---
title: "Profit Players: Davy Propper’s then-record £6m acquisition has proven to be smart business by Brighton"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/davy-propper-value-signing-brighton-transfers/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Liam Togher"
section: "Brighton & Hove Albion"
published: "2020-09-06T15:00:43Z"
modified: "2020-09-06T15:00:43Z"
---

# Profit Players: Davy Propper’s then-record £6m acquisition has proven to be smart business by Brighton

**This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.**

Brighton’s Davy Propper, who celebrated his [29th birthday](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/davy-propper/profil/spieler/79027) on Wednesday, is now entering his fourth season as a Seagulls player, having become their then-record signing when he joined from PSV Eindhoven for £6m in August 2017 (as per [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40852639)).

His purchase seemed quite a shrewd one by Albion, who at the time were [preparing for their first Premier League season](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/40852639) and who had managed to land a player with [recent Champions League experience](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/davy-propper/detaillierteleistungsdaten/spieler/79027) with his previous club.

Indeed, the midfielder had a [TransferMarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/davy-propper/marktwertverlauf/spieler/79027) value of £9m at the time of his move to the Amex Stadium, so he already seemed something of a cut-price coup upon his arrival in Sussex.

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The Dutchman quickly became a key component of [Chris Hughton](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/premier-league/brighton/shook-the-club-brighton-chris-hughton/)‘s line-up, [starting all but three league games](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/77429/History/Davy-Pr%C3%B6pper) in his first season at Brighton and contributing [four assists](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/davy-propper/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/79027). He had a slightly lower tally of [30 league starts](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/77429/History/Davy-Pr%C3%B6pper) in 2018/19 and supplied just [two assists](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/davy-propper/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/79027) as the Seagulls [narrowly avoided relegation](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier-league/spieltagtabelle/wettbewerb/GB1/saison_id/2018/spieltag/38). However, he had the satisfaction of scoring his [first goal for the club](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/davy-propper/alletore/spieler/79027/plus/0?saison=&verein=1237&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&minute=&pos=&torart=&stand=) in a 2-1 defeat at Leicester in February 2019.

When Hughton left at the end of that season to be [replaced by Graham Potter](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48340989), Propper may have wondered whether he would still be a regular in Albion’s first XI. He soon got his answer, starting [32](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/77429/History/Davy-Pr%C3%B6pper) of Brighton’s top-flight matches last term and contributing [a goal and two assists](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/davy-propper/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/79027).

The Dutch midfielder’s goal tally of [two in 110 matches](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/davy-propper/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/79027/verein/1237) for the club leaves substantial room for improvement, yet he has undoubtedly progressed in other aspects of his game. For instance, having achieved a success rate of 78.1% from 39.7 passes per game in his first season in England, he averaged 51 passes per game in 2019.20 and found a team-mate with 84.2% of those (as per [WhoScored](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/77429/History/Davy-Pr%C3%B6pper)).

He has also been consistently reliable in terms of breaking up play, with match averages of [2.1, 1.7 and 1.8](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/77429/History/Davy-Pr%C3%B6pper) successful tackles per game in his three years at Brighton.

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Propper’s current [TransferMarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/davy-propper/profil/spieler/79027) value is £12.15m, more than double what the Seagulls paid for him in 2017, and it had even risen to [£15.3m](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/davy-propper/marktwertverlauf/spieler/79027) at the end of 2019 before the global pandemic prompted a [downturn in football finances](https://www.ft.com/content/067a3eeb-e915-48af-8384-94fdc495cf59).

Having been a near-constant presence in Albion’s line-up under two managers, as well as improving his market value during his three years with the club so far, the 29-year-old can be regarded as an astute purchase who has made a steady yet important contribution to the team in his time at the Amex.

***Brighton fans, what have you made of Propper’s time in Sussex so far? Share your views in the comments section below!***