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In a special edition of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, BBC Sport's Football Issues Correspondent Dale Johnson speaks to Brighton sporting director Mike Cave about the strategy behind the club's remarkable rise.

From data-driven recruitment to profitable player trading, they explore how the Seagulls have established themselves in the Premier League and evolved into one of English football's smartest success stories.

"Our recruitment strategy and philosophy has been something that we've built on over a long period of time now," Cave explained.

"The data element of it gets a lot of attention because going back a few years it was quite novel in comparison to some other clubs.

"Really it's just a component of a bigger process that goes on. It's an important component, it helps us to identify talent from around the world in quite an efficient way which allows us to move quickly in what is a really competitive transfer market.

"That's just the starting point of a long process that culminates hopefully in not only signing a player but a player coming into our environment and being successful in our first team.

"There is no single attribute or metric we go after, it's more trying to assess a player's performance and then subsequently potential over a period of time. We're dealing with human beings playing a really complex game in different parts of the world.

"There are a number of factors but ultimately it's about identifying players performing at a good level that we think will be a good fit for us in the Premier League."

Listen to the full episode below or on BBC Sounds

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Brighton sporting director Mike Cave says selling players for big profit is never the club's "intention at the outset".

The Seagulls are notorious for signing players for low fees, developing them, then selling them on for huge fees. In the past four seasons they have sold six players for over £50m.

Since their promotion to the Premier League in 2017, only Chelsea have made more signings than Brighton.

"I wouldn't say we ever set out thinking about how we're going to sell a player," Cave told a special episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"Ultimately, when we recruit players we recruit them to come and perform and develop for Brighton and Hove Albion.

"Like nearly every club in the world, players choose to leave. That's just the natural cycle of any team and any squad. When that moment comes the important thing is that any club is able to maximise the sale of that player because that is what helps to go back into the football club to reinvest and hopefully again to improve the squad in some capacity over time.

"It's a critical part of the football business but it's certainly not the intention at the outset. For us it's about developing and putting the best teams and players on the pitch to allow Brighton to be succesful.

"You can never exactly plan when these departures are going to take place. The key thing is to have processes and systems in place to be able to react and that is what is in our control. Should any player leave for any reasons, what would we do in that scenario?

"That is our approach to it."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Andrew Raeburn
BBC Sport, London & South East

Crawley Town boss Colin Kazim-Richards says the return of summer signings Stephen Duke-McKenna, Kai Jennings and Vito Mannone from injury will provide him with a selection headache for Saturday's League Two game with Chesterfield.

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Mannone, 38, and AFC Wimbledon loanee Jennings, 20, both started the 4-0 win over Bromley in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday.

But what caught the eye was the performance of substitute Duke-McKenna, who replaced Jennings at the break and scored two excellent goals.

The 26-year-old, signed from Harrogate in June, had not been available since picking up an injury in the first league game of the season on 15 August.

"It's nice to have him back," Kazim-Richards told BBC Radio Sussex.

"Even if you take away his goals, just his set pieces, it's frightening, it's on the money, especially at this level. It's been a big loss.

"Having Vito come back, having Kai come back, having people gel, having a whole squad that's able to now fight in training and push themselves and try and grab that shirt, it's top to have it back."

Player-coach Mannone was also forced off on the opening day of the League Two season, having put in excellent performances in EFL Cup games against York and Watford.

Jennings was making his second appearance for the Reds, having been unavailable since making his debut on 22 August against Rochdale.

Kazim-Richards said the performance against League One side Bromley may alter his plans for the visit of Chesterfield, as he looks to get his side off the foot of League Two.

"I had an idea of what I was going to do on Saturday and now that's kind of scrapped," he said.

"There might be a few little changes, just little details, to what I was going to do."

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Former Brighton striker Warren Aspinall believes Fabian Hurzeler's side must take all three points in their first game back after the international break this weekend against a depleted Sunderland.

The Black Cats have injury concerns over key duo Brian Brobbey, who scored a hat-trick away at Manchester City in his last game, and commanding defender Dan Ballard.

Aspinall added that Regis le Bris will also be disappointed if his side are without midfielder Noah Sadiki, who faced some fitness doubts while away for DR Congo.

Aspinall said on BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast: "The spine of the team has been ripped apart. Three valuable players like that are hard to replace. The goals from Brobbey, three in the last game he played in the Premier League against Man City, so he will be a big loss. Ballard for his set-plays, defending and attacking and Sadiki's athleticism.

"I think we have to go there and win. It's a must-win three points. I think they will be fluctuating towards the bottom end of the table, they won't get Europe again. It's a big ask. You have to go to these places and take them to the sword and move on."

The Seagulls secured a massive 3-0 win against reigning champions Arsenal before the break and Aspinall thinks Hurzeler won't change the way his side approached the home win as they travel to the Stadium of Light this weekend.

"I think he'll set his standards and I think you have to play that way the whole time," he said.

"I think it's the best we play when we play high-intensity football. Play the ball forward first of all, not sideways and back and that won't allow Sunderland to get back in their positions.

"The full-backs, when they get forward, play as wingers and that means there's space in behind and if we break and put pressure on them like we did against Arsenal, we can win the ball high up the pitch.

"I'm very confident we will win this game."

Listen to the full podcast below or on BBC Sounds

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A number of Premier League clubs want Manchester City to be hit with both "retrospective punishments" and sanctions for the future for their mass financial rule-breaking, sources have told BBC Sport.

An independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

City have appealed against the verdict, while the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is poised to look at the findings to see if there may be any suggestions of potential misconduct.

However, there is said to be a consensus among a group of top-flight club executives that if City's appeal is unsuccessful, the sanctions should make reparations for the period when they broke the rules, while also limiting their powers in future.

There is also a feeling from at least four Premier League boardrooms that a "one-hit" points deduction resulting in relegation to the Championship would be an insufficient punishment given the severity of City's wrongdoing.

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