Seagulls confirm two wonderkid signings, Brighton Women sign WSL legend, & other Brighton news from the last 7 days (Brighton news roundup June 30 - July 6)
Brighton are massive.
The European transfer window has been open for less than a week and both Brighton’s men’s and women’s teams have confirmed multiple major signings. We also got a huge Pascal Groß update this week.
Transfer News
Incoming Transfers
Yankuba Minteh - Brighton announce transfer from Newcastle
Brighton confirmed the signing of Newcastle winger Yankuba Minteh early in the morning last Sunday. The Gambian was strongly linked to the Seagulls all last week. Reports claim Brighton paid around £30m for Minteh.
You can learn more about Brighton’s new signing by reading my player profile of Minteh.
Mats Wieffer - Seagulls sign Feyenoord midfielder for £25m
Brighton have announced that they have signed midfielder Mats Wieffer from Feyenoord. The 24-year-old was one of the best midfielders in the Eredivisie last season. He is a defensive midfielder who should compete with Carlos Baleba for minutes.
The club have not disclosed how much they paid for Wieffer. Most reports claim he cost the Seagulls £25m. Wieffer played alongside Minteh at Feyenoord last season.
Fran Kirby - Women’s team completes coup for WSL legend
Brighton Women have completed one of the biggest signings in club history this week by signing Fran Kirby on a free transfer. The legendary midfielder is a seven-time WSL champion, Euros winner, and two-time recipient of the PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year award.
Kiki Seike & Marisa Olislagers - Seagulls secure Japan and Dutch internationals
Before bringing in Kirby, Brighton Women completed their first two transfers of the summer window, signing Japanese forward Kiki Seike and Dutch defender Marisa Olislagers.
Malick Yalcouye - Brighton close to signing IFK Göteborg wonderkid
Swedish outlet Expressen has reported that Brighton have agreed to purchase 18-year-old midfielder Malick Yalcouye from IFK Göteborg for €9m (£7.7m), nearly three times the club’s current outgoing transfer record.
Neither club has announced the move, but the player was spotted leaving training early on Friday.
Kyle Walker-Peters - Albion linked to Southampton right back
Sky Sports has reported that Brighton are one of three clubs interested in signing Southampton right back Kyle Walker-Peters. Spurs and West Ham are also interested in the former England international.
Walker-Peters has just one year left on his current contract and is reportedly open to a move. Fabrizio Romano claims Brighton have tracked the fullback for months and have inquired about him with Southampton.
Georginio Rutter - Leeds United reject Brighton bid
Leading Leeds United reporter Beren Cross claims the Whites have rejected a £30m bid from Brighton for attacking midfielder Georginio Rutter. The BBC’s Adam Pope later reported that the Albion’s bid for Rutter came after they had signed Yankuba Minteh from Newcastle.
Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto, Glen Kamara - Brighton target three Leeds stars
Separate from the Georginio Rutter rumors, Brighton have been linked to Leeds’ Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto, Glen Kamara. Summerville has reportedly been a target for months, while Gnonto and Kamara emerged as potential signings this week via a report from TBR Football’s Graham Bailey.
Andrei Rațiu - Interest in Romanian right back confirmed
Andy Naylor confirmed this week that Brighton are indeed interested in Rayo Vallecano right back Andrei Rațiu. In that same report, he revealed that Brighton were also interested in Mats Wieffer, who the club signed this week.
Rico Browne - Spurs and Seagulls interested in Birmingham rising star
Football Insider claims Brighton have registered their interest in Birmingham center back Rico Browne. The 20-year-old has turned down contract offers from both Birmingham and Tottenham. Spurs are expected to make another attempt to sign him.
Mason Melia, Josh Stephenson - Brighton battle Everton and other clubs to sign teenage prospects
Everton, Brentford, and other top clubs are in competition to secure the signatures of top youth prospects Mason Melia and Josh Stephenson.
Melia is has been labelled the ‘next Evan Ferguson” as the 16-year-old Irishman is already playing first team football with St Patrick’s Athletic. Stephenson, 18, was Millwall’s academy player of the season last year.
Alejandro Gomes Rodriquez - Seagulls to sign highly-rated u16 international
Alejandro Gomes Rodriquez, a top England U16 player, is set to join on a free transfer from Southampton. He reportedly turned down larger offers from both European and English clubs in order to join Brighton.
Outgoing Transfers
Pascal Groß - Dortmund to sign Brighton legend
On Saturday, Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg delivered the news Brighton fans have been dreading for months. Pascal Groß will be leaving the club this summer. According to Plettenberg, Groß has “100 % decided” to join Borussia Dortmund.
Negotiations between Brighton and BVB are “ongoing.” Groß could leave the club for as little as £6.8m.
Igor Julio - Torino targets Brighton center back
Italian journalist Gianluca DiMarzio has reported that Torino have identified Brighton center back Igor Julio as a potential replacement for Alessandro Buongiorno. The Albion reportedly have a €20m (£16.9m) valuation of Igor.
Kaoru Mitoma - Chelsea “admire” Brighton winger
Transfer reporter Ben Jacobs says that Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma is admired internally at Chelsea. Given that 3/4 of their front office previously worked at Brighton, this is not huge news, but it could be something to watch as the transfer window goes on.
James Beadle - Goalie prospect rejoins Sheffield Wednesday on loan
19-year-old goalkeeper James Beadle has secured another loan move to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday. The former Charlton Athletic player made 19 appearances for the Owls last season, keeping eight clean sheets in those matches.
Kjell Scherpen - Keeper extends contract, goes back out on loan
Brighton’s other Dutch goalkeeper, Kjell Scherpen, has signed a new contract that will keep him with Brighton through June 2027. The club also announced that he will be going back on loan to Austrian Champions Sturm Graz for another season.
Leigh Kavanagh - Bohemians bring in Brighton U21 player
Brighton have not exercised their club option to extend Leigh Kavanagh’s contract. The 20-year-old defender has now left the club and signed with Bohemians in his home country of Ireland.
Other News
Manager meets the media
New Brighton boss Fabian Hürzeler officially was introduced to the media on Tuesday at his first press conference. The 31-year-old fielded questions from local and national media alongside owner Tony Bloom, Chief Executive Paul Barber, and Technical Director David Weir.
You can watch the full 20 minute press conference here. Hürzeler was also interviewed by club media and made an appearance on the Official Brighton & Hove Albion Podcast.
Hürzeler confirms backroom staff additions
Following Hürzeler’s press conference, Brighton announced that Jonas Scheuermann, Marco Knoop, and Max Lesser will also be joining the club as Hürzeler’s assistant head coach, goalkeeping coach, and tactical analyst, respectively.
Hugo Fisher and Jacob Vickers - Academy graduates sign professional contracts
19-year-old goalkeeper Hugo Fisher and 17-year-old defender Jacob Vickers signed their first professional contracts with Brighton this week. Fisher has been with the club since he was an Under-10s player. Vickers joined Brighton last year from Luton Town.
Brighton announce two new club directors
Anna Jones and Paul Brown have joined Brighton’s board of non-executive directors. Both new directors have experience in media, working for companies like The Telegraph and Spotify. Jones and Brown replace former directors Derek Chapman and Marc Sugarman.
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