‘Enzo Maresca moves to land Brighton yet more cash benefits from Chelsea’
Brighton are still feeling ongoing financial benefits of yet another transfer agreement with Chelsea, the Daily Mail have reported.
After coming through the youth ranks with the Seagulls, Shim Mheuka left the club to move to Stamford Bridge back in the summer of 2022.
In completing that signing, Chelsea broke the British transfer record for a 14-year-old with the acquisition of Mheuka.
Now, the attacker has quickly risen through the ranks with the Blues, something which is also helping his former club.
Shim Mheuka deal paying off for the Seagulls
Despite the fact he is still only 17, Mheuka has already become a first-team feature in Enzo Maresca‘s side at Stamford Bridge.
After the forward came off the bench against Astana and Southampton earlier in the campaign, he was handed his first start for the club in their Europa Conference League clash with Copenhagen last week.
That did not go well, with Chelsea and Maresca slammed before substituting Mheuka at half time, although it is still a selection call that helps his former club.
| Shim Mheuka vs Copenhagen | Total (as per SofaScore) |
| Minutes Played | 45 |
| Successful Passes | 4/5 |
| Successful Duels | 0/3 |
| Shots on Target | 0 |
| Shots off Target | 0 |
| Dribbles Attempted | 0 |
According to this update from the Mail, the young striker’s first-team appearances mean that Brighton are now benefitting from the add-ons included in the deal that saw him sold to the Blues.
Having paid an initial £1million, that fee could eventually rise to £4.25million, and apparently includes a £250,000 payment when Mheuka signs a second professional contract with Chelsea when he turns 18.
Beyond that, Brighton are also said to be be entitled to 20% of any transfer fee the Stamford Bridge club receive if they sell the attacker in the future.
Chelsea deals boosting Brighton again
Football Insider Verdict
This is of course far from the first time that the Seagulls have gained financially as a result of a financial agreement with their Premier League rivals from Stamford Bridge.
In the past, Brighton have sold the likes of Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for some sizeable transfer fees.
They also received record-breaking compensation for manager Graham Potter, whose time in charge of the Blues simply did not work out.
On this occasion though, the emergence of Mheuka in showing such promise at such an early age while bringing money into his former club, means this could turn into one deal that works out for all concerned.
If Brighton can reinvest those funds they receive from the Blues into their squad just as well as they have done previously, this will be viewed as yet another very good deal by those at the AMEX Stadium.
By contrast, with Maresca coming under fire from Chelsea fans for a number of reasons recently, he will be desperate to at least get things right with Mheuka after they did not work out in Copenhagen.