Premier League Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion

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·10 Agustus 2025

Premier League Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion

Last year’s finish: 8th
First match: Saturday, August 16 10:00am ET vs. Fulham
Where they’ll be five games in: 9 pts. with 2W, 3D, 0L

Transfer News

Once again, Brighton had a player stripped from them by that northern talent vulture Chelsea. This summer it was João Pedro, and we all know how that lad performed over the summer in the Club World Cup. The $77.4M they pocketed from the exchange has been used to shore up one of the Seagull’s weak spots: the defense.

Belgian Maxime de Cuyper (Brugge) and Italian Diego Coppola (Verona) are the newest members of Brighton’s back line, which is led by captain Lewis Dunk, who is on the last year of his contract and turning 34 in November. . and the club still had enough in the bank to sign .

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Brighton also sold forward Simon Adingra to Sunderland, and veteran defender Pervis Estupiñan to AC Milan, further feeding their war chest which is now $58.5M in the black. It would be even higher if not for the club’s acquisition of striker Charalampos Kostoulas (at $40M he could become the most expensive Greek transfer ever if he hits performance goals). Also impressive is that they’ve managed to keep hold of Kaoru Mitoma, fending off a raft of suitors for the Japanese winger.

Season Outlook

Brighton just missed out on European competition with an eighth place finish. The entire focus of this season will be on exacting revenge on rival Crystal Palace (whose FA Cup victory knocked them out) and to get to one of those coveted top six spots. My colleague Josep Packsten is down on Brighton but I am not. Outside of Manchest City, none of their first five fixtures feature any of the dominant PL clubs. I think they can continue their unbeaten streak (they last loss in April) through mid-September, though three of those will be draws.

Key Players

Forward We’ll see how quickly Charalampos Kostoulas can adapt to the PL’s pace and physicality. As he adjusts, Brighton will continue to rely on Danny Welbeck. The 34 year old turned back the clock last season, logging 11g/4a, his highest totals ever.
Midfield What an embarrassment of riches they have here! On paper the roster lists 23 in this position, only three of which are over 25. The critical players are: Kaoru Mitoma – He’s still one of the silkiest dribblers in the league. Facundo Buononotte – If the Argentian gets more than 10 contributions, watch him fly out of the AMEX on a big money transfer. Yankuba Minteh – This is probably the last year you’ll see Minteh in the blue and white stripes.
Defense This is still the Gulls’ weakest area, as eviced by the 59 goals they allowed last year (6th most in the league). Joël Veltman returning from injury will be a welcome sight. The same can be said for wing-back Tariq Lamptey. Jan Paul van Hecke will continue to hold down his center-back spot alongside Dunk.
Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen is touted by some analysts as one of the world’s most valuable goalkeepers, but he will need to be more consistent this season. Jason Steele is a solid backup.

Other Bits

Manager Fabian Hürzeler is younger than his team captain Lewis Dunk, but that hasn’t stopped him from orchestrating an outstanding team. He’s an energetic figure on the touchline, all bounce and passion.

Equally passionate, but not quite as public, is owner Tony Bloom. A professional poker player and sports bettor, Bloom has invested heavily in his boyhood club and ensured that his forays into multi-club ownership haven’t run afoul of the UEFA competition rules.