How These Clubs Built £1 Billion Market From Player Sales – A Football Business Evolution

In the modern day, money is prevalent in football more than ever – for good and bad. The top teams can spend in abundance. However, for other teams and teams that are seen as ‘smaller’ – it is all about making a profit and building from that.

Brighton, Bournemouth, and Brentford are key examples of that, teams who sell their key assets but have outstanding scouting teams that can find and uncover hidden gems for cheaper fees as replacements.

By utilising this strategy, alongside climbing up the Premier League table, they have also been able to rack in an enormous amount of profit.

So how have teams taken advantage of the so-called ‘Moneyball’ Strategy, and who have been some of the biggest sales?

The Moneyball Strategy

🇦🇷Alexis Mac Allister
🇪🇨Moisés Caicedo
🇯🇵Kaoru Mitoma
🇮🇪Evan Ferguson

All four were signed for around 16M€. They are probably now worth over 200M€ combined.

The likes of Buonanotte, Ayari, Adingra, Kozłowski, Sarmiento, and Enciso are waiting in line.

Brighton's Moneyball. pic.twitter.com/l94lpNzpro

— Football Talent Scout - Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) January 30, 2023

A new strategy that is used by teams in the top-flight, Moneyball refers to a data-based approach towards player recruitment, identifying undervalued players with high potential. In simple terms, it is all about relying on stats, and graphs rather than the traditional methods of scouting.

One of the first teams to do this in English football was Brighton & Hove Albion, stereotypically a ‘small fish in a big pond’ when in the Premier League, Brighton have since become a dominant force in the top half of the table – qualifying for the UEFA Europa League in 2022.

The masters of scouting, the Seagulls have seen huge hits in signings such as Moises Caicedo, Jan Paul van Hecke, Kairo Mitoma, and Tariq Lamptey, who have all turned out to become solid players in the top-flight of English football.

Nevertheless, what gives the South Coast side, Bournemouth and Brentford - an edge above other teams is their ability to unearth gems and rack in an incredible amount of profit that they gain from player sales.

Sales, Sales, Sales

€300m from Chelsea to Brighton in 3 years.

Tony Bloom is insane. pic.twitter.com/5fpNsGxYmt

— Ryan (@ryanadsett) June 30, 2025

Beginning with Brighton – their transfer sales have continued to catapult, following the €58.5m sale of Ben White to Arsenal in 2021. Over the past three seasons, the Seagulls have impressively brought in over €377m in player sales alone, providing a foundation for Brighton to build from.

In the 2022/23 season, Brighton lost four key talents, selling Marc Cucurella to Chelsea for €65m, Yves Bissouma to Tottenham for €29m, Leandro Trossard to Arsenal for €24m, and finally, Neal Maupay to Everton for €11m. €129m was brought in, with the club spending just €55m in the transfer window for replacements. Brighton gained €74m in profit, but that was just a sign of what was to come.

Brighton sales in the past year:

- Caicedo £110m
- Cucurella £62m
- Mac Allister £55m
- Bissouma £35m
- Trossard £27m
- Sanchez £25m
- Burn £13m
- Maupay £12m

Total = £389m

Doing a Football Manager moneyball save in real life ❤️🙌 pic.twitter.com/paseKJV5Vs

— Out of Context Football Manager (@nocontextfm1) August 11, 2023

2023/24 would be a huge year of change for the Seagulls - Moises Caicedo signed for Chelsea for a club-record €116m, while Alexis Mac Allister joined Liverpool for €42m, and Robert Sanchez also moved to Stamford Bridge for €23m. Slightly splashing in the summer, Brighton spent €106m on new additions such as Joao Pedro and Carlos Baleba, but the South Coast side continued to make a profit of €83m.

Brighton had made €157m of terms within the previous two seasons. However, with only €50m gained in departures in the 2024/25 season, the Seagulls spent €281m on new talent.

In 2025, Pedro looks to be the next big money sale from Brighton as the Brazilian is set for Chelsea. Pedro scored just five goals from open play in the 2024/25 season, but the Seagulls were able to negotiate a package for the forward, around €50m.

It would obviously be gutting for Bournemouth to lose Huijsen but what confirmation that their strategy is working.

Sign a hugely talented, emerging player, bizarrely jettisoned by an elite side... develop him... and flip him for a £38m profit in a year.

Top work! pic.twitter.com/9En1m8s05m

— Dougie Critchley (@DougieCritchley) May 14, 2025

Bournemouth are next, and similarly to their South Coast neighbours, the Cherries are not a typical side in the top-flight, with a stadium holding under 12,000 fans. Since the takeover of Bill Foley, Bournemouth, however, have been an efficient side on and off the pitch.

