Chelsea & Hove Albion v Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton heading to Chelsea feels rather like when a farmer shows off his prize cows at an agricultural show. To which Albion employee on display will Todd Boehly take a liking, pay ridiculously over the odds to purchase and then slaughter the career of next?

Because Stamford Bridge is fast turning into graveyard for people with Albion connections. Boehly seems to have no clue how to run a football club other than throwing around as much money as possible and trying to buy anything and everything he can from the Amex Stadium.

At first, the asset stripping was infuriating. Some rich American bloke had been at Chelsea five minutes and already bought Brighton’s head coach Graham Potter, assistant head coach Billy Reid, first team coach Bjorn Hamberg, goalkeeper coach Ben Roberts, club legend Bruno, recruitment specialist Kyle Macaulay, head of recruitment Paul Winstanley and player of the season Marc Cucurella.

Who next, we joked? Gully? The tea lady? The cleaner at the training ground? Richard Reynolds? The Fan Advisory Board? Unbelievably, Chelsea did actually launch their own FAB at the start of March. Nothing the Albion do is safe from the tentacles of Boehly.

The answer to the question on the playing side was Moises Caicedo. In January, Chelsea bid £55 million for a player who Potter had publicly said was worth £100 million less than five months earlier when still Brighton manager.

When Caciedo remained at the Amex and Boehly failing in the most hilarious manner, it is just funny. Boehly has given the Albion £83 million (plus whatever compensation they paid for Winstanley) to date in an attempt to copy Brighton.

So far, Potter has led them to the bottom half of the Premier League and a trophyless campaign despite Chelsea spending more than half a billion pounds on new players.

Glow Up subsequently found himself sacked seven months into a five year, £60 million deal. Reid followed him out the door.

Bruno, Hamberg and Roberts remain in place but maybe not for long, depending on who the next permanent managerial appointment to be made in the summer wants in their coaching team.

Leading the search for Potter’s successor is Winstanley. Get it wrong and he might also be receiving his P45 from Boehly. Winstanley’s first transfer window has not exactly gone well, with £88.5 million Mykhailo Mudryk and £106.8 million Enzo Fernandez hardly setting the world alight.

Then there is Cucurella. The best Brighton player in arguably the best Brighton team in history, he has regressed at Chelsea to the point that some Blues fans are now describing him as their worst ever signing.

What a shame that a lifelong Barcelona fan who one day decided it was actually his dream to play for Chelsea after driving (the wrong way) back to Brighton past Stamford Bridge is enduring such a nightmare.

The asset stripping has almost certainly not stopped, of course. Already Chelsea are being strongly linked with Alexis Mac Allister. A second attempt to sign Caicedo would not be a surprise either.

Hopefully, Mac Allister, Caicedo or anyone else for that matter – even the tea lady – would look at what has happened to Potter and Cucurella and think twice about moving to Stamford Bridge. Your bank balance may swell, but your career will stall. The grass is not always greener.

Roberto De Zerbi would probably be in the conversation too had Potter not bombed quite so badly. Boehly will surely not touch another Albion manager having been burned first time around, not to mention the fan reaction to appointing from #TeamsLikeBrighton again. Even if De Zerbi is a clear upgrade on Glow Up.

This is evidenced by the contrasting fortunes since the clubs met on that glorious October afternoon at the Amex. Potter, Cucurella and co were greeted by the most febrile, intimidating atmosphere the stadium has ever managed.

Chelsea wilted. Brighton thrived. Those fans Potter said needed a history lesson and told to stop shouting SHOOT as it was not helpful revelled in his demise as the Albion heaped humiliation on Chelsea by running out 4-1 winners.

It was De Zerbi’s first win as Brighton boss and there has been no looking back since. The Albion are fighting to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history and have a live chance of reaching the FA Cup final. De Zerbi is delivering unparalleled success.

Chelsea in contrast went into freefall. Having won six and drawn three of Potter’s first nine games, the Blues tasted victory in just four of his next 16 Premier League games in charge. You can trace the moment the tide turned for Glow Up to the hammering inflicted by his former club.

Potter might be gone and with him, the edge taken off Brighton visiting Chelsea. But that will only slightly lessen the spice as Albion fans still bristle at the pillaging of everything good from the Albion by Boehly.

If football were based on money, then this 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge would be a complete no contest. Chelsea have spent more in the past six months than Brighton have in their entire 122-year history.

De Zerbi said in his pre-game press conference that he had doubts over a goalkeeper and a defender. Jason Steele did not complete Tuesday’s open training session at the Amex, so presumably that refers to Singing Hills’ number one celebrity golfer.

If a defender is out, that is more problematic. There is currently no available cover for Joel Veltman or Pervis Estupinan in the full back positions.

Levi Colwill cannot play against his parent club. If the doubt centres on either Lewis Dunk or Adam Webster, then Jan Paul van Hecke will find himself pitched in for just the second Premier League start of his career.

Such injuries and availability should not bother Chelsea, with their transfer spend and so many players they cannot all fit in the same changing room at the training ground.

Brighton though are impacted, making even more of a mockery of the club’s respective league positions. Proof that money cannot always buy your success in football, much to Boehly and Chelsea’s disbelief.

Before October, the Albion had never won a league game against Chelsea. With that monkey off their back, they now go to West London chasing a first ever win over the Blues at Stamford Bridge.

None of this would have been possible without Boehly and Potter, who ironically as we all know loved a history lesson. The asset stripping, pillaging and plundering will no doubt continue as Chelsea desperately want to be Brighton and who knows, one day it might actually work.

And one day, it might stop making the Albion stronger. Each time Boehly cherry picks somebody from the Amex, the Albion somehow find a way to bring in an even better replacement. Which must wind up everyone at Stamford Bridge even more.

All the while Chelsea’s “Let’s copy Brighton” approach is failing, Albion fans have every right to revel in the Blues’ misery.

Three points from Chelsea would be the icing on an already pretty tasty cake. Bring on the trip to the agricultural show with our prize cows.