Brighton Hove Albion Football Club was founded in 1901 and has enjoyed a varied history in all four diviszsions of English football. Although the majority of the club’s time has been spent in the lower leagues, they have also made an impact in the English top flight.
The south coast outfit has been astute in the transfer market in recent years, although, like every other club, not all the deals have proven to be good ones. Here are the Seagull’s top ten most expensive signings:
Enock Mwepu (Signed from Salzburg for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £21m)
The Zambian midfielder arrived at Brighton from Salzburg in July 2021 for an undisclosed fee, reported by the media to be around £21m. He had impressed for the Austrian team and looked to have a bright future.
However, unfortunately for Mwepu, his early Seagulls career was hampered by injury and illness. He made just 24 appearances for Brighton before having to retire from football in October 2022 at just 24 due to a rare hereditary heart condition.
After ending his playing career, Mwepu returned to the club as their under-9 coach.
Adam Webster (Signed from Bristol City for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £20m)
The centre-back joined the Seagulls in 2019 from Bristol City for a fee reported to be around £20m. He has since established himself as a regular in the Seagull’s first team, having made over one hundred Premier League appearances for the club from the south coast.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Signed from AZ Alkmaar for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £17m)
The Iranian international winger made a name for himself in the Eredivisie at AZ as an exciting wide player who scored and assisted goals. In 2018, Jahanbakhsh made a move to Brighton for a then-record fee reported to be around £17m, although the fee was undisclosed.
The winger never really settled on the south coast. He spent three seasons with Brighton, making 61 appearances in all competitions and scoring just four goals. In July 2021, he returned to the Netherlands, this time joining Feyenoord on a three-year deal.
Neal Maupay (Signed from Brentford for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £20m)
The French forward joined the Seagulls from Brentford for a fee reported to be around £20m in the summer of 2019. Maupay went on to play for Brighton for three seasons, making 107 appearances for the Seagulls and scoring 27 goals, with 26 coming in the Premier League.
With just 12 months left on his Seagulls contract, Maupay made a £15m move to Everton in the summer of 2022.
Marc Cucurella (Signed from Getafe for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £17m)
The versatile Spaniard arrived on the south coast from Getafe for a reported fee of £17m in August 2021. His swashbuckling style of play from full-back or wing-back impressed many in his 38 appearances in his debut season for the Seagulls.
The former Barcelona star impressed so much that he earned a big-money move to Chelsea in the summer of 2022. The Seagulls received an initial fee of around £55m, potentially rising to £62m with add-ons.
Pervis Estupinan (Signed from Villarreal for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £16m)
The Ecuadorian international arrived at the south coast from Spanish club Villarreal for a reported fee of around £16m. The full-back signed a five-year deal with the Seagulls and came in as a direct replacement for the departed Cucurella. He became a regular in his first season with the club.
Jurgen Locadia (Signed from PSV Eindhoven for a fee up to £15m)
The Dutch forward arrived at the club for a reported fee of up to £15m from PSV Eindhoven in 2018 and signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Albion. He arrived as a bright prospect but, unfortunately, never really fulfilled his potential at the south coast club.
In the four seasons, he appeared for Brighton, Locadia made 46 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals. However, during his Albion career, he also went out on loan to the German team Hoffenheim before another loan move to MLS outfit Cincinnati FC. Locadia was allowed to join Bochum on a free transfer in January 2022.
Yves Bissouma (Signed from Lille for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £15m)
The Malian midfielder joined the Seagulls in the summer of 2018, joining the south coast club for a reported fee of around £15m from French club Lille. Bissouma impressed in the centre of Brighton’s midfielder and made 124 appearances in four seasons with the club.
His impressive midfield displays attracted the interest of clubs elsewhere. In the summer of 2022, the midfielder joined Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of around £30m.
Leandro Trossard (Signed from Genk for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £15m)
The Belgian attacking midfielder joined the Seagulls for a reported fee of £15m from Genk in 2019, signing a four-year contract. Trossard played for Albion for three and a half seasons, making 122 appearances in all competitions and scoring 25 goals.
His performances attracted admiring glances from other Premier League clubs. In the January transfer window in 2023, Trossard made a move to Arsenal for an initial fee of £20m, with possible add-ons of £7m.
Jose Izquierdo (Signed from Club Brugge for a fee of £13.5m)
The Colombian international winger arrived on the south coast from Club Brugge for a fee of around £13.5m. Like several players on this list, his move to Brighton didn’t work out.
Injury issues restricted Izquierdo to just 54 appearances in four seasons with the club. The winger scored five times for the Seagulls before his release in the summer of 2021. He then returned to his form employer Club Brugge.