Brighton have no regrets in Dan Burn sale to Newcastle

The 6’7” defender was sold in January to his boyhood club for £13 million after negotiations between the two clubs.

Some people have linked the sale of Burn, who was Albion’s most in-form defender, to the team’s recent drop in form.

The 29-year-old was arguably playing his best football in an Albion shirt since joining the club from Wigan Athletic in 2018.

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Potter said the transfer was a “hard one” to stop after Newcastle’s bid for the defender, who had just 17 months left on his contract.

Brighton's head coach said he can understand why fans are linking Burn’s departure to Albion’s recent results.

He said: "I understand why supporters would think that, because clearly it's not so difficult.
"Dan has carried on the form that he showed with us. He was a starting player for us and since then our results haven't been as positive, so it's an easy thing to say and I can understand why they're saying it.

The defender scored for Albion in their 3-2 win over Everton on January 2
"From our perspective, when it happened, there were lots of things to consider.
"It's not just about what we want, it's also about what Dan wants. There are things from a club perspective, strategically how it affects our group, etcetera, so I don't look back on it with any regret.”

Dan Burn grew up supporting Newcastle and even had a season ticket at St James’ Park as a child. He picked up man of the match in Newcastle’s one nil win over Aston Villa on his debut.

• READ MORE: Former Albion defender praised as a 'beast' since Newcastle move

Potter added: "Sometimes these things happen in football and in life. It was a hard one for us to stop, just like it was a hard one for us with Ben to stop.

“Sometimes these things happen and you've just got to look at why they happen and why you make a decision and be okay with that. Who knows? If Dan was here, we might still have had the same results, we don't know. All you can do is make a decision and accept what comes after that."