Brighton & Hove Albion's impressive recruitment strategy has rarely seen them shop on English shores in recent seasons.
The Seagulls use a data-driven approach to their transfers, meticulously scouting for gems outside of Europe's top five leagues and picking up undervalued young players who have shown above-average talent.
Rarely signing anyone above the age of 25, Brighton have cherry-picked talent from all around the globe, picking them up for cheap, developing them into world-class stars and selling them on for an obscene amount of money.
Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo were the biggest examples of this strategy coming to fruition. The duo were picked up on the cheap, and grew rapidly into the Brighton fabric, helping them qualify for Europe before being sold to Liverpool and Chelsea this summer, with Caicedo breaking the British transfer record after moving to Stamford Bridge for £115m.
While that pair were the latest to depart the club for astronomical fees, Roberto De Zerbi still has a whole host of talented stars at his disposal, including explosive wing back Pervis Estupinan, teenage prodigy Evan Ferguson and the skilful speedster Simon Adingra, but none have yet usurped the impact that the sensational Kaoru Mitoma has made.
How much did Brighton pay for Kaoru Mitoma?
When Graham Potter's enthralling and imaginative style was taking the Premier League by storm, the Englishman unearthed several gems, including the silky Belgian Leandro Trossard and ball-winning machine Yves Bissouma but in the summer of 2021, Mitoma would be the latest to join their roster of talent.
The Japanese arrived from Kawasaki Frontale for just £2.7m and as a part of his development, was instantly loaned out to Belgian side Union St Galloise to become accustomed to the physical demands required to play European football.
This decision would turn out to be a stroke of genius as Mitoma was able to showcase his pace and trickery on a regular basis, posting nine goal contributions in 21 appearances in the Belgium Pro League, including a hat-trick off the bench to single-handedly bring his team from behind to go top of the league.
While the Japan star was balling out in Belgium, he would return to the South Coast and do similar as he proved to be the missing piece to Brighton's attacking puzzle.
How much is Mitoma worth now?
Predicted to become the next £100m asset to be sold by Brighton – in the words of pundit Karen Carney – Mitoma's value has risen exponentially over the course of two years and according to Football Transfers, he is valued at around £23m (€27.5m).
Although this is an astronomical 751% increase on top of what the club shelled out for him, the 26-year-old's value to Brighton is far greater than the aforementioned figure having helped fire De Zerbi's side into Europe last season.
He was labelled as "incredible" by former Premier League striker Jermaine Defoe on the back of his impressive run of form last term, chalking up 18 goal contributions in 41 appearances in all competitions.
Mitoma showcases his greatest strengths when slaloming between defenders using his low centre of gravity, manipulating the ball onto his strong foot through his agility and tormenting defenders with his rapid pace, placing in the top 10% for successful take-ons, top 4% for progressive carries completed and top 7% for touches in the attacking penalty box when compared against players positionally similar to him in the Premier League last season, as per FBref.
While the £10k per-week sensation is one of the best wingers in the league at beating defenders in one-on-one situations and fashioning space to have a shot, he's also bought into De Zerbi's pressing system, possessing the stamina to be able to win possession back for his team in the opposing half.
He ranked within the top 15% for tackles in the attacking third, aerials won and top 18% for the percentage of dribblers tackled, showcasing that he's not only a crucial entity to Brighton's thrilling attack but also their defensive unit.
After a splendid first season in English football, Mitoma has already made the headlines on numerous occasions this campaign, however, the biggest applause directed towards the silky winger came following his stunning solo goal against Wolves as the Seagulls posted a 4-1 victory.
This magnificent goal unsurprisingly earned him the Premier League Goal of the Month award, but the biggest recognition he received was a comparison to Lionel Messi, who has his very own highlight reel of solo goals.
While his value currently stands at £23m, if Brighton were to cash in on their next prized asset, they would surely hold out for a fee closer to triple figures.
