Sport
Another summer of change lies in wait for Brighton and Hove Albion
Another summer of change lies in wait for Brighton and Hove Albion as they look to move on from the departure of Roberto De Zerbi.
The Seagulls are quite rightly viewed as one of the most organised clubs in the Premier League after a number of high profile departures in recent seasons have done little to quell the momentum they have gained with every passing year. More interest in their talented squad will have to be fended off during the summer transfer window before any incoming deals can be secured in a bid to move on from a difficult season.
But first and foremost, a successor to the impressive De Zerbi needs to be found before any transfer business can be conducted. So we here at 3AddedMinutes fired up Football Manager 2024 to see who would be named and what business the new boss would oversee during his first summer in charge at the Amex Stadium
Goalkeepers
With Bart Verbruggen quickly established as Rodgers’ number one goalkeeper following his appointment, Jason Steele was allowed to leave the club after the Seagulls accepted a £2.5m offer from Italian club Fiorentina. With a need for competition and backup, Rodgers completed a £5m move for Real Mallorca’s Serbian stopper Predrag Rajkovic.
There were two defensive departures and both came on the right-hand side of the back four as Joel Veltman switched to Nantes in a bargain £1m deal and Tariq Lamptey remained in the Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers after the Molineux club had a £14m offer accepted. There were three new arrivals as Spurs defender Emerson Royal completed a £5m switch to the Amex Stadium and Frosinone centre-back Ilario Monterisi was captured in a £28m deal. Brighton also won the race for Real Betis left-back Juan Miranda after he left the La Liga club on a free transfer.
Rodgers’ defensive options: Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Igor, Emerson Royal, Juan Miranda, Pervis Estupinan, Ilario Monterisi, Adam Webster, Valentin Barco.
Now were are talking. There were two eye-catching deals here as Brighton handed over a combined £38.5m to secure the signings of PSG midfielder Renato Sanches and Spurs star Rodrigo Bentancur. That allowed Jack Hinshelwood to join Premier League new boys Ipswich Town on loan and Mohamed Dahoud’s underwhelming stay at the club ended with a £2m move to Spanish club Las Palmas.
Rodgers’ midfield options: Pascal Gross, Billy Gilmour, Renato Sanches, Rodrigo Bentancur, Carlos Balaba.
Forwards
There were no departures at the top end of the pitch as Rodgers managed to fend off interest in the likes of Joao Pedro, Evan Ferguson, Simon Adingra and Karou Mitoma. That meant incomings in forward positions were limited to just one new face as Lazio striker Taty Castellanos was brought in for a £10m fee.
Rodgers’ attacking options: Solly March, Karou Mitoma, Simon Adingra, Facundo Buonanotte, Julio Enciso, Joao Pedro, Evan Ferguson, Taty Castellanos, Danny Welbeck.
