Brighton owner shares what he really thinks of Chelsea snatching his best players
Brighton owner Tony Bloom has disclosed whether he will continue to do business with Chelsea after losing so many top players to the Blues.
Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom says he doesn’t take Chelsea snatching the club’s best players “personally”. The Seagulls have lost ten players and staff to their Premier League rivals in the last couple of years including former manager Graham Potter and star midfielder Moises Caicedo.
At times Brighton have been accused of being run like a business but Bloom insists this is not the case. “We take each situation on its own merits and each one is separate,” he told The Athletic. “When Graham went, that was six of our staff all in one go, but we just look at it all individually and every deal is a separate deal and the fact it happens to be one club is the way it is.
“It’s possible over the next two or three years that we have no dealings with Chelsea. So, for me, it’s not personal at all and each individual deal I’ve got to do what’s best for the football club first and foremost.
“If other clubs are interested in our head coaches, staff, players, I much prefer it that way than no one’s looking at any of our players or staff. So, we’re doing something very right. We do everything we can to keep our best players, but we know in the way of the world that won’t always be the case.”
The next player who could end up making the switch to west London from the south coast is Evan Ferguson. At just 18 years old, Ferguson already looks poised to compete with the Premier League’s top strikers for the coveted Golden Boot.
After an impressive debut campaign in which he scored six times in 19 appearances for the Seagulls, the Republic of Ireland international has kicked off his second campaign in style with four goals in as many games. Chelsea are still on the lookout for a new frontman following an unconvincing start to life at Stamford Bridge for new signing Nicolas Jackson and have identified Ferguson as an ideal target.
However, acquiring Ferguson’s services won’t be easy. Not only will the Blues have to fight off interest from several top European clubs but they will also have to pay even more than they did for Caicedo. Brighton insist the youngster won’t be sold for anything less than £120m and are standing firm on their valuation.
