Sussex

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Brighton's first g of the summer is Greek teenager Charalampos 'Babis' Kostoulas, who has ed from Olympiakos for a fee of £29.78m, in what is the highest fee ever received by a club in Greece.

BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast has been speaking to journalist Kostas Lianos about the 18-year-old's profile and what Brighton fans should be looking forward to.

"Brighton have signed one of the biggest wonderkids in the world in my opinion," Lianos said.

"No-one is surprised in Greece with that. I feel like this is one of the most exciting gs for the club and the city of Brighton.

"Two years ago we were hearing about a 16-year-old called Babis Kostoulas and my generation grew up with another player called Athanasios Kostoulas playing for Olympiakos, that was his dad, a centre-back who won a lot of titles.

"Babis grew up with a father who was very successful at the most successful club in Greece so the name caught our attention but, slowly we were hearing from the academy that this player is meant for big things. We were waiting, counting the days, the months until this player finally got into the first team.

"His technique, his killer instinct, his speed, his mentality, his toughness, quickly earned him comparisons to Gabriel Batistuta [former Argentine forward]. For that reason Babis earned the nickname 'Babis-stuta'. So that's something for the Brighton fans to hold on to."

Listen to Lianos' full piece on BBC Sounds

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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The Kostoulas family is steeped in footballing heritage and is forever connected to Olympiakos.

The father of Brighton's new forward is Athanasios Kostoulas, a former central defender who won seven league titles across a glorious eight year spell at the Athens club, while his older brother, Konstantinos, is also on the books of Olympiakos but spent last season on loan in Portugal at Rio Ave.

The entire family travelled to Brighton to witness the g but, as is commonplace with these deals, it was a long day of paperwork, looking for houses and waiting for the official announcement.

When asked by BBC Sport about his feelings, Kostoulas' father, known as Thanasis said: "Today is a very important day for the whole family. Despite being many years a professional player myself, what has been achieved has happened in a very short space of time. Everything has happened very quickly and within one year.

"We are emotional but excited that everything should go well. We feel this opportunity is the best one possible and he will participate in the best league in Europe and the world.

"We are confident in his desire and ability to work hard to allow him to shine as he has done so far in his career."

Brothers who achieved together

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Of course, it is bittersweet saying goodbye to a son who has lived his entire life in and around Athens. Kostoulas' mother Eirini said it was "emotional" to say goodbye but that this was the best opportunity that her son has been presented with.

There were also reflections from the family of memories like "Babis'" scissor kick against PAOK at Under-15s level, a first senior goal against the same club this season and, most poignantly, seeing both brothers lift the Uefa Youth League together.

The elder brother Konstantinos has a photo of himself and Babis celebrating beating AC Milan 3-0 in the final to win the title, the equivalent of the Champions League at youth level, in 2024 for Olympiakos. The pair are holding up the Greek and club flags and the image is a screensaver on his phone.

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Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler is excited to work with new g Charalampos Kostoulas after the 18-year-old striker ed on a five-year deal from Olympiakos.

During a breakthrough season in Greece, the teenager scored seven goals in 35 appearances for the champions.

"Charalampos is an outstanding young player and we're delighted he is coming to Brighton," Hurzeler said. "He wants to play in the Premier League and we are excited about what he can bring to the team.

"He will give us different attacking options and we're looking forward to helping him adapt to his new environment."

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Following the news that Brighton have agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas from Olympiakos, we asked for your views on the move for the teenage forward.

Here are some of your comments:

Paul: I'm concerned his decision making on the ball seems really poor. He seems to base a lot of his play around take-ons and dummies he won't be able to get away with in the Premier League. I do ultimately trust the club on this, however.

Fran: New g looks like one for the future - but if he is good enough, then play him. Don't spend that much money and send him out on loan. Ideally, we need an experienced striker, one who can get at least 15 goals a season. Same with young Watson. Don't keep g youngsters for the future - play them now if they are good enough.

Roger: Kostoulas' arrival at Brighton will either hasten the exit of Evan Ferguson or motivate the young Irishman to drill down and regain the form he has already proved himself capable of. Kostoulas has yet to prove himself in the Premier League environment.

Gordon: He's coming to the best finishing school in football.

Tony: If recent strategy is anything to go by, he'll be off on loan somewhere, and it will be interesting to see how he develops.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Greek agent Giorgos Panou is credited with launching the career of superstar Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and is now doing the same in football with Brighton's soon-to-be new striker Charalampos Kostoulas.

Just as he spotted Antetokounmpo, then a second division Greek basketball player in 2013, he spotted Kostoulas, nicknamed "Babis", aged 15.

He is now on the verge of a record breaking £29.78m transfer to Brighton and when asked how the two talents compare, Panou replied: "I felt the same way when I first say Babis playing three years ago in an under-19s game, aged 13, to how I felt when I first saw Giannis.

"I got the feeling immediately that he is cold-blooded, immense talent, with great body language and ready to take on older, bigger guys without feeling pressure. I saw a potential to grow."

Chelsea have been credited with interest in Kostoulas in the past while Brighton are believed to have beaten some of the biggest clubs in to his signature. So why move to the south coast? The answer is, perhaps, unsurprising.

"They won the family and myself with how the talk, negotiate, give all the tools to thrive and have a good track record of developing similar young talents," Panou added. "So we feel very comfortable, and we think I'm really sure that Babis will adapt really fast in this environment. It was a no brainer for me."

The former Greek basketball national team assistant coach, now brokering deals across two sports, believes this is a golden era of Greek football with Stefanos Tzimas also ing Brighton from Nurnberg this summer, while fellow Olympiakos talent Christos Mouzakitis, Genk attacker Konstantinos Karetsas and PAOK star Giannis Konstantelias are expected soon to move to a top five European league club.