like the Bundesliga or
35:19 the Liga or a top European club where he can still improve and develop because there's
35:25 still much of that to do, will really benefit him to come back in a year's time or so.
35:31 But he will feel disappointed because he felt like he was just starting to get going.
35:35 Who else would you like to see Brighton sign? Obviously, another month with the window left
35:45 to go. It looks like Moises Quesada is staying. If he had gone, you would have liked to have
35:49 seen someone like Conor Gallagher come in or someone along those ranks. Who would you
35:56 like to see come in in the remaining days?
35:58 It's a tough one really because mentally I was just under the assumption, like most
36:03 Brighton fans were, that Moises Quesada was going to be leaving. So everything in my head
36:07 was just about central midfielders and holding midfielders. Obviously, that's not needed
36:11 anymore. So I think it's a difficult one. I think obviously a couple more full-backs
36:14 would be good. Obviously, Lamptey can't really be trusted is not the word, but he gets so
36:21 many injuries and that's not his fault. It's just the way it is. So I think a couple more
36:25 full-backs, maybe something creative. And also the thing is with Brighton is it's such
36:29 a young team as well that I think you need a little bit of experience in there because
36:33 I mean like Billy Gilmore, Buenanote, Hal Pedro, so many of them, Quesado, they're not
36:39 even 22, 23, 24 years old. So I think that's why players like Lallana, like Milder are
36:44 so important. So maybe if they could get maybe a couple of backup full-backs who are a little
36:48 bit older, I think that could be really beneficial for the players. Because also when you're
36:52 defending, I think it's one of those positions where players benefit so much from having
36:56 a mentor because it's one of those skills that doesn't go away with age and you don't
37:01 rely so much on the physical, you don't rely on speed or agility. It's more the skill and
37:05 the art of defending. So I'd love to maybe see them bring in like a Igor Hude, but maybe
37:10 a couple more veteran defenders to kind of steady the ship, to teach the younger players
37:14 how to do it. For example, if we're looking at West Ham, I think Aaron Cresswell would
37:17 be a really interesting addition because although he is far from being what he used to be, a
37:24 great set-piece taker so he could step in for McAllister in that sense. And I think
37:27 he seems like a leader off the pitch. I think he'd be really good as well. Not the biggest
37:31 player so he has to focus on his defensive aspects. I don't think he would start for
37:35 Brighton by any stretch of the imagination, especially not over Esther Pignan. But I think
37:40 those sort of players are what Brighton could really use to get to the next level. And especially
37:44 when you're in Europe, if Brighton go on a League Cup run, an FA Cup run, a run in Europa
37:49 League and a play-in in the Premier League as well, that's a lot of games and you need
37:53 those kind of players with that maturity who are going to be able to save themselves every
37:56 other week. It's going to be a tough one, but I think maturity is what they need at
37:59 this stage.
38:00 Yeah, yeah. Frankie, would you agree with that? Who would you like to see Brighton bring
38:04 in?
38:05 I personally think they're in quite a healthy situation. I think they've bought well, they've
38:10 recruited well and the squad's in a good place, especially with Kaysedo saying. I think the
38:16 only real thing I would maybe look for is a sort of backup or adding a bit more strength
38:21 for depth to the wide areas in attack for this season. Soli March, I've said before,
38:27 is the only recognised right winger. They've got a number of players that can play that
38:31 position but not as their strongest role. Also, Matoma and Addinger are the left wing
38:39 in this position, but we saw how knackered Matoma was by the end of last season. That
38:45 was just with a regular Premier League season. So, I don't know how he'll fare with extra
38:49 games this season. I think I deserve to say he's still looking to build up his stamina
38:53 at the highest level. So, I think someone in those wide areas and the forward areas
38:58 as an extra to bulk it up. They've been linked with Cole Palmer in recent weeks. Again, this
39:05 is showing how their statement of intent, they're not looking to loan him, they're
39:08 looking to buy him permanently, which I don't think Manchester City will be willing to do.
39:12 But a deal for him in some regards, whether that's permanent or just a loan, I think would
39:17 be the perfect deal. A young player who can come off the bench or play in the Europa League
39:23 or Cup games and develop under De Zerby for bigger and better things would work quite
39:28 well for all parties involved. But yet again, so far, from what you can see on paper, Brighton
39:35 have recruited brilliantly this window. They've sold one of their best players and managed
39:41 to get someone in to avoid. They've managed to also, from what we can hear, keep all parties
39:47 happy in a deal which has not actually gone through yet. But they've kept their best player,
39:52 but he's still willing to play for them and will still hold out for a record fee. So,
39:56 that's worked really well. And the additions they brought in, I think everyone would say,
40:00 looked like they could be real, make a stamp on the first team from the get-go. So, all
40:06 in all, you have to say Brighton have done brilliantly well once again in the window.
