Ferdi Kadıoğlu and Brajan Gruda are reportedly closing in on moves to Brighton, with the Seagulls securing the services of even more highly-rated young talent. Full-back, and nearly anywhere on the pitch man, Kadıoğlu impressed heavily in Euro 2024 for Turkey, as well as his incredible adaptability for his club in Fenerbahce. Gruda, a 20-year-old exciting forward, is another ‘Brighton have done it again’ signings. Whilst being tipped as one of the best talents in the Bundesliga at Mainz last season, the German also made his senior debut for his national team.
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Brighton have had a quite incredible summer transfer window. The end of 2023/24 left sour tastes in some Albion fans’ mouths. The new flavour for European football ended with the Seagulls fielding a majority second-string side after being plagued by injuries all season.
In the summer of 23, fans looked back with some regret when losing Moises Caicedo for a British transfer record fee of £115m to Chelsea, and Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool for £55m after add-ons. The significance of expectations for this summer has never been stronger.
WHO ELSE? SUMMER TRANSFERS ANALYSIS…
Brighton kickstarted nicely, completing the statement signings of Mats Wieffer and Yankuba Minteh; who both took the Eredivisie by storm under Arne Slot last season for Feyenoord. Minteh, currently the record signing at the club after his £33m switch from Newcastle was a result of the ever-controversial PSR ruling. The Gambian has caught the eye massively in pre-season, contributing to a goal in every game, as well as scoring three. Perhaps exceeding expectations early on is a fine way to make first impressions count.
Wieffer was signed as a £25m ‘dream’ signing from Feyenoord, where he played 42 games for the Dutch club. The aforementioned Caicedo and Mac Allister departures hurt Brighton heavily last season, and it was obvious from the start that there were huge physical gaps in the midfield. Huge beatings like 4-0 at Luton, 6-1 at Villa, and 4-0 in Rome set the precedent for a lot of work to be done. Wieffer, however, fits the mould perfectly. Partnering Carlos Baleba and further potential incomings could see the more consistent Brighton that Premier League fans were so familiar with in the 2022/23 season when Brighton qualified for the Europa League.
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Amario Cozier-Duberry, Malick Yalcouyé, Ibrahim Osman*, and Diego Gomez have also bolstered the gifted youngster ranks at the club. Cozier-Duberry was signed on a free from Arsenal, after rejecting a new deal at the Gunners. The Englishman took it upon himself to find a new club and make a new name for himself, as Bukayo Saka takes centre stage in a similar age bracket and position. Brighton, being one of the best talent raisers in the world, seemed like the perfect start. The 19-year-old scored a brace on his debut during the impressive Japanese Tour.
*signed mid-season for Summer.
Yalcouyé is another diamond. Likely to be loaned out, the box-to-box wonderkid was signed from Swedish side, Gothenburg. Take my advice, and keep an eye on this boy. Osman and Gomez are also likely to spend at least half the season on loan. Osman is set for his move to Feyenoord, and has cropped up as one of the ‘Mitoma regen’ in Brighton fans’ minds on the left wing and will prosper from a successful loan to a strong club. He was also used centrally for Brighton during pre-season. Feyenoord seems a perfect stop-gap between Danish and English football. Gomez shone on the Olympic stage alongside compatriot Julio Enciso for Paraguay. The Inter Miami midfield maestro captained his nation, whilst pulling good returns. He will see out the MLS season with Inter Miami and link up with the club in January.
Brighton are not expected to be finished there. After bringing in Kadıoğlu and Gruda, the emphasis will continue for either Matt O’Riley or another left-sided centre-back. They also made an ambitious move for Mats Hummels, which has now become unlikely at this stage.
Even without any further business, Brighton fans have associated this summer transfer window as ‘one of the best’, as reflected in a poll on TalkSeagulls last night. Exciting times down on the South Coast.
