Brighton & Hove Albion star Alexis Mac Allister has hailed the club’s scouting department and their ability to unearth gems that are ‘not too well known.’
The Seagulls have become experts in scouring the global game for emerging talent over the last few years, particularly in Central America and South America.
Their current squad is filled with players from both, with the likes of Moises Caicedo, Jeremy Sarmiento, Julio Enciso and Mac Allister himself all first-team regulars.
Their skill has been finding these players and developing them to be sold on at higher prices, with Caicedo already being touted for a big money move soon.
He would not be the first to do so, with even players signed from European leagues, such as Marc Cucurella and Yves Bissouma, moved on for big fees after developing with the Seagulls.
Those two left in the last summer window, with Cucurella joining Chelsea for €65.3m and Bissouma moving to Tottenham for €29.2m after signing for Brighton for €18m and €16.8m respectively.
“We have very strong young South Americans: our scouts are exceptional,” he told the Italian newspaper.
“We managed to beat many top clubs on the continent by buying Facundo Valentin Buonanotte, 17, a midfielder who grew up at Rosario Central and became a phenomenal player under the guidance of Carlitos Tévez, my former partner at Boca.
“But that’s not enough: last summer Paraguayan striker Julio César Enciso, 18-years-old, and the 24-year-old Ecuadorian defender Pervis Estupinan.
“Brighton’s skill is to buy players who are not too well known, enhance them and then sell them on for bundles of pounds. Do you know what happened with Marc Cucurella? He came here for 15 million, we sold him to Chelsea for 60…”