Spending €83m within the American’s first season at the club, the Cherries did not bring in a single pound from player sales in the 2022/23 season. In 2023/24, Bournemouth sold just €1.5m, selling Ben Pearson to Stoke City despite spending big money on players such as Tyler Adams, Alex Scott, Hamed Traore, Milos Kerkez, and Justin Kluivert.

Bournemouth were heavily investing in young talents who had the potential to become top players and be moved on for high fees, but in terms of the departures, the club were struggling to find new and permanent homes for their deadwood.

In the summer of 2024, the South Coast side made their first big sale as Dominic Solanke moved to Tottenham for €65m, following a fabulous season. Still not in a net positive, the club splashed €135m on players like Evanilson and Dean Huijsen, but this would be a sign for the next season.

As teams continue to progress through the 2025 summer transfer window, Bournemouth have been one of the biggest players early on, making a large profit on their young talent.

🚨💣 BREAKING: Milos Kerkez to Liverpool, here we go! Plan from May confirmed as it’s all agreed between clubs.

£40m transfer fee, long term deal and Kerkez set for medical in the upcoming days.

Kerkez to Liverpool, never in doubt. 🔐 pic.twitter.com/uADWo1mU7R

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 20, 2025

Starting off their window, Huijsen ended his stay on the South Coast after one season at the club, the 19-year-old gaining a name for himself as one of the most exciting defensive wonderkids in European football and having his €62.5m release clause triggered by Real Madrid.

Kerkez would be the next big domino to fall, the Hungarian departing for Liverpool, joining the Premier League champions for a reported fee of €47m. however, despite losing two of their main defenders, the Cherries could also lose a third as Illia Zabarnyi is heavily linked with a move to PSG for €70m.

Finally, Brentford are another club that have followed the Moneyball method. Starting similarly slow to Bournemouth, Brentford sold a combined €13.85m in 2022/23 and 2023/24.

In 2024, money began to come in as shot-stopper David Raya moved to Arsenal for a fee of €32m, and the club’s top goal-scorer Ivan Toney departed for Saudi Arabia, joining Al-Ahli for €42m.

Ivan Toney completes his move to Al-Ahli 💸

The Saudi club signs the striker in a deal worth $53M, per @FabrizioRomano pic.twitter.com/21CooNS8y2

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 30, 2024

€75m had come in during the summer of 2024, and a year later, the Bees look set to sell even more. Goalkeeper Mark Flekken has already departed the London club for a deal worth €10m, while their clinical forward duo of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa look set to leave next.

Mbeumo, the most likely, a Cameroon international, has been the subject of interest throughout the summer following a fantastic season. Manchester United and Tottenham were reportedly competing for the winger, but after a deal worth €60m was reportedly negotiated, Mbeumo is still to undergo a medical ahead of a move to Old Trafford.

Also having a superb season in front of goal, Wissa had plenty of interest from clubs such as Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. While the London club will not want to sell both of their attacking duo in the same window, Wissa’s departure would likely take Brentford’s sales list to over €100m for the summer.

Who Could Struggle Next Season

🚨🇮🇪 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | Keith Andrews is the new manager of Brentford, replacing Thomas Frank who left for Tottenham! ✅

Keith was the set-piece coach at Brentford, now he has the full managerial role. 🧠 pic.twitter.com/0J5lUsm7Gk

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) June 27, 2025

With Brighton making close to €400m in sales over the past three seasons and Bournemouth and Brentford racking in around €200m, it is amazing to see how these teams have been able to continue to operate at the top level.

However, eventually, teams are going to make a mistake or decline following the loss of a player, and looking towards next season, Bournemouth and Brentford look worse for wear.

Losing two of their best defenders and their goalkeeper from last season Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was on loan and has now joined Arsenal – the Cherries need to strengthen at the back.

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Bryan Mbeumo will have a medical at Manchester United next week.

(Source: @alex_crook & @JacobsBen) pic.twitter.com/md7o7rJLU7

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) June 26, 2025

On the other hand, Brentford are in trouble for several reasons, losing their top two goal-scorers and creators - it will be incredibly difficult to replace players like Mbeumo and Wissa. More importantly, the London club have lost the brains of their operation as Thomas Frank has joined Tottenham.

Losing your best player and manager will make next season a tough one at the GTEC Stadium, but after a number of years in the Premier League, they should have enough to stay in the division.