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By Neel Shelat
Brighton & Hove Albion have been one of the most interesting clubs in the English Premier League in recent years. Ever since they hired Graham Potter in 2019, they have adopted a forward-thinking and eye-catching style of play, matched by some equally brilliant recruitment as they have a great track record of unearthing hidden gems around the world, developing them and ultimately selling them on to the top teams for manifold profits.
That is probably the best approach that a team with little top-flight history and a limited budget can use to establish themselves as Premier League regulars. However, it obviously has a relatively low ceiling. A side that loses its best players every summer and only replaces them with young talent who need time to integrate and develop can hardly go too far beyond the mid-table positions.
That was the position Brighton found themselves in in the early 2020s, though they did manage an impressive 6th-place finish in 2022/23 to earn their first-ever ticket to Europe. The financial boost that gave them – and more importantly the profits they made thanks to some huge sales in the last couple of years – set them up for a big summer in 2024. On the other side of it, their long-term target should be moving a step up and establishing themselves as consistent European contenders.
Blockbuster transfer window
Brighton’s transfer spend this summer was nothing short of astronomical. They made as many as nine new signings, spending a total of around €230 million on transfer fees alone. That is over double their previous seasonal transfer spend record, which they only set in 2023/24.
As ever, the Seagulls did not spend a crazy amount on any individual player but instead wisely split their budget. They did smash their transfer record with the signing of Georginio Rutter from Leeds United for €47 million but also brought in Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Brajan Gruda, Ferdi Kadıoğlu and Matt O’Riley for about €30 million each. All of them were already established players at top-level European clubs, which is why Brighton had to pay high fees for them, by their own standards. Of course, that investment is justified because all of these players almost instantly improve the quality of their first team squad and do not need as much careful development as their more typical signings.
At the same time, the Albion have not forsaken their trademark approach as the signings of Malick Yalcouyé for €7 million from Göteborg and Ibrahim Osman for nearly €20 million from FC Nordsjælland highlight. However, with their squad already full of more polished players, they have opted to loan them out rather than instantly oversee their development in England.
Dynamic attacking
Perhaps the most important signing of the summer for Brighton was not a player but head coach Fabian Hürzeler. The 31-year-old German tactician only had a year and a half of experience in such a role at the professional level, but his impressive work in getting St. Pauli promoted to the Bundesliga was enough for the Seagulls to take a punt on him.
So far, that is proving to be a masterstroke. Despite a tough run of fixtures to start the season that has seen them visit Arsenal and Chelsea already besides hosting Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton are sixth in the table having tasted defeat just once. Their eye-catching attacking play has been a big part of their success, as they have averaged nearly two goals per game so far.
Hürzeler has liked his side to keep more of the ball as their possession average in the league is currently at 59%, but they are not stale by any stretch of the imagination. Thanks to dynamic and direct forwards such as Kaoru Mitoma, Simon Adingra, Minteh, Rutter and João Pedro, Brighton can test opposition defences at any time from almost anywhere.
This is a significant shift from their more intricate possession-play under Roberto De Zerbi, but it should be more effective against lower blocks in particular. Against higher-quality opposition, this approach will tend to result in thoroughly entertaining end-to-end games such as their 3-2 win over Tottenham last weekend, 4-2 loss to Chelsea in September, and 2-1 win over Manchester United earlier in the season.
Defence could determine Brighton’s fate
While Brighton’s high-octane approach results in lots of goals and great viewing, it does leave their defence exposed rather too often. The goals conceded in those results should indicate that, as does their xG conceded tally.
While some of the issues they face in transition can be mitigated by improving their defensive setup, Brighton will ultimately have to settle with conceding some chances as a trade-off for their attacking creation. The bigger and more pressing issue, then, is the chances they concede in their settled out of possession setup.
Like many German coaches, Hürzeler encouraged his side to press high up the pitch with serious intensity. He is prepared to commit his midfielders forward to support the attackers’ efforts, leaving the back four exposed. Moreover, even after the opponents break the first wave of pressure, they tend to maintain an incredibly high line in a bid to squeeze the space between the lines and generate midfield turnovers.
Of course, if not perfectly coordinated, this high line is prone to being breached quite badly. So far, Brighton haven’t done a great job in this respect as many of their opponents have found joy in behind their defence – most notably Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Brighton’s attacking approach and player quality means goalscoring will almost certainly not be an issue for them, so how well their defence holds up could well be the key to their chances of competing for the European spots. Whether they shore things up through more training or a couple of tweaks remains to be seen, but they will need to improve if they are to remain in the top six come the end of the season.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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