Brighton & Hove Albion

Matt Jones
BBC Sport journalist

After superb seasons in 2025-26, Brighton and Aston Villa begin what promise to be intriguing campaigns for both at Amex Stadium on Sunday (14:00 BST).

The Seagulls finished last term strongly, snatching a place in the Conference League as a result. While there is excitement about another continental adventure, it has been a busy summer of transfer activity for head coach Fabian Hurzeler to contend with.

The same can be said for Aston Villa, who will play Champions League football this term after their top-five finish and Europa League triumph. Head coach Unai Emery has lost a host of experienced players though, and replacing them will be a major test of his coaching acumen and the club's recruitment strategy.

Brighton rebuild at the back

For Brighton, the big challenge this season will be retaining their edge in both penalty boxes.

Danny Welbeck, who joined Chelsea for £5m this summer, will be a big loss from an attacking perspective. No Seagulls player has scored more in a Premier League campaign than the 13 goals he netted in 2025-26.

There has been a significant restructure in defence, though. After losing Jan Paul van Hecke to Tottenham, Brighton have splashed the cash on Luka Vuskovic from Spurs and Pascal Struijk from Leeds United, and also added Costinha and Michael Svoboda as defensive cover.

Van Hecke was crucial to the way in which the team played and replacing his work in possession could prove trickier than replicating his defensive influence.

Brighton tend to start seasons well, though, winning four and drawing one of their last five Premier League openers. By contrast, Villa have won just two of their last seven since returning to the top flight after being promoted from the Championship in 2020.

Changing of the guard at Villa?

Villa's summer transfer activity will not make it any easier to get off to a fast start, albeit there will be excitement about the business done.

In Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa, Emery has lost some core members behind the team's success in recent seasons. Meanwhile Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins have also been linked with moves away.

Players like Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes should go some way to plugging the gaps left by those who have moved on. But there is no doubt that Villa have a leadership and experience void to plug.

There will also be hope that some youngsters can help ease the transition. In the Super Cup, 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo caught the eye with a goal against Paris St-Germain – he became the youngest player to score for Aston Villa since Louie Barry netted against Liverpool in the FA Cup in January 2021 – while George Hemmings is also expected to play a more significant role in the coming weeks.

With plenty of transfer business still likely to be done at Villa Park and Emery's penchant for giving new arrivals time to bed in, both could be thrust into the Premier League action at the Amex.

Grace Wheeler
BBC Sport

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at American Express Stadium (kick-off 14:00).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• The boss gave us an update on his team news, he said: "Carlos [Baleba] and [Yankuba] Minteh, they won't be available. Then Kaoru [Mitoma] is still in his rehab, Stefanos Tzimas is still in his rehab, so therefore I think these four players, they will miss out. Besides that, we have no new injuries."

• Hurzeler spoke about the rumours linking Brighton midfielder Baleba with a move to Manchester United: "He is our player and I will never comment on any rumours that are currently in the media. It's also something I definitely can't control."

• On his players being linked with moves, he added: "There are rumours about the important players for us because they were a big part of the journey the last two years, but in football you all have to understand that it's normal if you're successful as a team, if the team is doing well, there's some good achievements then the individual can shine and then of course there will be a big ask for players. That's part of our identity, that's part of my job here. We also know that good achievements, big achievements, especially in the Premier League, you create offers, you create a lot of attention and so therefore we have to wait now."

• Hurzeler said changes across the Premier League mean his side must be well prepared, adding: "It will be very unpredictable, so we need to have a good start, we need to do the basic things right. I think this will be the key, that we know what is our foundation, what we need to be successful in the Premier League and hopefully we can manage it from the first second."

• On what to expect from the signing Promise David: "He is a great and very positive character. I think that's the first impression. Second of all, a goalscorer. He has goals in his body and in his mind and that's something that we definitely wanted to have. Today he will have his first session on the pitch with the boys and then hopefully he might be already involved against Villa."

• The Brighton boss is keen to evolve and become comfortable across competitions, stating: "We can learn from having more games, that we can grow into these moments where we play in several competitions. So that's what the club wants to do."

• He added: "That's what in general we see as a club as the next step. Hopefully we can qualify next week and then we're really looking forward for playing in several competitions. That means also new new challenges but we feel ready for that."

• The transfer deadline window is not over yet but Hurzeler seems content with the players he has: "I'm really happy with the squad. I love to work with the players we have and of course there are a lot of rumours at the moment, a lot of different circumstances, but me as a coach, I can only focus on that what I can control that's preparing."

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Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton secured a place in the Conference League by finishing eighth last season but with some better finishing, they could – and arguably should – have finished slightly higher.

