Sir Jim Ratcliffe has a huge job on his hands to restore Manchester United to their former glories, but the British billionaire is also keen to learn more about how Brighton operates as a football club.
There have been lots of changes made at Manchester United since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became co-owner following an agreement with the Glazer family.
One of the biggest changes saw Ineos sack Erik ten Hag as manager and replace him with Ruben Amorim last year. The results worsened last season, but Amorim was backed with five new signings in the summer.
A slow start to the 2025/26 campaign led to mounting pressure for United’s head coach, but Ratcliffe came out supporting Amorim in an interview to quench talk of another managerial change.
As things stand, United are showing signs that they have reached a turning point, after winning three consecutive Premier League games under Amorim for the first time.
Amorim will be aiming to make it four wins on the bounce when United travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe ‘obsessed’ with Brighton’s data
Brighton’s databank and mathematical models have been praised and discussed a lot in recent years, but very few people know how it works due to being heavily restricted by club owner Tony Bloom.
Establishing itself as one of the best-run clubs in the Premier League in recent years, Brighton is renowned for spending less money than other teams but selling their best players for significant profit.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  ArsenalArsenal | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 22 |
| 2 |  BournemouthBournemouth | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 18 |
| 3 |  TottenhamTottenham | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 17 |
| 5 |  Manchester CityManchester City | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 16 |
| 6 |  Manchester UnitedManchester United | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 16 |
| 7 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 15 |
| 8 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 15 |
| 9 |  ChelseaChelsea | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 14 |
| 10 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 13 |
| 11 |  BrentfordBrentford | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 13 |
| 12 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 12 |
| 13 |  BrightonBrighton | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 15 | -1 | 12 |
Examples of that include Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Joao Pedro and Alexis Mac Allister.
United enquired to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton in the summer, but the Seagulls wanted £100 million for the midfielder’s signature. This is just an example of Brighton’s strength in the transfer market, and they’re constantly on the lookout for fresh talent.
According to respected journalist and author Miguel Delaney, writing his Inside Football Newsletter for The Independent, United’s co-owner Ratcliffe has become ‘obsessed’ with Brighton’s data model.
Delaney writes: “That, tellingly, is usually where the discussion stops. Brighton’s data is spoken of as some great elixir for the game, and yet almost nobody knows what it’s made of.
“The mystique around it is all the more remarkable given its profound effect on the Premier League and beyond.
“Chelsea would love to have it, given how much they’ve paid Brighton over the three years of the Clearlake ownership. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is said to have become “obsessed” with it. It’s even part of one of English football’s most notorious fallouts – that between Brighton owner Tony Bloom and Brentford’s Matthew Benham.
“Brighton have made hundreds of millions of pounds from this data, propelling themselves to another level as a club. And that looks set to continue.
“This really is the difference everyone is desperate to uncover.Part of it, however, is that it’s not even Brighton’s data at all. Bloom’s club are simply clients of Jamestown Analytics – who look set to become one of the most influential forces in football in the 21st century.
“That’s where the secrets lie: in a data company said to be named simply after the street it’s based on.”
Ratcliffe clearly wants United to sign players like Baleba before they end up in the Premier League. That is down to recruitment and data, but also having the best scouts in the right countries.
How much did Brighton pay for Carlos Baleba?
Brighton paid a reported fee of £23.2 million to sign Baleba from Ligue 1 outfit Lille.
The transfer took place in August 2023 and Baleba has since become a key player in the team, although his performance levels have dropped this season.
Lille have a 15% sell-on clause in the deal.
United are aware of how much Brighton want for Baleba ahead of the 2026 summer transfer window.
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