In another world, Jan Paul van Hecke and Ben White are playing out from the back on the right side of Brighton & Hove Albion’s defence. Moises Caicedo then progresses the move through midfield to Marc Cucurella, making an overlapping run down the left. His cross is knocked into the net by Joao Pedro.In the real world, Brighton have sold all of those players for staggering amounts of money in recent years.Van Hecke’s £52million move to Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday means they will have cashed in on a player for at least £50m in five out of six summer transfer windows.
Big Summer Sales PlayerPriceBuyerWindowMoises Caicedo£115mChelsea2023Marc Cucurella£63mChelsea2022Jan Paul van Hecke£52mTottenham2026Joao Pedro£50m + add onsChelsea2025Ben White£50mArsenal 2021
Part of the recruitment model at Brighton is not standing in the way of players making big moves, as long as the price and the circumstances are right for them.But where does Van Hecke’s exit leave the squad at the Amex Stadium as head coach Fabian Hurzeler begins preparations for a season that will see Brighton compete in the UEFA Conference League as well as the Premier League and the two domestic cups?The depth chart below provides a detailed guide to how things stand. (Positions for some players are interchangeable — for example, Diego Gomez was used in central midfield, on both wings and as an advanced midfielder during last season.)It shows several areas of strength, while also highlighting the need to find a replacement for Van Hecke as a right-sided centre-back. Tottenham recently rejected a £30million Brighton offer for 19-year-old Luka Vuskovic. The Croatia international, currently playing at the World Cup, can operate on the right or left of that central pairing. There is also interest in Italian club Venezia’s Michael Svoboda, 27, who is at the same tournament as part of Austria’s squad.The goalkeeper situation is still to play out, with Bart Verbruggen and Jason Steele at the World Cup as Dutch No 1 and England’s training goalkeeper respectively. An offer from Coventry City for Carl Rushworth has been turned down after his impressive loan role in their promotion from the Championship last season. The likelihood remains that Verbruggen or Rushworth (probably the latter) will be sold.Looks can be deceiving. The left centre-back options are not as deep as they appear, as it is largely a choice between long-serving skipper Lewis Dunk, 34, and Frenchman Olivier Boscagli, who made only 12 Premier League appearances after signing last summer (given Igor Julio and Eiran Cashin are both likely to leave, either permanently or on loan).The signing of Costinha from Olympiacos for an initial fee of around £8million consolidates the full-back positions. Brighton’s interest in landing the 26-year-old former Portugal youth international dates back to summer 2025. Revisiting deals they could not get over the line previously is another typical element of the club’s recruitment operations.
