Inside rise of Babis Kostoulas who is on way to becoming Brighton’s next £100m star after destroying Arsenal and Man Utd

BABIS KOSTOULAS has taken the Premier League by storm after devastating Arsenal as well as Manchester United and is making his claim to become Brighton’s next £100million man. The Seagulls have become famous for discovering hidden gems for bargain prices and polishing them into the Prem’s most in-demand stars that go out for staggering fees after intense bidding wars. Brighton star Babis Kostoulas could become the club’s next £100m man Credit: Reuters Kostoulas has taken the Premier League by storm after eliminating Manchester United and beating Arsenal Credit: 2026 PA Media Leandro Trossard, Alexis Mac Allister, Joao Pedro and Carlos Baleba went from relative unknowns to breakout stars with moves to Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United respectively. Then there’s Moises Caicedo who raised the bar with a whopping £115m switch to Stamford Bridge in 2023, which stands as Brighton‘s most expensive sale. Sign up for the Arsenal newsletter Thank you! And the Albion could soon find themselves at the forefront of another transfer window with Babis, 19, posing as the club’s newest and brightest prospect. The striker moved to the Amex from Olympiacos last year following a record sale for a Greek club worth £30m, which includes about £2m in add-ons, and signed a contract worth £1.3m, plus bonuses, until 2030. The deal was completed by OIS Agency, which is run by Greek super agent Giorgos Panou who represents Greece’s most promising talents along with NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. The switch realised a major childhood ambition for the teenage sensation – described as an avid dreamer “without a ceiling” by those close to him – who can now dare to aim for the stars. The Greece international had been dreaming of following in his father’s footsteps since the tender age of two when he started out with Agia Anna, a club located in his dad Thanasis Kostoulas’ hometown of Volos. Thanasis, 50, won seven league titles and two domestic Doubles with Olympiacos, where he amassed a total of one goal in 202 appearances during an eight-year run until 2007, when Babis was born. Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Kostoulas’ journey started at the tender age of two before joining Olympiacos’ academy Kostoulas has been following in the footsteps of his dad and Olympiacos hero Thanasis Kostoulas The centre-forward and his older brother Konstantinos Kostoulas grew up proudly watching their hero’s 15 Champions League matches that saw him clash with the likes of Man Utd, Real Madrid and Juventus. Babis and Konstantinos, 21, made it their life’s mission to follow suit as they joined their dad’s beloved club’s academy in 2019 and would often be greeted back home by their mother Irene with shirts drenched in sweat as well as melted boots, ripped socks and crimson-red cheeks. Their rise was immediate and striking with Babis especially standing out with his raw talent, versatility and personality that saw him smashing 23 goals and nine assists in 51 appearances across the club’s youth ranks. That quickly earned him the moniker of “Babistuta” as he was compared to Argentina legend Gabriel Batistuta. The youngest of the two also stuck out thanks to his personality as he always inspired maturity and leadership to his team-mates as well as a gutsy attitude, spontaneous nature and ice-cold demeanour in front of goal. But those close to him also know there is a sensitive and caring person – who speaks Greek, English and French – behind the tough and ruthless exterior most are accustomed to when they see him perform. And the brothers made history in 2024 when they led the Under-19s to the UEFA Youth League trophy, which is the first ever European honour won by a Greek club shortly before the seniors lifted the Europa Conference League. Babis was immediately promoted to the first team where he quickly made history by becoming Olympiacos’ youngest ever league scorer at the age of 17 years, five months and 11 days against rivals PAOK at a fiery Toumba Stadium. The forward also became a key figure behind the club’s historic centenary campaign that included a domestic Double and a Last-16 run in the Europa League during his debut campaign. That led to interest from a raft of elite clubs, such as Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and AC Milan before Brighton won the transfer war. Kostoulas won a number of trophies and broke many records despite his young age Kostoulas is very close with his family, including his brother and fellow football ace Konstantinos Kostoulas Manager Fabian Hurzeler slowly integrated Babis into the first team during his debut campaign at the Amex but there were still some moments of brilliance, such as his overhead stunner against Bournemouth that saved a last-gasp point in the Premier League. But the teenage sensation has upped the ante to 11 this season with four goals and three assists in eight appearances across all competitions under his belt already. Babis was key in Brighton’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win that eliminated Man Utd with a goal and assist at Old Trafford. The Greek star then handed Premier League champions Arsenal their first defeat of the season with another goal and assist that led to a 3-0 triumph at home. Babis is now focused to adding to his four caps with Greece as he was called up for the crunch Nations League clashes against Serbia, Germany and the Netherlands. That will allow him to catch up with his beloved family and exchange stories with his older brother, who is also enjoying a lot of success with Greek minnows OFI. Konstantinos helped the team from Crete complete a surprise Greek Cup as well as Super Cup double and made history as part of the club’s first ever side to win a Europa League match in the league phase after an upset victory over Hoffenheim. The brothers are now set for the longest international break recorded in football history but won’t get to play together as the eldest is linking up with the Under-21s. But Babis might still find some time to unwind with things he doesn’t get to enjoy at Brighton, such as his guilty pleasure which is the famous Greek dish pastitsio. The Premier League ace – who is also a gaming and Greek music enthusiast – will have to wait until next summer to visit his beloved isle of Mykonos, but even then his mind might be far away from the Cyclades. If the goals keep coming then so could his suitors from two years ago, and this time they will have to reach deep inside their pockets if they want to sign Brighton’s latest young star. Comment now