Season Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton will start the campaign under a new manager following the departure of Roberto De Zerbi in the summer.
By Sam McGuire
The 2023/24 campaign was a bit of a reality check for the Seagulls after a dream 2022/23 season. How they react to this will tell you all you need to know about the mentality of those at the Amex.
What happened last season?
At surface level, an 11th place finish isn’t anything to be ashamed of, especially when you consider Brighton were playing in the Europa League too. Juggling mid-week matches with Premier League football requires experience and a deep squad.
This was a learning curve for the Seagulls.
It was always going to be a struggle for Brighton to hit the heights of the previous campaign when they claimed a sixth-place finish and booked their European adventure. They lost Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo in the summer with the pair moving to Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.
A combination of summer signings not really settling in and injuries to key players limited what the Seagulls could do. So there are reasons for their underperformance, but these cannot be used as an excuse when you examine the situation a little more closely.
They started the season well with five wins from six and it appeared as though they were set to challenge for a top-six finish yet again. Some even had them down as a top-four contender.
The wheels quickly came off though and they went on to win just seven of their next 32 games. Yes, you read that right.
Brighton managed just seven wins across 32 games and picked up just 33 points in those matches. Without that early-season form, they may have been relegation contenders. Those opening five wins really did give them a much needed platform.
Whereas other summer signings struggled for De Zerbi, the arrival of João Pedro for a club-record fee worked out well. He ended as the club’s top scorer in the Premier League with nine. He’ll be hoping to build on that this season as the main man in attack for the Seagulls.
What has happened during the summer?
De Zerbi departed and despite being linked with Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, he ended up at Marseille. He was replaced by Fabian Hürzeler. The 31-year-old impressed with St Pauli in the second tier of German football and he seemingly fits the bill for Brighton. It is a brave, forward-thinking appointment.
They have been busy in the transfer market too, bringing in Malick Junior Yalcouyé, Ibrahim Osman, Yankuba Minteh and Mats Wieffer. It is too early to say whether or not this has been a successful summer but first impressions are these are very much perfect signings for the Seagulls and if they settle in, they’re going to be back on track.
Brighton have lost the influential Pascal Groß this summer to Borussia Dortmund. The 33-year-old will be a huge loss to Hürzeler. He finished with 10 assists last term, had the most goal involvements for the club (14) and finished with the highest FotMob average rating (7.47). He carved out 103 chances in the Premier League. For context, Pedro was second on this list with 38.
Ensuring he’s not missed as a creator or as an influential part of the squad will be key to their success.
What they should be aiming for next season?
Brighton need a positive showing. Another mid-table finish should be on the cards but expect them to be much more of a threat going forward. Expect them to be more consistent, fun to watch, and difficult to break down. They need to get out of the habit of losing. If all of that is achieved, it’ll be a success for Hürzeler. Anything more should be seen as a bonus.
Prediction: 10th
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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