Brighton's transfer window reviewed: The planet's biggest spenders now have unprecedented depth

How much did they spend and how much did they bring in?

They spent £194million, an average of £21.5million per signing. Only two players — Joao Pedro and Carlos Baleba — had previously cost more than that average figure.

Sales were worth £40million, mainly as a result of the returns to Germany of Pascal Gross (Borussia Dortmund) and Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), plus the late exit of Billy Gilmour to Napoli. The net deficit of £139million (according to Transfermarkt) was the largest anywhere in the world (yes, the world), funded by profits from previous windows — primarily due to raids by Chelsea.

Who seems like the standout signing?

Yankuba Minteh, for multiple reasons. The speedy 19-year-old Gambian winger has huge potential. His final ball and decision-making are a work in progress, but the room for improvement under Fabian Hurzeler makes him an exciting prospect.

Exploiting Newcastle’s Profit and Sustainability Rules vulnerability to land Minteh at the end of the financial year in June was a smart piece of work.

Brighton can legitimately regard Newcastle as one of the teams they are directly competing against in the upper echelons of the Premier League, plus the £30million fee could look cheap in the long run.

(Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Who could be the surprise package?

Only two of the nine newcomers have yet to kick a ball across the pre-season program and the start of the season proper. Ferdi Kadioglu, ruled out at Arsenal by a minor training injury, was introduced to the Amex crowd at the Carabao Cup win against Crawley four days earlier.

Brajan Gruda would probably have featured in that match had it not been for an injury delaying the first sight of the 20-year-old attacking midfielder signed from Mainz for £25million.

Competition for places in that position is fierce, but if Hurzeler can coax Gruda’s flair and dribbling ability into the pattern of play, he could be a game changer whether as a starter or coming off the bench.

Ferdi Kadioglu was introduced to the Brighton crowd before the Crawley game last month (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Will any of the exits hurt them?

Big, obviously. How can they not be hurt by losing the club’s record Premier League goalscorer and assist provider across seven seasons of consistent excellence from the German craftsman in midfield? Even if it was a no-brainer for him to return home to his boyhood idols and Champions League participants Borussia Dortmund at the age of 33 to end his playing career.

Gross made 75 goal contributions (goals and assists) across 261 league appearances. That is a phenomenal output, a level of influence broadened by his example-setting in the dressing room and in training.

Plenty of experience left the club this summer (Justin Setterfield – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Are there still any obvious gaps in the team?

It is hard to locate a gaping hole. There is hot competition for every position between two players and, in some instances, more than two. Being ultra picky, losing Gross and Adam Lallana after his return to Southampton has reduced the core group of hardened experience. That helps to explain the summer interest in Mats Hummels, who has instead joined Roma.

Danny Welbeck, James Milner and Joel Veltman have all had their fair share of injury problems during their different length spells at the club. The only other outfield player over the age of 30 is long-serving skipper Lewis Dunk, who can probably concentrate on club duties now that his England career appears to be over.

What are they planning for January?

The pattern of not just shopping from window to window but also buying for a future window has already continued with the looming capture of Julio Enciso’s Paraguay international and former club Libertad colleague Diego Gomez from Inter Miami for £11million.

The versatile 21-year-old midfielder is expected to remain with Miami until the end of the 2024 Major League Soccer season before moving to Brighton in January.

The scale of business this summer was a one-off. Owner-chairman Tony Bloom, speaking on the club podcast, said: “We have done a lot of business this transfer window and I’m not expecting that much in the next two or three windows, even if one or two of our key players go. Because we have such strength coming through.”

Inter Miami midfielder Diego Gomez (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

What is their strongest XI now the window is closed?

Now this is tough. Far harder than ever before. On the assumption that everyone is fit: Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, van Hecke, Dunk, Kadliogu; Wieffer, Baleba; Minteh, Joao Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck.

Steele, Veltman, Estupinan, O’Riley, Milner, Adingra, March, Gruda, Enciso, Rutter and Ferguson are all entitled to disagree!

The full list of ins and outs

Ins (permanent): Georginio Rutter (Leeds), Yankuba Minteh (Newcastle), Ferdi Kadioglu (Fenerbahce), Matt O’Riley (Celtic), Mats Wieffer (Feyenoord), Brajan Gruda (Mainz), Ibrahim Osman (Nordsjaelland), Malick Yalcouye (Gothenburg) , Amario Cozier-Duberry (Arsenal).

Outs (permanent): Pascal Gross (Borussia Dortmund), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Mahmoud Dahoud (Eintracht Frankfurt), Adam Lallana (Southampton), Marc Leonard (Birmingham), Kasper Kozlowski (Gaziantep), Jensen Weir (Wigan) .

Ins (loan): None.

Outs (loan): Facundo Buonanotte (Leicester), Valentin Barco (Sevilla), Ibrahim Osman (Feyenoord), Abdallah Sima (Brest), Malick Yalcouye (Sturm Graz), Jeremy Sarmiento (Burnley), Amario Cozier-Duberry (Blackburn), Carl Rushworth (Hull ), Andy Moran (Stoke), Mark O’Mahony (Portsmouth), Odel Offiah (Blackpool), Tom McGill (MK Dons). Benicio Baker-Boaitey (Port Vale).

(Header photos: Getty Images)