That person thinks Caicedo and MacAllister for summer signings would be considered as a success window. Hence why I thought you said signing MacAllister alone would be considered huge success of transfer window.
Alexis Mac Allister | Moves to Liverpool for 35m according to Romano
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
- Status
That was my thinking. No need to sign both of them. MacAllister would be more than enough.
Yeah no striker, no keeper, and etc. That's what the person said sign Caicedo and MacAllister is a success package summer transfer window.
If they suggested that they I disagree. MacAllister plus new players at all the other positions that need them.
Chelsea tried to do that!
Only works for them. But once its United that are interested theyd rip us off again no matter the scouts.
Buy their sporting director.
You can buy Brighton and swap the clubs', assets around and the potential seller will still try to rip us off (plus the news about United being interested will make other big clubs interested as well). We will do well to identify the correct talents, regardless of price. That should be the aim. Or if we 'steal' them to join our academy, not the first team.
I disagree, whoever in charged in that director role must have played important role for the way how the club runs. For example, this person knows the right manager to replace Graham Potter. This allows De Zerbi to have less time to implement his system to his players. I wouldn't be surprised if the sporting director played vital role in building Brighton's squad. They seem to know what manager they need to get to play similar system and players they need to sign. This kind of director probably has football knowledge.
We don't have a sporting director. Our technical director who is the closest equivalent was Dan Ashworth, he was poached by Newcastle last season. His deputy David Weir took over and was in place when Potter went to Chelsea. The two main people in place continually are Tony Bloom our owner and Paul Barber the CEO.
Tony Bloom runs a sports gambling company called Star Lizard and it is the stats and info gathered from that business that informs a lot of Brighton's scouting work, Brighton is a major client for Star Lizard. Don't get me wrong the people in place are excellent, Ashworth was very highly rated and Weir has proved to be equally as impressive so far, but the real secret to our success is the way Tony Bloom has rebuilt and run the club.
Best owner.
Given the sh1t we've had over the years we were due a good one. Just google Bill Archer and David Bellotti for instance who sold our ground pocketed the money and ran, leaving us broke and homeless. If you think the Glazers are bad (and they are) they're not a patch on Archer and Bellotti!
In addition to the above, it is worth reiterating that Chelsea have already poached our Head of Recruitment and pretty much our entire backroom staff last summer. The only constants are Bloom and Barber and their extremely successful succession planning.
“Just get Brighton’s scouts” is the repeated line on every club’s forum I read. It completely misses the point of what has brought us attention and praise. It’s not magical super scouts locating the next Messi playing in the streets of Buenos Aires. It is an extremely organised and well structured system in place for every employee in the club, each with their own progression and succession plan.
“Just get Brighton’s scouts” is the repeated line on every club’s forum I read. It completely misses the point of what has brought us attention and praise. It’s not magical super scouts locating the next Messi playing in the streets of Buenos Aires. It is an extremely organised and well structured system in place for every employee in the club, each with their own progression and succession plan.
I don't know much about your setup, but in addition to recruitment, your success has to be down to what happens after players arrive at the club as well (?). Your recruitment seems to be among the very best, but how many players arrive to go straight into the first 11? My impression is that it's not that many. Also, to me, players like Mac Allister and March have improved quite a lot since they began to start games for you. That points towards player development as a key ingredient along with recruitment.
Doesn't seem that getting in one or two people from your setup would necessarily improve any other club all that much. It's rarely that simple. If it were, everyone would be doing the same thing.
Thank you for your reply.
You are absolutely correct in your first paragraph and this ties directly into what I was getting at before. Lamptey turning down new Chelsea contract to sign for us, Ferguson turning down Liverpool when still in Ireland to join us, reportedly being on the brink of getting Reiss Nelson who has turned down a new Arsenal contract.
The club offers clear pathways for players when they join. Say, a 5 year contract - often first season on loan like Mac Allister, Caicedo (for development or work permit reasons), second season competing for a squad place. If you’re hitting your metrics and playing well, you’re in the team and the next one is being prepared.
The reason is the club right from the very top has a plan. David Weir, our Technical Director, and our Head of Recruitment Sam Jewell both talk extensively about pathways. Both Weir and Jewell themselves were promoted from within when their predecessors were poached. They were being groomed for it. When Caicedo goes, the plan is to already have the next one ready, and then maybe the one after that too.
These pathways are just emblematic of the structure of planning and long term patience that Bloom has overseen this past decade. This is what I meant when I say people are missing the point that “it must be amazing scouting”. The truth is a lot less interesting than that. It’s just really competent, well recruited people doing their jobs under an organised structure, in line with a long term plan.
I fully agree with your post, just adding a few points
Thank you for your reply.
You are absolutely correct in your first paragraph and this ties directly into what I was getting at before. Lamptey turning down new Chelsea contract to sign for us, Ferguson turning down Liverpool when still in Ireland to join us, reportedly being on the brink of getting Reiss Nelson who has turned down a new Arsenal contract.
The club offers clear pathways for players when they join. Say, a 5 year contract - often first season on loan like Mac Allister, Caicedo (for development or work permit reasons), second season competing for a squad place. If you’re hitting your metrics and playing well, you’re in the team and the next one is being prepared.
