A strange patch of Premier League territory stretches from west London to the south coast, where top clubs cannot pass through easily. Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth have formed the top-flight's 'Bermuda Triangle'.

Players leave and managers move on, yet the three Bs keep defying the odds. Brighton have not been relegated since their promotion in 2017 and have qualified for Europe twice. Brentford followed four years later and have stayed up ever since, while Bournemouth have established themselves despite modest resources, culminating in last season's sixth-place finish and a spot in the Europa League.

The Bs share two common factors: outstanding recruitment and a strong culture. They don't sign the best players available because they can't. They sign players whose potential they believe exceeds the price they're paying. Ahead of the 2025/26 season, the three clubs earned a combined £485m from player sales. They went on to finish sixth, eighth and ninth.

Losing their best talent is difficult for supporters to stomach, but the clubs do not view it as a crisis. It is part of their business model to discover, develop, sell and reinvest not just in the squad but infrastructure too. All three have invested in their training facilities.