BRIGHTON have notched record profits for an English club – despite Moises Caicedo’s £115million fee NOT being included.
The Seagulls’ staggering figure of £122.8m has only been beaten anywhere once – by the £300m racked up at Barcelona in 2022-23.
Yet Chelsea’s double swoop for Caicedo and £30m keeper Robert Sanchez last August came too late to make Brighton’s profit total.
That’s because the annual finances were measured up to June 30 2023.
By then, however, the Seagulls had already cashed in with four huge sales.
Midfield anchorman Yves Bissouma kicked it off with his £30m move to Tottenham in June 2022.
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Two months later came the £60m exit of wing-back Marc Cucurella, who has since flopped at Stamford Bridge.
The 2023 January transfer window saw winger Leandro Trossard switch to Arsenal for £21m.
And last June Liverpool paid £35m for Argentinian World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister.
Yet those big-name outgoings couldn’t stop Roberto de Zerbi from earning Brighton their highest-ever top-flight finish of sixth.
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The Seagulls were also unlucky losers against Manchester United by 7-6 on penalties in last season’s FA Cup semi-finals.
Now Brighton insist the massive profits will spark more “significant progress” on the pitch.
Chief executive Paul Barber said: “These accounts will of course catch the eye because of the headline number.
“In a season when we made history on the pitch we took a huge step forward in terms of the long-held aim of becoming more sustainable and less reliant on [owner] Tony Bloom’s incredibly generous investment.”
The Seagulls’ financial success contrasts with the plight of many of their Premier League rivals.
Everton were docked six points for recording £125m losses up to 2021-22.
And Nottingham Forest are appealing against having four points deducted for excessive losses up to 2022-23.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
