Brighton was one of the top spenders in global football this summer. The Seagulls spent about £200 million for some of Europe’s most in-demand talents. Now that we’ve seen the majority of these guys in action, let’s rank all of Brighton’s summer transfers.
Georginio Rutter: A
Fabian Hürzeler took his time settling in Georgia Rutter, who Brighton purchased for a club record amount of £40 million from Leeds. It’s still early, but after seeing what the Frenchman is capable of, he appears to be well worth the investment. Rutter’s technical abilities, work rate, and adaptability have helped Brighton’s attack while João Pedro is injured. He demonstrated all three parts of his game against Tottenham, scoring a goal and assisting Danny Welbeck’s match-winning goal after overcoming three Spurs defenders. If he maintains his recent form, Rutter will undoubtedly be Brighton’s signing of the season this year.
Malick Yalcouyé: B+
Malick Yalcouyé, an 18-year-old midfielder, is the Seagulls’ most under-the-radar signing this summer. He appears to be one of the club’s top players. The Ivorian joined Brighton from IFK Göteborg for £6 million. Hürzeler and Brighton’s coaching staff considered retaining him for the 2024/25 Premier League season due to his outstanding performance in training. Instead, Yalcouyé was loaned to Sturm Graz in the Austrian Bundesliga..
The 18-year-old made an immediate impression in Austria, like he had done in England. Yalcouyé has started Sturm Graz’s last four games after coming on as a substitute in his first two. He assisted a goal in his first appearance and scored three games later against Austrian powerhouses RB Salzburg. On pure talent, Yalcouyé is likely to rank lower than some of Brighton’s recent recruits. When you consider his pricing, potential, and quick start, it’s difficult to argue against giving him at least a B+.
Yankuba Minteh: B
Brighton’s £30m-move for Yankuba Minteh set the tone for the rest of the club’s record-breaking transfer window. The Seagulls had signed on one of the most exciting prospects for a discount price thanks to Newcastle’s precious PSR situation. The hype was enormous. Unfortunately, Minteh has not quite lived up to that hype.
Minteh has a goal and an assist this season. He’s also linked up well with Brigthon’s other forward players in counter attacking scenarios. It’s very clear that the 20-year-old has a lot of potential, game-breaking pace, and good attacking instincts. His decision making and defensive work rate leave a lot to be desired though. Too many times so far this season we’ve seen Minteh take on a player when he should’ve passed or pass into a player when the right option was to drive with the ball. His crosses haven’t been the best either.
On the bright side, it’s still very early in his Brighton career. In a year’s time, Minteh could be an A+ signing. For now though, he gets a B.
Mats Wieffer: C+
Mats Wieffer, Minteh’s Feyenoord colleague from last year, is comparable to the Gambian player in my opinion. He’s clearly a talented player, but his consistency has kept me from awarding him a higher grade thus far. Wieffer, unlike Yasin Ayari, Carlos Baleba, James Milner, and Billy Gilmour before leaving, has yet to make a significant impact in a Brighton game this season. Among Brighton midfielders, he is at the bottom in nearly every chance creation and defensive statistic.
It’s harsh to label Wieffer a passenger, but that’s how he’s seemed in the most of the matches he’s played in so far. He receives a C+ from me till we see more of him.
Ferdi Kadıoğlu: C
Brighton purchased Ferdi Kadıoğlu for €30 million from Fenerbahçe, making him the most expensive player ever sold by a Süper Lig club. After impressive performances with Turkey at the 2024 Euros, many expected him to replace Joël Veltman as Brighton’s offensive right defender. He has only played for Brighton once, in a 4-2 loss to Chelsea. When he played as a left defender against Spurs, he was plainly Brighton’s weak link.
Kadıoğlu is now a luxury player who does not outperform Brighton’s other fullback or winger options, so I cannot give him a higher grade than a C.
Ibrahim Osman: C
Ibrahim Osman was technically the first player Brighton signed during the summer transfer window. The team agreed to buy from FC Nordsjaelland in February. He joined the club in the summer and participated in the Seagulls’ preseason campaign before joining Feyenoord on loan. Osman has impressed and appears to be a vital contributor for the Dutch team this season. The Ghanaian has started four of Feyenoord’s last five games, all as a right winger. De Stadionclub defeated Girona 3-2 in the Champions League.
It’s too early to award Osman a definite grade, but he’s playing consistently and appears to be an important player for Feyenoord, so I’ll give him a C.
Amario Cozier-Duberry: C-
Brighton signed Amario Cozier-Duberry on a free transfer from Arsenal in the summer. He has yet to make a senior appearance for the Gunners, but he was still regarded as a top prospect. Multiple Championship clubs were allegedly desperate to bring him in on loan to improve their starting lineups. Cozier-Duberry ended up joining Blackburn Rovers. Unfortunately, he has not been in the Riversiders’ starting lineup.
Cozier-Duberry has played only 75 minutes in five matches. He did score two goals for Blackburn’s U21 team, but his loan experience has been very underwhelming thus far.
Matt O’Riley, Brajan Gruda: Incomplete
Brighton recruited Matt O’Riley from Celtic for £25 million this summer.Later, Brajan Gruda joined from Mainz for £25 million. Both players have played a total of 12 minutes in all competitions for the Albion this season. It would be unfair to assign them a grade now.
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