The reason is the club right from the very top has a plan. David Weir, our Technical Director, and our Head of Recruitment Sam Jewell both talk extensively about pathways. Both Weir and Jewell themselves were promoted from within when their predecessors were poached. They were being groomed for it. When Caicedo goes, the plan is to already have the next one ready, and then maybe the one after that too.
These pathways are just emblematic of the structure of planning and long term patience that Bloom has overseen this past decade. This is what I meant when I say people are missing the point that “it must be amazing scouting”. The truth is a lot less interesting than that. It’s just really competent, well recruited people doing their jobs under an organised structure, in line with a long term plan.
I fully agree with your post, just adding a few points
Appreciate the added points.
I would like to add, that United have actually recruited some good young players in the last few years, but it seems that kind of plan has not been in place or good enough. Players like Diallo and Mejbri should probably have been closer to the first eleven now than they are.
Not to take the thread too far off topic, I think Mac Allister has developed impressively in the last few years. I would not rate him as one of the top midfielders in the PL just yet, but he looked far less impressive when he first came to you. Summer 2020? The best thing about him for me is that he seems not to have apparent weaknesses but scores quite well on most or all parameters (even if not particulary fast)
I think that’s a fair assessment of Alexis. He’s a very tidy footballer, he doesn’t let you down. You could slot him into an excellent side and he’ll look the part. We saw this at the WC, and I’ve seen practically every minute he’s played for us home and away since he joined. He has gotten better each month and each season if I were drawing a graph.
However… he is now playing with much better players than when he first joined. He was very green when he came, and after some seasoning (and toughening up considerably) he now looks the part. He had a long way to go when he first played for us, so seeing such a huge upward curve was inevitable given his talent.
Zico, Zidane or De Bruyne he is not. But he could slip into a side with world class players and look equal to them, with quality around him.
I like him a lot, but if push came to shove and I had to lose either him or Caicedo… I’d keep Moises personally. He is truly next level - potentially the consistently elite player I don’t think Mac Allister quite is or will be.
Worth remembering that Brighton don’t always get it right. You may not have heard of Tau, Arce or Zeqiri. Older failures that lost us cash include Suttner, Locadia and Jahanbakhsh.
People always see the successes and they’ve been great, but the club is not infallible!
Vaguely remember him coming on against Utd once.
I think it’s worth mentioning all those players transfer fees combined add up to just under half of Sancho’s fee. They were big money for us relative to our budget and expectation but in this market where teams (including ourselves) are throwing tens of millions at prospects, it’s small fry.
This is who we should be after, not Caicedo.
Not sure many are going to agree on that, myself included.
Take away his goal threat and you'd ask yourself is he good enough as a midfielder? I know it sounds silly to say that but unless he's replacing Bruno, the striker position or one our wide attackers, he's simply not going to be the same threat or be in the same spaces. If he is, then all we'll have is another hard working 8/10; better than what we have perhaps but not a fundamental piece in controlling the midfield. Absolutely not what we need in terms of priority.
I’d take this guy in a heartbeat. Add competition for Bruno and can also play deeper against smaller teams. Think he’s Liverpool bound though. Especially if they miss out on top 4. This is the type of clever signing where he won’t be bothered about CL football.
Surprised City aren’t after him if Gundogan leaves.
Think this is where people under rate him as he isnt flashy or spraying the ball about. He has playe doften for Brighton and in the world cup as a number 8, far more than a goal threat. He generally always plays the right pass, weight of pass, has a good idea of the picture around him before he recieves the ball, plays very good one touch football, fill in spaces and creates them very well. I think he is the perfect signing for us actually the more I see of him. Would be happy with either player, but personally I would take him ahead of Caicedo for what he adds offensively mroe than Caicedo. Both excellent players
Perhaps I am but if it's a straight choice between Caicedo or Mac Allister, I'd take the former. Caicedo will give us more defensively solidarity, can deputise for Casemiro and from what I've seen, I don't think he lacks anything passing wise as he is a good at all the things you've mentioned. He may lack the same in the box threat but tbh that is more than covered by the rest of our other players.
To be fair, maybe it's a lot closer than I'm imaging as in who is the better fit.
Don’t rule it out
He feels like one of those players city randomly sign and then never play
Hopefully we'll get a striker in the summer (!) but my overall point is that the tactical and positional threat Mac Allister offers is taken up by our current attackers. We have the squad for a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3, so for him to be a threat, it'll mean a change of tactics and personnel, which are unlikely. It's why I'm judging him as an 8.
Perhaps I'm wrong though and maybe if he does come here, he'll smash it!
I can see how Liverpool are in for him, you have just described the typical and perfect midfielder for a Klopp team, while I think Caicedo is exactly what we need in midfield alongside and eventually as a replacment for Casemiro.
Liverpool will announce this on July 1st. While Utd will still be fecking around organising pre season friendlies!
Caceido is miles better. He’s solid though.
Liverpool’s interest seems to be more concrete to be fair
That’s happened once with Phillips? If they sign him he’ll most definitely play.
Apparently it's agreed he goes to Liverpool, which is great
Liverpool getting their key transfer business done early.
While we would probably still be bumbling around come August Our lack of decisiveness might be pretty endemic from regime to regime - not something that ended with Ed Woodward
While we would probably still be bumbling around come August
Our lack of decisiveness might be pretty endemic from regime to regime - not something that ended with Ed WoodwardLiverpool getting their key transfer business done early.
While we would probably still be bumbling around come August
It's the same regime.
- Status