Why did the big Brazilian ultimately fail at the AMEX?
Igor Julio dos Santos de Paulo. Certain words spring to mind when discussing the Brazilian – strong, physical, solid. After being a European finalist before his £15m move to the AMEX in 2023, expectations were high for Igor. Fast forward three years, and he’s playing for Championship outfit Burnley following a £3m move, a team at the foot of the second tier. This got me thinking – what does Igor show about Brighton’s recruitment?
The signing of Igor seemed smart. With the club venturing into European football for the first time in their history, a solid player with European experience felt logical. Signed as a left-sided centre back, many thought he would be the replacement for the outstanding Levi Colwill. However, it would soon become clear that Igor would start as a rotational option and be expected to fight his way into the starting eleven. He would eventually make his debut 57 days after signing for the Seagulls in the 3-2 defeat against AEK Athens.
A flourishing partnership between Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul Van Hecke made it more difficult for Igor to impose himself in the coming months. However, an impending injury crisis led to him securing a position in the team – resulting in his first victory in blue and white coming on a glorious night in Amsterdam, where Albion beat former European champions Ajax 2-0 away from home. The previously mentioned injury crisis allowed Igor to feature in 15 consecutive games, including a historic 1-0 win over Marseille to win the Europa League “group of death”.
33 games in the 23/24 season left Albion fans intrigued to see what else could come from the Brazilian, but 17 games over the next 18 months would kill any sort of curiosity from the Brighton faithful. After an unsuccessful loan spell at West Ham, Igor’s Albion career ended with a whimper on the 1st of September 2026.
Ultimately the signing of Igor showed that Brighton can make mistakes in the market. The successful transfer model that the club possesses doesn’t come without its risks, and Igor was a rare case where a player never took off. Brighton’s usually flawless recruitment system would’ve undoubtedly singled Igor out as a good signing. Brighton don’t tend to take “punt” signings and would have meticulously researched his statistics to see whether he was the right fit. Furthermore, Igor’s time in Brighton did show signs of potential. There were flashes of a capable ball-playing centre back, a solid defender, and many fans were impressed with his work ethic. However, the Brazilian clearly wasn’t favoured by Fabian Hurzeler. The last straw for many fans was his abhorrent mistake away at Leicester in 2024, effectively gifting the Foxes a point with a dreadful back-pass. righton
I also believe that the lack of a run in the first team alongside Lewis Dunk may have contributed to his downfall. Ex Albion defender Connor Goldson recently said that Lewis Dunk is “Incredible” and “the best he’s played with” so perhaps Igor’s minimal game time with Dunk didn’t allow him to show his best performances.
It’s important for Albion fans to remember that Brighton aren’t signing the next Moises Caicedo every time we dip into the window. Brighton’s recruitment is, without doubt, one of the best in the world. However, nobody is perfect. Igor’s time at Brighton shows a terrific transfer policy going slightly wrong, with a player who showed encouraging signs – but ultimately didn’t work out.