Defensively the Seagulls were one of the best in the league. They conceded the fewest goals outside of the top two, while they also impressively ranked sixth for shots faced and fifth for expected goals against.

The attack was not quite so impressive, although they still ranked in the top half for both shots and xG. But, despite only five teams creating better chances on average, only five were worse at converting them.

As a result, the Seagulls scored six goals fewer than expected given the chances they had, with 52 scored from 57.8 xG – only four teams underperformed their xG by more.

If they can fix their finishing while maintaining their all-round performance from last season, then Fabian Hurzeler's men should have a strong campaign.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Thursday's Conference League play-off first leg between Tromso and Brighton.

Here are some of your comments:

Jon: First game of the season against a much fitter team and draw away from home - I think we should be content with that. We have to feel quietly confident for the home tie.

Chris: Looks like we've continued the end of last season with a poor showing in the final third against Tromso. Same goal-shy issues and chances wasted. The Villa game on Sunday now looks worrying.

Phil: Apart from attempts by Georginio Rutter and Ibrahim Osman, Brighton's shots on goal were no better than the average professional player - hit way too high over the bar. They dominated, but faced a well drilled defence. In that situation, something different and surprising needed to be tried. I doubt it will play out any different in the home leg, and I'm worried Tromso will win with the proverbial sucker punch.

Pete: Tricky first game with everything to lose away from home on an artificial pitch 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle! Goalless draw is not the worst result but the Seagulls will have to be sharp at the Amex next week and try and dominate early on.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler after a goalless leg in the Seagulls' Europa Conference League play-off: "I think we controlled the game but we weren't quick enough in possession. We still had a few opportunities, but I think overall Tromso defended well."

On Tromso's performance: "They had two big chances after transition moments [where] we have to defend better. Overall [they were] a tough opponent which is what we expected. I think we expected exactly how Tromso played. They defended well, very compact. They had a lot of players in their box who blocked the shots well, and they had a really good goalkeeper and were good in transition. We created opportunities, but in the end we have to be satisfied with a draw, although it's not the result we hoped for."

On the second leg at the Amex next Thursday: "Now we are looking forward to the opportunity to win the game in front of our own fans. There are certain aspects we have to improve against Tromso. Overall, like I said, they are a good football team so we will have to play on our highest level to win the game at the Amex."

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

In the Premier League last season, 13 of the 20 teams finished with between 40 and 60 points - the most in an English top-flight campaign since 2003-04 (also 13).

Was the Premier League so competitive in 2025-26 because the quality of the 'lesser' teams got better or the top teams got worse? It is hard to know for sure.

Given how savvy clubs like Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth are, the vast amounts of money that enable even bottom-half sides to sign the best talent from abroad and the Premier League's current dominance of the Europa League and Conference League, it would seem to be the former.

However, the fact that promoted play-off winners Sunderland were able to finish above 13 teams in their first season back suggests the league was maybe not as strong as we think.

What we do know is that whether because they got worse or their opponents got better, four of the sides that finished in the top seven in 2024-25 - champions Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest - took 79 points fewer between them last season.

While Forest's decline was perhaps expected given their incredible seventh-place finish in 2024-25 and their journey to the Europa League semi-finals last season, the others were far more surprising.

Sunderland and Leeds smashed the recent run of promoted sides struggling to compete by taking 64 more points than the teams they replaced in the top flight.

As a result, this season will be a bit of an upside-down one in that Bournemouth, Brighton and Sunderland have European campaigns to navigate while Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle do not.

Will we therefore see a bounce-back to the more 'traditional' order in 2026-27 or are we truly entering a new, fiercely-competitive era of the Premier League?

Read more on the Premier League's competitiveness

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Get in touch with your views here

Come back to this page on Friday to find a selection of your replies

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BBC Sussex journalist Johnny Cantor has said Brighton will "probably be looking for £70m" for midfielder Carlos Baleba, who is set to join Manchester United..

"There's certainly no surprise in terms of everybody on the south coast has known of the interest in Carlos Baleba from Manchester United and I think people know that the player himself is quite determined to get to Old Trafford as quickly as possible," Cantor told BBC Radio Manchester.

"Probably an indication of that is the fact that he seems to have agreed personal terms a long time ago. It's more a case of coming up with the right fee. It did feel like his form dropped a little bit when the interest came in and maybe his head was distracted, he is still quite a young man so that may have been inevitable.

"It's all about whether the price is right when it comes to Brighton and selling their best assets.

"£70m would probably be where they are looking for. Brighton never actually name a figure at all. They will have a figure in mind but they will not divulge it. Until that figure is met, they will not sell. That price may have dropped over the last year or so depending on his form but I think they will be looking for something around the £70m mark."

