'I have to' - Roberto De Zerbi gives direct feedback to Brighton's recruitment team after £93m transfer spend

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi name-checked two new players in-particular after the 2-2 draw against Liverpool at the American Express Stadium.

The Seagulls, who are sixth in the Premier League after eight matches, secured a point against Jurgen Klopp’s team as goals from Simon Andingra and Lewis Dunk cancelled out a brace from Reds attacker Mo Salah.

Adingra was a stand-out player on the day and received the man of the match award but young midfielder Carlos Baleba also performed well on his first Premier League start. Adingra, 21, was signed from FC Nordsjælland for around £7m in 2022 and spent last season on loan at Union SG.

Baleba, 19, joined in the summer for around £23m from Lille and is seen as a replacement for Moises Caicedo, who joined Chelsea for £115m in the previous window. Baleba played with power, skill and discipline and more than held his own against high-quality Liverpool midfielder that included World Cup winner and former Brighton man Alexis Mac Allister.

Albion spent around £93m in total during the summer as Bart Verbruggen (£16m), Igor Julio (£15m), James Milner (free), Mo Dahoud (free), Joao Pedro (£30m) and Ansu Fati (loan) all arrived with Adingra and Baleba.

Speaking after the Liverpool match, De Zerbi was full of praise for the club’s recruitment department. The Italian said: "I have to congratulate my club, because they've found another two great players, Adingra and Baleba. The performance of Adingra and Baleba is very important for us Igor [Julio] too."

Baleba struggled on his first start at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup loss earlier this month and De Zerbi said he was not yet first team ready. The young Cameroon ace responded in style against Liverpool and De Zerbi now feels he can become one of the finest midfielders in Europe.

"He played some against Bournemouth and then 70 minutes away at Stamford Bridge. Then I gave him the right time to understand the new style of play. It is not so easy because our style is a lot of things.

"He is very young and very good and has incredible potential and can become one of the most important midfielders in Europe.”