Kieran Maguire drops ‘unprecedented’ £160m Brighton reveal after four big-name exits confirmed
It is an ‘unprecedented achievement’ for Brighton to qualify for Europe while generating a net transfer spend of £160million.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about Brighton’s European qualification.
The Seagulls have guaranteed themselves a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League this season and qualification for the 2023/24 Europa League.
Brighton recorded turnover of £174.5million in their latest 2021/22 accounts, which doesn’t include the sales of Yves Bissouma, Marc Cucurella and Leandro Trossard.
Ex-manager Graham Potter was also poached by Chelsea for a significant compensation fee of £21.5million, which will further boost the club’s finances for the 2022/23 season.
Brighton are also set to make further transfer profit in the summer with huge interest in stars Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo from Premier League rivals.
Maguire praised Brighton’s achievement in spite of the ‘disruption’ caused by losing key players and their manager throughout the season.
“I think for Brighton, they had the 15th or 16th highest wage bill last season,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“They also had the disruption of losing key players, including Marc Cucurella, Leandro Trossard and Yves Bissouma – as well as Graham Potter.
“To have achieved what they have and gained a net £160million in transfer revenue over the last 18 months is an unprecedented achievement.
“They realistically won’t make any money in the Europa League unless they make it past the quarter-finals.“
In other news, Mac Allister: Liverpool deal with Brighton ‘95% done’ as ‘huge’ offer revealed