Brighton and Hove Albion transfer news: 'New Rodri' leaves Real Madrid regretting their £12m decision

Real Madrid let a former academy player leave for a combined total of just £12m. The 21-year-old has since turned up at Brighton and Hove Albion and has already earned comparisons to Rodri.

Chema Andres joined Brighton on the final day of the summer transfer window, with Stuttgart selling the Spanish midfielder for £20m. Real Madrid had sold 50 per cent of his rights to Stuttgart in the summer of 2025 for just £2.5m, recouping a further £10m from the Brighton deal.

The total take for Los Blancos, for a player who made only 37 minutes of first-team football at the Santiago Bernabeu, amounts to £12m. Three appearances into his Brighton career, those numbers have opened a debate.

Andres Chema makes instant impression at Brighton and Hove Albion

Andres, who stands 6ft 4in and shares Rodri's unusual habit of tucking his shirt into his shorts, has lost no time in making an impression in his new surroundings.

He made his debut with a 25-minute cameo against Coventry City, providing an assist in a 5-0 victory, before starting the Carabao Cup win over Manchester United, which Brighton won 3-2 at Old Trafford.

His third appearance produced his most complete performance: he scored and was outstanding in a 3-0 victory over Arsenal, posting two interceptions, seven recoveries and five aerial duels won.

A goal, an assist and three wins from three matches was all it took to ignite the comparisons. Several pundits in England have suggested that the Seagulls may have found the 'new Rodri'.

The parallels are considerable, both are Spanish, stand at around 1.90m and are capable of controlling matches from deep, while contributing goals and chances created. Even the tucked-in shirt has been noted.

The Real Madrid question that everyone is asking

The player's start in England has reignited debate about the decision that allowed him to reach Brighton in the first place.

Writing in The Independent, journalist Miguel Delaney posed the question bluntly: 'How did Real Madrid let Chema Andres go, when he is now exactly what they need?'

The question carries particular weight given that Real Madrid spent much of the summer attempting to sign Rodri, only for the Spain international to join Barcelona. Andres was never brought back from Stuttgart to fill the gap, despite Real Madrid retaining 50 per cent of his rights throughout his time in Germany.

Under Brighton boss Fabian Hürzeler, Andres appears to have found precisely the environment he needed. The club's record for identifying and developing young talent at the Amex Stadium has become one of English football's most admired projects, and Andres looks set to be another chapter in that story.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid used a similar strategy with another young academy product this summer, selling Jacobo Ortega to Strasbourg for £8.5m (€10m) while retaining 70 per cent of his rights. Both cases highlight a pattern of talent management at the club which may yet return to haunt them.