Robert Sanchez aims subtle dig at Roberto De Zerbi in first words as Chelsea player
New Chelsea player Robert Sanchez says he is excited to work with a coach at Mauricio Pochettino’s “level” after leaving Brighton.
The Seagulls sold goalkeeper Sanchez to the Blues for £25million in a deal confirmed on Saturday morning, with the player signing a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
READ MORE
Are Brighton finally approaching their ceiling or will those selling Seagulls just keep flying?
No club in England is run better than Brighton and this has been yet another summer of sensible recruitment and sustainable selling. But is this their peak?
Brighton are one of the true success stories in recent English football history, having now firmly established themselves in the Premier League.
After returning to the top flight in 2017 following a 34-year absence, the Seagulls first survived and have since flourished, achieving their best-ever league finish of 6th last season, which followed on from the previous record of 9th the year before.
An FA Cup final semi-final loss to Manchester United also came, which was just their second ever – they lost their only final in a replay to the Red Devils the season in which they were relegated back in 1983.
All in all, it ensured last season was the greatest in the club’s history, in large part due to the fact that they sealed European football for the first time ever and are now preparing for a crack at the Europa League in the coming months.
Will this be the height of Brighton’s success? It’s hard to argue against it given the financial might of the bigger clubs in the league and their consistent plundering of the Seagulls’ nest, which is now approaching comedic levels.
This summer has already seen Alexis Mac Allister move to Liverpool for a cut-price £35m due to a release clause inserted in his contract, while former midfield partner Moises Caicedo could follow suit in the next few weeks, albeit for a potential British record fee if Chelsea decided to break the bank once again.
The Blues have already lodged bids for the Ecuadorian and also appear on the verge of signing Robert Sanchez, who was replaced in Roberto De Zerbi’s line-up by Jason Steele towards the end of last season. Another baffling Boehly era signing?
This would continue the recently popular travel route from the south coast to West London, with the Blues taking both Marc Cucurella and Graham Potter (as well his entire backroom staff) to Stamford Bridge in what can only be described as an epic failure on their part, and a very expensive one to boot. Cucurella could perhaps still be revived under Mauricio Pochettino.
Perhaps it’s unsurprising given the appointment of Paul Winstanley as Director of Global Talent and Transfers in November of last year. He was lured from Brighton, where he enjoyed great success as their Head of Analysis working under Technical Director Dan Ashworth, who himself has since moved onto Newcastle.
One player simply making the return journey to London is Levi Colwill, who spent last season on loan at the AMEX Stadium and having starred in England’s Under-21 European Championship win, is set for a key role under Mauricio Pochettino. A new six-year contract is expected to be signed soon, much to the dismay of both the Seagulls and Liverpool.
Brighton have survived big sales and key departures in the past and moved onto bigger and better things, of course.
On top of Cucurella and Potter leaving, Ben White and Leandro Trossard have moved to Arsenal and Yves Bissouma to Spurs, as well as Dan Burn to Newcastle and Neal Maupay to Everton (£15m for one goal, bargain!).
At Brighton, the club and chiefly their ways of working and system are bigger than any one player or coach. De Zerbi picked up the baton from Potter and not only kept the show on the road, built on the foundations in his own unique style.
This in addition to undoubtedly the best pound-for-pound recruitment in the league today has made Brighton the envy of many others and owner Tony Bloom an even richer man.
But how long can that last? Fellow south coast side Southampton employed a similar tactic previously, with Liverpool their primary wholesale selling partner rather than Chelsea. At first, it worked but eventually the club slowly sank back down the table and suffered relegation last season.
It must be added that Saints did change owners in that time and also bought countless young players, who were not supplemented by senior pros in their prime outside of James Ward-Prowse.
But, for the time being, what do Brighton need to succeed again?
Players to step up in the place of Mac Allister and probably Caicedo in the midfield, first and foremost. Mahmoud Dahoud has arrived on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund and should start from the off.
Yasin Arayi, who has joined from Swedish side AIK, and Steven Alzate, returning from a loan with Standard Liege, will fight out with Billy Gilmour for that other spot, as well as any potential signings that come with the Caicedo windfall.
James Milner, like Dahoud, joins on a free from Liverpool, and adds some much-needed experience to the squad alongside fellow former Red Adam Lallana, Danny Welbeck, Solly March, Pascal Groß and captain Lewis Dunk. Learning from those Saints errors?
Dunk is expected to be partnered at the back by Igor, the Brazilian centre-half signed from Fiorentina, while one would assume Dutch keeper Bart Verbruggen, bought from Anderlecht, will displace Steele in nets.
Ecuadorian left-back Pervis Estupinan was one of the finds of last season, proving himself a worthy and probably better replacement for Cucurella. He was one of several South Americans to break out, most notably the teenage pair of Facundo Buonanotte (Argentina) and Julio Enciso (Paraguay), the latter of whom won Premier League goal of the season for his screamer against Manchester City.
Much will be expected of them, and the same goes for their latest South American pick up, Joao Pedro, who has joined from Watford in a club-record deal.
Who starts in the front four is still to be decided but two spots are definitely taken by Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson, both of whom became near overnight sensations in the second half of last season.
While Ferguson has signed a new deal and at 18 is best served staying put at the AMEX for now, Mitoma is a near-cert to be the next on the radar of Chelsea *ahem*… the bigger clubs. What both give Brighton for now however is goals, something which they lacked until last season, with Ferguson proving himself a far better figurehead than Maupay and those who have come before.
Speaking of attracting attention, De Zerbi himself could go the way of Potter in the near future, with more success he would hope. He’s made a serious name for himself in his time in England and will be a leading candidate if any of the now ‘Big Seven’ decide to change managers. The Juventus job could also soon become available, and what Italian would turn that down?
With so much to look forward to but also a feeling that this might be as good as it gets for the club for a multitude of reasons, fans are best advised to try relax and enjoy the journey as the Seagulls take flight into Europe and the unknown for the first time.
