Brighton's transfer model should be followed by other clubs - opinion
Brighton currently sit eighth in the Premier League with three games in hand - potentially seeing them rise up to fifth - and play some of the most attractive football in the country with a squad of exceptional players.
The significant point with their players, though, is where they were signed from.
The likes of Kaoru Mitoma, Alexis Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo and Julio Enciso all arrived for relatively little money (in today's market) and from more-or-less unknown areas of the footballing world.
Mitoma was brought for just £2.64 million from Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale, with the other names mentioned also arriving in similar fashion (£7m for Mac Allister from Argentinos, £4.4m for Caicedo from Independiente and £10.2m for Enciso from Libertad).
While these are just recent examples, Brighton's clever transfer startegy stretches beyond the last year.
Yves Bissouma, Leandro Trossard, Jakub Moder and Enock Mwepu have all come in and impressed before either being moved on, getting long-term injuries or being forced to retire.
Getting one or two transfers right could be put down to luck, but the Seagulls have consistently delivered when it comes to bringing players in, getting a good return from them and then moving them on for more money.
Both Bissouma and Trossard - as well as Dan Burn and Marc Cucurella - were sold for big profits during their time in the Premier League.
This sort of transfer model is difficult to analyse after just a year or two but now that Brighton have been able to implement it over the last few seasons, the rewards are clear to see.
One would imagine that Mac Allister and Caicedo will soon be sold for huge money while Mitoma may face a similar fate - all three have been linked with moves away from the club in the summer.
Where the transfer strategy impresses most, though, is in the ready-made replacements the Seagulls already have (as well as where they might spend any extra money the receive from qualifying for European football, a result of the excellent performances from their squad.)
News has already emerged that Watford's Joao Pedro could be arriving in the summer, a potential Mac Allister or Mitoma replacement but more likely an addition to bolster their squad depth.
Already on the books of the club is Simon Adingra, currently on loan at Union Saint-Gilloise, who has 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions this season.
He was signed from FC Nordsjaelland for £7.05m.
The 21-year-old winger will take Trossard's spot in the squad, and compete with Mitoma if he doesn't move away in the summer.
Talented midfielder Billy Gilmour was also brought in last summer and could be set for more game time in the event that Mac Allister or Caicedo leave.
Other players to keep an eye on are Facundo Buonanotte who scored his first Premier League goal against Nottingham Forest, or highly-rated midfielder Yasin Ayari who arrived in January from Swedish club AIK.
Brighton's clever recruitment - ensuring holes in the squad can be filled before they even appear - bodes well for the future and has helped them to rise up the league.
Couple this with smart additions in other markets, such as the arrivals of Adam Lallana and Danny Welbeck on free transfers or the well-timed introduction of academy players like Evan Ferguson and Robert Sanchez, and the Seagulls have a well-oiled machine that can cope in the increasingly hard to navigate modern transfer market.
Of course, this isn't the first time a side has taken this route, Brentford operated in a similarly successful way in the Championship.
The likes of Ollie Watkins, Neal Maupay and Said Benrahma all being brought for cheap and moved on for more.
Sunderland are currently following a similar path, signing young players in January that can develop to then replace potential outgoings in the following summer.
But Brighton are showing those methods can work in one of the biggest leagues in world football, and they are reaping the rewards.
All figures taken from Transfermarkt.
