Brighton CEO Paul Barber has now shared what his current relationship is with Chelsea owner Todd Boehly.
He was speaking to The Athletic about the relationship between the two clubs after a number of deals they have done in the last two years.
Chelsea have turned to the South Coast on a number of occasions when it comes to bringing in players or staff in recent seasons.
They smashed their club-record for a transfer last summer when they brought in Moises Caicedo to partner Enzo Fernandez.
Robert Sanchez was also brought in with the intention of him coming in as the new number one at the club, however he now seems as if he will be riding the bench for the near future.
This followed the acquisition of Marc Cucurella, as well as former manager Graham Potter and host of figures off the pitch.
It may be expected that the vast amount of talented captured by the new ownership at Stamford Bridge would leave a sour taste for those on the South Coast. However, Barber has said their relationship is strong with Boehly and co-owner Behdad Eghbali.
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Barber on relationship with Boehly
He said: “Todd (Boehly) was one of the first people at Wembley to come and say hello. We joked about the fact that Tony and I were both wearing red ties. He’s a nice guy, he is a very successful businessman. Yes, we’ve probably had a few too many dealings with each other than I would have liked, that he would have liked probably, but that’s business.
“Tony and I have a good relationship with Todd and Behdad (Eghbali). We understand that we are in a competitive world. We are not going to get too emotional over individuals leaving because the club is bigger than any one individual, the club is bigger than 11 or 12 individuals in the case of Chelsea.
“It’s flattering in a way that a big club with a good history is coming after our people. It’s annoying in other ways, but we are also realistic that people who are doing good jobs with growing profiles will potentially be poached by bigger clubs, with more wages or opportunities to offer.”
Their poaching from the club might not be done yet either. It has been widely reported that they are very interested in the prospect of hiring Roberto De Zerbi for if they fire Mauricio Pochettino.
It has been reported that the board at Stamford Bridge are divided over what is the best course of action to take with the man in charge.
