Huge money transfers can cause splits. When deals are struck, clubs, players, and fans can fall in love. Reputation can be damaged. But for Brighton manager Graham Potter, the feeling over Ben White’s £50m move to Arsenal is a pride, proud of the Brighton academy staff who brought him on. Take pride in the smart loan deals developed by it. Pride in White himself, whose reward for his efforts as Player of the Season with Brighton last year was a major move to the Emirates Stadium. Potter tells Sky Sports he is even excited by the challenge of finding ways to cover the 23-year-old’s absence, but that situation also reflects the fact that Potter sees the bigger picture in Brighton. He is entering his third season in the Premier League with the club and is contracting for three others. Time is a rare commodity in the first order, but Potter uses the scope granted to it to chart a course for steady progress. “It’s part of our growth process as a club and a team,” he told Sky Sports the week before the 2021/22 season kicked off, when asked about the decision to sell White. “Ben obviously played a lot of minutes for us last year and was a key player, but the finances involved meant he was a really good choice for us as a team to improve and keep growing, and then we have to use the money wisely in order to develop the team further. Please. Using Chrome for an accessible video player Ben White’s agent Alex Levac explains how he was able to negotiate his player’s move from Brighton to Arsenal “It’s not a case of having another Ben White out there.” [who we can replace him with]. We have to be creative in our solutions, look internally at what we have and try to find a different kind of solution. There are always a few options for that and that’s the exciting part. “I am happy for Ben of course, happy for the club. I am proud of everyone in the academy and everyone who helped in his journey out of Brighton, because he got some loan opportunities too which developed him. A great story for us.” The story would be even better if White’s exit had been the catalyst. For the team that starts this season. Brighton scored more goals and conceded fewer goals than in any of their previous Premier League seasons in 2020/21, but last place in 16th place was frustratingly familiar, only achieved after several months of worrying about being drawn into a battle. drop. The positives, although the waste in front of goal is accepted, must be addressed if Brighton are to benefit from an improvement in their game, they have sent out four defenses in pre-season, and the squad could stray from the usual squad for the reserve treble. Be on the cards. But it’s at the top end of the field where Brighton really has to find a cutting edge. Potter said of last season: “We made a move in terms of our performance. We improved as a team, defended better, attacked better. What we probably didn’t do as well as we wanted was to score and finish. But that’s football, these are the margins sometimes. Which can go against you. But we have taken some steps, people have improved. “Unfortunately football is very complex. If the answer is [to the goal-scoring problem] It was very easy to do. “First of all we have to maintain and maintain the level of performance that we achieved over the past year, because it was really good for most of the season. We performed well. If we can maintain this level our results will improve.” It does not happen by chance, We have to keep working on it. We have taken some steps as individuals and as a team to improve what we are trying to do. Sometimes it’s football when you have to accept it and look to improve. “Making steps” is a frequent phrase Potter returns to, emphasizing the steady progress he aims to make at the club. Building Brighton’s strength in this department takes time, he explains: “I now know more about the team, more about the individuals, the club, the league and everything that surrounds the Premier League,” he explains of the benefits of his two-year tenure so far. “I know people talk about money as an important factor but I think time and stability are also important. We have to maintain and maintain the level of performance we have had over the last year, because it has been really good for most of the season. We have performed well. If we can maintain this Brighton coach Graham Potter “Obviously I know more about the club and the league than I did a couple of years ago, and I hope you’re better at that because in terms of the coaching process, the more I understand the players, the more they understand. You and the deeper those relationships are, the greater your chance of increasing performance levels. And that’s what we try to do all the time. “Welbeck was injured but Moibo offers a different option and Brighton’s performance levels increased dramatically towards the end last season when Danny Welbeck was finally fit and fired. Frustrating for Potter and the player, having a hamstring problem means he will likely miss out on beyond International break, but new signing Enock Mwepu adds an intriguing option to Potter’s attack.The 23-year-old was brought in from Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg and showed his eye on the goal in pre-season Photo: Enock Mwepu reached a four-year deal “He is a different kind of player than we have,” Potter said. “He is really able to hit the penalty area from the midfield and get the goals. He’s a player with great behaviour, a fantastic desire to improve and he’s a really positive in the group.” He also has a physical strength that can handle the Premier League, which is really important. “Brighton supporters will be excited about the prospect of Mwebo out of midfield at Burnley at the weekend. The opening week of the Premier League season. Potter will be there in the dugout. The young English coach was linked with managerial vacancies at Tottenham and Everton over the summer, but insisted there was no realistic prospect of him leaving his project on the south coast. He says, “It’s the stuff of newspapers and the 24-hour media that we have to live with. I was on my vacation, resting and preparing for this season and trying to learn and develop. It’s just part of football.” I said at the end of last season that I had two years In a six-year contract, so there’s plenty of time we still need to be together to keep improving. There is a lot of work that we need to finish. So it’s about focusing on that. “The next step is coming on Saturday… Catch the Premier League with Sky Sports128 exclusively for Premier League matches. The first pick of matches every weekend of the Premier League season. 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