Brighton & Hove Albion enjoyed a busy close to the summer transfer window, cashing in on the sale of Carlos Baleba to Manchester United for £70m before reinvesting a chunk of those funds into a deadline-day swoop for Spanish midfielder Chema Andres.
The 21-year-old arrived from Stuttgart in a deal worth £15.5m, adding fresh quality to Fabian Hurzeler's midfield options just as the transfer window slammed shut. Andres becomes one of the standout additions of Brighton's window, having built a strong reputation during his time in Germany.
A product of Real Madrid's famed academy, Andres made his La Liga debut for the Spanish giants in January 2025 before making the move to Stuttgart later that year. His impact in the Bundesliga was immediate and significant, featuring in 41 matches across all competitions as Stuttgart secured Champions League qualification — a remarkable achievement in what was just his first senior season away from Madrid.
His performances in that breakout campaign led to comparisons with Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, with some observers already nicknaming him 'baby Rodri' due to similarities in his composed, disciplined style at the base of midfield.
Speaking after completing the signing, Hurzeler addressed the lofty comparison being attached to his new recruit, expressing confidence in the youngster's mentality while urging patience over the inevitable expectations that come with such a tag.
"He has this motivation of wanting to improve every day," Hurzeler said. "He comes on the first day and wants to go outside on the pitch, he wants to have ball touches and you can really feel that he is very ambitious."
The Brighton boss went on to acknowledge why the Rodri parallels have emerged, while also stressing that Andres still has plenty of development ahead of him before he can be considered anywhere near the level of the City and Spain star, who has established himself as one of the finest defensive midfielders in world football in recent years.
"Therefore, I can understand this comparison [with Rodri] but he has a long way to go and hopefully he can get there one day," Hurzeler added. "It would be a big one for us but also for the whole football world."
The signing of Andres comes as part of a broader reshaping of Brighton's squad this summer, with the departure of Baleba to Old Trafford freeing up significant resources for Hurzeler to reinvest. The Seagulls have built a reputation in recent years for identifying and developing emerging talent before selling players on for substantial profit, and the club will be hoping Andres can follow a similar trajectory while contributing significantly on the pitch in the meantime.
Elsewhere in Brighton's transfer business, there remains interest in winger Yankuba Minteh from Liverpool, though the player ultimately stayed at the Amex Stadium beyond deadline day. Hurzeler suggested that a dream move for Minteh could still materialize in the future, even though a switch did not happen during this window.
With the transfer window now closed, attention turns to how quickly Andres can adapt to the demands of the Premier League and whether he can begin to justify the early comparisons to one of the division's most decorated midfielders. Brighton's coaching staff will be eager to integrate him into the first-team setup as soon as possible, given his proven ability to adapt rapidly to new leagues, as demonstrated during his switch from Spain to Germany just a year earlier.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.