From Cucurella to Buonanotte, Chelsea keep raiding Brighton

20-year old Argentine Facundo Buonanotte never boarded that flight to Leeds United. Instead, Chelsea stepped in at the eleventh hour, opening talks that now have Buonanotte set to join their squad for the season.

For Brighton, it was another example of a club becoming the Premier League’s most reliable seller. For Chelsea, it was another purchase, though technically a loan, from a team they’ve turned to so often that supporters now joke Brighton is their “academy.”

Chelsea’s pursuit of Buonanotte isn’t an isolated story. It’s the latest factory made order that has seen defenders, goalkeepers, midfielders, attackers, managers, and recruitment chiefs all leave Brighton for Stamford Bridge since 2022. The traffic has been so one-sided that Brighton fans booed Marc Cucurella and Graham Potter relentlessly when they returned with Chelsea, only to celebrate a 4–1 victory that day as proof they weren’t anyone’s feeder club.

A costly obsession with Brighton

The numbers are staggering. Chelsea spent roughly $78 million on Cucurella, $145 million on Moisés Caicedo, $32 million on Robert Sánchez, and another $77 million on João Pedro. Add the record $27 million compensation to lure Potter and his backroom staff, plus millions more for youth signings, and Brighton have banked close to $370 million from Chelsea in three years.

Brighton’s model has been vindicated. They bought Caicedo for a fraction of his eventual fee and turned Pedro into a profit after just one season. The cash has helped fund reinforcements and underwrite European campaigns. As one Brighton supporter quipped, “Our CFO must love Chelsea. They’re our best customers.”

For Chelsea, the financial gamble is harder to defend. Potter was sacked in seven months. Cucurella struggled early on. Caicedo’s debut ended with him conceding a penalty. Fans accused the club of “trying to buy Brighton’s culture but failing.” Even now, the idea of borrowing Buonanotte for a season left Chelsea supporters scratching their heads about who benefits most.

Yet there have been glimmers of justification. Sánchez has settled as the club’s starting goalkeeper. Cucurella’s form has improved. Caicedo and João Pedro look like long-term pillars. Chelsea’s owner simpliy imported Brighton’s recruitment know-how.

By hiring Brighton executives Paul Winstanley and Sam Jewell, and even back-room figures like Kyle Macaulay, BlueCo hope to recreate Brighton’s data-driven scouting operation in London.

That model stretches beyond Stamford Bridge. Since buying Strasbourg in 2023, Chelsea’s owners have used the French club to park and develop signings. Julio Enciso was lined up to go there before his move collapsed. Supporters now wonder if Buonanotte could follow a similar path—signed on loan for Chelsea, but playing in Ligue 1 to gain experience.

The irony is that Brighton have often fared better without the people Chelsea took. When Potter left, Roberto De Zerbi arrived and guided them to Europe. When Cucurella departed, Pervis Estupiñán became a star. When Caicedo was sold for a British-record fee, Brighton kept climbing the table.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have struggled to justify the outlay. They’ve cycled through managers, finished mid-table, and become the Premier League’s cautionary tale about money not buying identity. The Buonanotte deal, if finalized, will add another layer of intrigue: a big club borrowing from its “supplier,” and a smaller club cashing in once more.

The relationship between Brighton and Chelsea has become one of modern English football’s strangest symbioses. One side keeps producing, the other keeps paying. Whether Chelsea ever turn Brighton’s blueprint into actual trophies remains the unanswered question.