'If two had to go, I'd choose Pedro and Verbruggen'

BBC News

05-06-2025

We asked for your views on how many players Brighton could afford to lose if they want to achieve their aims next season? You will see in our post below that several Seagulls players have been ranked in the top 100 in the world in terms of valuation. So does the value of Brighton's top players make their potential sales worthwhile?Here are some of your comments:Mark: Having brought in a substantial amount in fees in the last few summer windows, I'm hoping we may get away with only selling one top player (Joao Pedro) this summer. We need a genuine number nine, as Danny Welbeck isn't getting any younger, a central defender, and full-back cover. I'm hopeful that Evan Ferguson may develop into the player we hoped he would be, and the returning loan players kick on to establish themselves in the first team squad. I do think at least one will be moved on - we need to be a stronger squad on1 September than we were on 1 June if we're going to compete in the top six next season, which must be the goal.Steve: If there's no choice and two had to go, I'd choose Pedro and Verbruggen. It sounds like Pedro is already out after the bust up with a team-mate, while we have a number of quality keepers. On no account should we sell Mitoma, Baleba or Van Hecke if we are serious about wanting to challenge the establishment.Tony: I feel quite relaxed about the possibility of losing most of those players, the exception being Baleba who I think we should keep hold of for now. I think we have decent replacements in the pipeline for all the others.Nick: Baleba shouldn't go for any less than Caicedo did. He's a better player than either of his predecessors. The way the season ended, I wonder if Joao Pedro's time is up and £60m is probably realistic. If bids of that much came in for Verbruggen or Minteh then I imagine they would go too. They would be missed, but they are not irreplaceable.Fred: The model used to calculate those fees for our top players doesn't factor in the Bloom & Barber negotiation tax. So you can start by adding on a minimum of 10% to those numbers. If we sold Verbruggen for £60m+ and Pedro for £70m and then re-invested the profit in the right areas we would be in fine shape for next season. We need a right back, centre back and another number nine. My worry would be selling Mitoma, that would be really disappointing.