Cantor provided an update on Baleba saying his ankle ligament injury is "not too serious" so Manchester United shouldn't "be unduly concerned about his availability".

Cantor added: "He's an undoubted talent, people always talk about him as this sitting midfielder and I don't necessarily see him as that. He is actually very powerful, he likes to drive forward. The only question marks over him is his mentality. It's such a huge move. The question is, will he be able to handle that - the weight of the Manchester United shirt?

"I don't think all three parties will want this one to go on because they were pushing for it a good eight months ago so it will be interesting to see whether it finally gets over the line."

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Last season: 8th

This season: 9th

There is European football back at Brighton this season in the Conference League, and that will put added workload on Fabian Hurzeler's squad - but it will be relished at this well-run club.

Danny Welbeck's goals and experience will be a loss, along with the retired James Milner and Tottenham recruit Jan Paul van Hecke, but Brighton feel they have pulled off a special deal by signing young defender Luka Vuskovic from Spurs for £46m.

Pascal Struijk's arrival from Leeds adds defensive experience, and with plenty of quality elsewhere, Amex Stadium will again be an entertaining place to be this season.

• Read more of Phil's predictions

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

Teams in the bottom half of the Premier League in 2025-26 finished with more points than they had in years, meaning that judging them simply by their position in the table is perhaps a little harsh.

Everton may have been underwhelmed with their 13th-place finish but it was the most points a team in that position had finished with since the Toffees themselves in 1999-2000.

The points of the four places below them were all the highest they have been in the Premier League for 23 years and West Ham can consider themselves unlucky to have gone down with the highest points total for an 18th-placed side since 2010-11.

However, competition has come at a cost.

One place where the Premier League has become less competitive - because it has become more fiercely-contested overall - is at the very bottom.

While it is almost expected for one side to be cut adrift long before the end of the season, nowadays two sides are getting left behind.

The average points tally of the second-bottom side in a 38-game season is 31, meaning teams that finish there have usually competed in a relegation battle for most of the season before ultimately falling short.

After the Premier League was reduced to 20 teams in 1995-96, only two 19th-placed sides failed to reach 30 points in the first 21 seasons. But in the past decade, seven of the 10 sides to finish in that position have failed to do so.

In the past two seasons, promoted sides Ipswich and Burnley have both finished there with just 22 points - the fewest ever taken by a second-bottom side.

Relegation battles are now mostly a fight to see who takes the final spot in the bottom three, with the other two accounted for long before the final day - often by promoted sides.

But inspired by the survival of Sunderland and Leeds, promoted trio Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City will all be hoping they have what it takes to match the competitiveness of the Premier League this season.

Read more on the Premier League's competitive numbers

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler and captain Lewis Dunk have been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa Conference League qualifier against Tromso at Romssa Arena (kick-off 18:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from Hurzeler's news conference:

• Carlos Baleba – the subject of an approach from Manchester United – Kaoru Mitoma and Stefanos Tzimas are doubtful starters due to injury and Yankuba Minteh is out.

• There could be starts for new signings Pascal Struijk, Luka Vuskovic and Promise David.

• Hurzeler says Tromso's style of play is "very impressive", particularly the intense nature of their press.

• He urged his side to take the final step in qualifying for the Conference League: "There's a big opportunity for us. The boys worked hard through the whole of last season and we went through a lot of highs and lows together, but we always showed resilience. This is the reward and now it's up to us that we will finish this work by being successful in these two games."

And Seagulls captain Dunk told reporters:

• The club's players have paid for a refund of tickets for the 407 fans travelling to the game in northern Norway. Gifts of scarves and t-shirts will also be issued to travelling supporters.

• He said: "The fans didn't know where they were going until the last minute. It's a long trip for the them, last minute to organise. We thought we want to start the season off well for the fans and make a gesture by refunding their tickets as a group. "Hopefully the fans appreciate this gesture from the players and it's a good start to a good season with them and we can all enjoy it along the way."

• Dunk also played down the significance of Tromso's artificial pitch, stating: "The ball bounces and moves differently to playing on grass, but 80% of the squad probably grew up playing on that. Hopefully, with a bit of water on it, the ball will move quickly."

Got a question about Brighton? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on the signing of Promise David and Brighton's transfer approach this summer.

Here are some of your comments:

Adam: This seems to be a very good signing and his record looks very good. My only real concern is Fabian Hurzeler has a habit of leaving new signings out for them to 'gain experience' in the Premier League. We don't really have any time to wait and see after the exit of Danny Welbeck. I just hope he's really good and bags lots of goals. Also, I hope Chelsea give us at least a season before trying to sign him...

