Skip to main content
News

Brighton suffer double transfer blow as Chelsea move to hijack £20m wonderkid deal

Brighton and Chelsea both consistently push to sign top young players from around Europe.

12.10.25, 15:35 Updated 22.05.26, 14:49 2 Minute Read

Charlie Parker-Turner

Charlie Parker-Turner

Brighton’s recruitment strategy has slightly shifted since the arrival of Fabian Hurzeler in 2024, with the club now looking more at European talent, and interestingly a lot of their scouting and data has led them to Germany.

This change looks to have unearthed a huge young talent in Said El Mala, but the Seagulls have a lot to overcome if they are to sign the German wonderkid.

The 19-year-old winger was promoted to FC Köln's first team over the summer, and he immediately hit the ground running. In just 214 minutes, spanning across six Bundesliga games, he’s scored two goals and provided one assist.

Become a member today.

The Brighton Base needs its community to support independent, high-quality coverage of Brighton & Hove Albion. Subscribe to a monthly or annual package today to be a part of something special.

Subscribe for £5

Already have an account? Sign in

Charlie Parker-Turner

Charlie Parker-Turner Editor

Get started with our free newsletter

Sign up to receive your free newsletter with articles and analysis from our team

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from The Brighton Base.