40:10 Yeah, yeah. It does seem like a happy ship. I think I mentioned it the other day. All
40:15 the fans are pulling in the right direction. The club seems to be pulling in the right
40:18 direction. You just get the feeling that something really good could happen this season or it
40:24 could all crash spectacularly. But how do you think it's going to go, Jacob? Are they
40:28 going to enjoy a good season? Do you think similar place in the Premier League and a
40:33 good run in Europe?
40:34 I don't think it's going to be as good this season. I don't want to be quite negative,
40:39 but it's so difficult for clubs to balance the Thursday, Sunday, Europa League, Premier
40:44 League schedule. It's so difficult and it takes a lot of, like I mentioned before, that
40:49 word maturity to deal with something like that. And Brighton haven't got a lot of players
40:52 in their squad who have played European football. A lot of these players, Solih Marsh, Lewis
40:56 Dunk, Jason Steele, this is going to be completely new territory for them. So I think it's going
41:02 to be quite difficult for them to adjust. And we've seen it before with West Ham, with
41:06 Wolves, with Burnley, all of these teams that go into Europe and they're not necessarily
41:09 used to it. They seem to struggle and they notice a dip in their form. With that being
41:13 said, you know, with De Zerby at the helm, with the players they've got, they should
41:17 have no trouble being in the top half of the Premier League. But I would be very surprised
41:22 if they were going to get into Europe again the next season, especially because the top
41:26 six has now become the top seven, with Newcastle, Aston Villa also looking really strong. It's
41:30 getting harder and harder to get into Europe. But yeah, so I would probably say they'll
41:34 finish just above mid-table in the Premier League. And I think maybe a couple of runs,
41:38 maybe one in the League Cup and maybe quarter-finals of the Europa League. But it's going to be
41:42 tricky and I think Brighton fans need to be prepared for that.
41:45 Any silverware, Frankie?
41:46 Well, if you asked De Zerby, he would say yes, but I would never rule them out. I agree
41:54 with Jacob that this is going to be a much more competitive league for Brighton than
41:58 I feel last year was. Obviously Chelsea were going through a big transition, Liverpool
42:03 were nowhere near their best, Tottenham were nowhere near their best either. And Brighton
42:06 managed to slip in there because of that. They deserved to, they were much better on
42:10 those sides. But you reckon that you would imagine that Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham
42:14 will come again. Certainly Chelsea and Liverpool, from what they've spent this window, as Jacob
42:21 points out, Aston Villa will feel that they will be challenging up against the top six
42:26 or seven again. Newcastle will still be very, very strong. So Brighton having to compete
42:32 against that and the fact that they're dealing with something very, very new and playing
42:36 three times a week, they will find themselves in a much more tricky situation. However,
42:44 I feel because they've got Roberto De Zerbi as manager and from the few games I have seen,
42:51 a pre-season, I feel that they're more than equipped to do it because we only got a very
42:56 small taste of De Zerbi's style of football last year because he didn't have a pre-season.
43:01 So he only really, he built on what was a brilliant side built, given by Graham Potter
43:04 and just sort of tweaked a few things here and there. And they eventually grew into sort
43:09 of becoming more and more his side. He's now had a full pre-season to get the players,
43:13 from what I can see from the games they've played, they're pressing more, they're pressing
43:16 higher up the pitch. They look a lot fitter under him. So I feel that they might be more
43:21 equipped under this exit manager to play more in his style, which I feel will be even better
43:27 than last year. But whether they can do it every game in a short space of time, we'll
43:31 have to wait and see. And also we have to wait and see if the players can hold up to
43:35 the, because we've got a number of injury prone players in that squad, especially in
43:38 the backline. Veltman, Webster, Lamptey have all had numerous injuries throughout the last
43:43 years or so, a year or two. Playing regular games, will they be able to stand up? Will
43:48 their bodies be able to stand up to that? That's another question mark we'll have to
43:51 wait and see come September Oxford overtime.
43:53 Lewis Dunk struggled towards the end of last season, didn't he? That really took its toll
43:58 on him.
43:59 It did.
44:00 But no, interesting times ahead. So a month left of the transfer window to go. Follow
44:05 all the twists and turns of the transfer market on Sussex World. And we'll also be looking
44:12 ahead to Brighton's final preseason game against Rayo, which will be at the Amex Stadium this
44:18 Sunday. So thanks very much for watching. And thanks to Frankie and thanks to Jacob
44:24 as well.