Steve: Potentially a very good signing and a much-needed striker. Overall, we appear to have made some decent acquisitions, but we have also lost quality and, as I write, rumours have emerged that Manchester United are in negotiations for Carlos Baleba, who in my opinion, would be a major loss. Maybe best to wait until the window is closed to pass judgement!

Colin: Signing Promise David on loan with a commitment to buy if the player reaches certain targets has all the potential to be a brilliant bit of risk-free business. Having seen his goal reels, he certainly looks very quick, direct and strong and doesn't appear to go down at the slightest touch.

Fran: At last we get a striker. I know we are in Europe, but do we really need all those defenders, and will they be happy being on the bench as we cannot play them all? I still think we need a creative midfielder who can open up defences. I watched the friendlies and I thought we looked solid at the back. Tidy in midfield but a little light up front! Still, I am looking forward to the new season.

Bob: With our European campaign looming, I think we need to retain as many players as we can. With the increase in games, we will inevitably suffer from injuries. The larger the squad, the better the chance of competing in both the Conference League and the Premier League.

In this week's episode of Albion Unlimited from BBC Radio Sussex, Johnny Cantor was joined by Norwegian football expert Guillermo Munoz to look ahead to Brighton's trip to Tromso in the Conference League on Thursday.

Munoz said: "Currently Tromso are third in the top division of Norwegian football. They have a firm chance in the title race, having lost just three of their 17 league matches so far.

"They're well organised and are quite tactically versatile. Their current head coach, Jorgen Vik, has outlined their strategy quite clearly: establishing a defensive threat from behind with a goalkeeper who is comfortable with his feet, finding free players and launching attack after attack."

Cantor then asked about Tromso's continuing form despite losing one of their top goalscorers to Hull City, Jens Hjerto-Dahl.

"It's not just Jens, their whole squad has taken a serious hit," Munoz said. "They've lost two important centre-backs, as well as their 20-year-old home-grown jewel to Hull City. He was more than just goals; he connected the midfield and attack."

So are Tromso looking to benefit from a home advantage against Brighton? And will many Tromso fans make the trip to Brighton for the second leg?

Munoz added: "When it comes to the artificial pitch, I think it's going to be interesting because it's definitely been a popular topic in Europe. The ball can travel in a number of directions, the bounce might be slightly different, the game might have a faster pace.

"I think Brighton, as Premier League players, are more than able to adapt to it. I think the issue is just not that Brighton players can't adapt, it's Tromso's familiarity with it.

"They're definitely one of the best-supported teams in Norway, they have a dedicated fan group. Brighton is a Premier League club, it's close to London.

"Many Tromso fans were probably watching the Premier League before they got into Norwegian football, so there should be a good number of fans coming."

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton sporting director Mike Cave says latest summer signing Promise David is a player the club has been "watching for some time".

The 25-year-old joins on a season-long loan from Union Saint-Gilloise, with the deal including an obligation to buy if certain criteria are met.

Promise has made 82 appearances for the Belgian Pro League side, scoring 41 goals and providing nine assists, since signing in July 2024.

"He is someone we have been watching for some time," Cave said. "He is an out-and-out striker who possesses outstanding physical attributes and a track record of scoring goals.

"His experience at international level and in European competition will hopefully prove valuable this season.

"At 25 years old, he is entering his prime playing years and we are excited to see him continue to develop in our environment."

Promise has scored four goals in 12 appearances across the Champions League and Europa League, while also representing Canada at the 2026 World Cup.

Are you happy with Fabian Hurzeler's new addition? How do you feel about Brighton's transfer approach this summer?

Get in touch with your views here

Eli Junior Kroupi, Igor Thiago and Nico O'Reilly were among the breakout stars who made their mark on the Premier League last season - but who will be next?

BBC Sport's TV and radio commentators have picked 13 players they believe are worth watching out for over the next few months.

Brighton's Luka Vuskovic is on the list ...

Image source, PA Media

Name: Luka Vuskovic Age: 19 Position: Centre-back Country: Croatia

Steve Wilson: Playing for just over an hour at the World Cup for Croatia would have come as a disappointment to the teenager, who had just enjoyed a stellar season at Hamburg on loan from Tottenham.

Brighton knew what they were doing when they made signing Vuskovic a condition of selling Jan Paul van Hecke to Spurs. Not only was he one of the best young defenders in Germany last season, he was also the Bundesliga's top-scoring centre-back.

Vuskovic looks ready to come straight into top-flight action, and how many signings do Brighton get wrong?

Find the full list of possible breakout stars here

Wolves have entered the race for Brighton winger Amario Cozier-Duberry, 21, with the England under-20 international remaining a target for Rangers and former loan club Bolton. (The Argus), external

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