Spanish under-21 international Chema Andrés has left VfB Stuttgart to join Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion on a permanent transfer. The midfielder signed a five-year contract with the English club on Tuesday. The move comes as Stuttgart sit 18th in the Bundesliga table following a 5-1 opening day defeat to Bayern Munich, with a home fixture against 1. FC Köln scheduled for Friday evening.
Chema Andrés is a 21-year-old Spanish midfielder who began his career at Real Madrid. He moved from the Spanish giants to VfB Stuttgart in the summer of 2025. In his single season with the Bundesliga club, the young Spaniard made 41 competitive appearances, scoring four goals. His performances helped Stuttgart achieve Champions League qualification and reach the DFB-Pokal final last season. Sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth acknowledged his contribution, stating: "Thanks in part to him, we were able to qualify for the Champions League and reach the cup final."
The move to England represents the next step in the young player's career development. Brighton secured the talent's services with a long-term five-year deal. For VfB Stuttgart, the departure marks another change in the squad composition, while the club is currently dealing with injury concerns. The current injuries list includes Dan Zagadou, Dennis Seimen, Jeremy Arevalo, Leo Sauer, Lorenz Assignon, and Luca Jaquez. These absences add to the challenge following Andrés's exit.
Sebastian Hoeneß's team began the new Bundesliga season with a heavy 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich. This opening loss leaves them bottom of the standings with zero points from one match and a goal difference of minus four, having scored one and conceded five. This puts Stuttgart three points behind leaders Bayern Munich already. The next opportunity to earn points comes on Friday, September 4, 2026, with a home match against 1. FC Köln, who started the season with a win and sit sixth in the table.
With the sale of Chema Andrés, sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth has generated further financial resources for potential reinforcements during the ongoing transfer window. The Spanish midfielder leaves a gap in the squad that may need to be filled through internal solutions or a new signing. The team must now focus on the important home match against Köln to correct their record of zero wins, zero draws, and one loss from their opening fixture. All upcoming fixtures can be found on our fixtures page. Chema Andrés signed his five-year contract with Brighton on September 3, 2026.
