Brighton boss Graham Potter says the calm around the club has helped it progress despite the loss of key players.
The Seagulls started their sixth consecutive top-flight season with a historic 2-1 win over Manchester United.
It was the perfect way to start the campaign as they finished their final game in ninth place, the highest position in their entire history, although midfielder Yves Bissouma lost to Tottenham Hotspur and defender Mark Cucurella to Chelsea A total of £87.5 million.
The departures could threaten one of the most consistent clubs in the Premier League after respected director of football Dan Ashworth was placed on gardening leave ahead of his similar role at Newcastle. One is unstable.
But Porter didn’t realise it as he recalled Brighton’s first win at Old Trafford, just three months after Brighton condemned Manchester United for embarrassment beat 4-0 at American Express Stadium.
“Losing the players we have does have an impact, but internally, the club is pretty quiet,” Porter said.
“You do have to scratch your head because the clubs that bought Yves Bisuma and Marc Cucurella have a high valuation on them, which shows that they are good players. You need good players to be in the Premier League. win the game because it’s tough.
“But I’ve always believed that the collective idea is more important than any individual.”
The problem for Brighton, like every club of a similar size, is how to keep going in a league where six clubs have so much money and others like Newcastle, except from Saudi Arabia.
Brighton may have an excellent, modern stadium, but it is the third-worst Premier League’s capacity. They have invested £20m in a fantastic training ground in Lansing, which is attractive to potential new signings.
However, as was the case this summer, they face the risk of clubs with bigger budgets chasing players, which puts the focus on the right recruiting.
“You have to try to improve every day and not focus too much on the big picture,” Porter said. “I have a great group of players here with ambition and desire to keep going.
“They give everything every day and I try to help them improve.
“It’s not easy to lose players, but we understand why we have players and how these fees help the club improve.
“A club like ours has to take two places; fight for points every day because it’s very tough and have ambition, believe you can win and try to challenge.”
