Brighton & Hove Albion

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

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Last season, the Premier League was arguably more competitive than it has been for years.

While the 65 points between champions Arsenal and bottom side Wolves was around the average for a 38-game season (63), a real revolution took place in mid-table.

Since the league was reduced to 20 teams in 1995-96, the gap between the top four and the bottom three – between what has often been the Champions League and the Championship – had been increasing as the seasons went by, with the 'bigger' clubs profiting from their European adventures and the extra money they earned by regularly finishing higher in the table.

But last season, the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' of the Premier League dropped from 44 points in 2024-25 to just 26 points – the smallest distance for 23 years (since 25 points in 2002-03).

The European places were more attainable than they had been for years. Despite taking a point fewer than when they finished seventh the season before, Aston Villa clinched Champions League qualification by finishing two places higher.

While Liverpool took the 'bonus' Champions League place by finishing fifth, their points total of 60 was the lowest by a side finishing there for 19 years and would have put them ninth in 2024-25.

Bournemouth and Sunderland also took full advantage of needing fewer points than normal by qualifying for European competition for the first time ever and for over half a century respectively.

Read more on the Premier League's competitive numbers

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Brighton's new signings need some "time to adapt" to the team but have shown what they are capable of in pre-season, says Albion goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

The Albion beat Bologna in a pre-season friendly on Saturday and kick off their season on Thursday with a Europa Conference League play-off tie against Tromso.

"The club is feeling good, the group is feeling strong," Verbruggen told BBC Radio Sussex. "Obviously with some new players and the players that left you need some time to get to know each other and adapt to each other.

"The young players who have been here will get called up a little bit more now than last season and that's very good news for them. I think they showed a good, fresh impression and for the new players, I think they did really well. They're all great characters and great players and the game [against Bologna] showed why they're capable of playing for our team.

"Vuskovic has really impressed me. He's only 19-years-old and he plays very mature. He's a great guy, everybody loves him and I think the quality he showed on the pitch is very, very high so, very positive and I look forward to spending more time with him."

Head Coach Fabian Hurzeler also spoke to BBC Radio Sussex, and confirmed Yankuba Minteh's injury will keep him out of action for a while.

"He will miss for a long period and it's definitely a problem for us because he is a key player but we will find a way to manage this," Hurzeler said. "Beside that we don't have many injury concerns, we had some unlucky injuries you can't avoid happening in a contact sport, but overall we were quite smooth for pre-season.

"We seem to be in a good place but now we have to prove it on the pitch and we will see in serious competitions where we are but overall it's positive so let's go."

Hear more from Hurzeler below or on BBC Sounds here

Listen to Verbruggen's full interview

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Brighton concluded their pre-season campaign with a 1-0 win over Serie A side Bologna at The Amex Stadium on Saturday.

After a quiet opening half, Jack Hinshelwood scored the only goal just before the hour mark by flicking home a Mats Wieffer shot from close range.

Fabian Hurzeler's side sign off from pre-season with a 100% record as they now prepare for Thursday's Conference League play-off first leg against Tromso in Norway.

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Brighton midfielder Diego Gomez says he is "very happy" at Amex Stadium after committing his future to the club by signing a new five-year contract.

The 23-year-old, who joined the Seagulls in January 2025, has racked up 56 appearances and scored 11 goals in all competitions.

He has also featured 20 times for Paraguay at international level, including four starts at this summer's World Cup.

"This is a great club where I've been made to feel like I'm at home," Gomez said. "Last season - my first full season - was fantastic for me.

"I'm very happy here. That's what made me want to sign a new contract at the club. I want to thank all of the fans, they always support me and always chant my name, which makes me feel very proud.

"Of course, I'm going to do the best I can at all times and leave everything on the pitch this season. I will do everything I can to win something with this club."

Sporting director Mike Cave added: "He has been an important player for us since his arrival and we are pleased to have secured his long-term future.

"He has adapted to Premier League football seamlessly and embedded himself as a key player in the squad.

"We believe he will continue to develop this season and be an important player for us in achieving our goals this season and beyond."

Serie A side Genoa are interested in signing striker Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton. (Talksport), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Brighton and Cameroon midfielder Carlos Baleba is a target for Newcastle as they look to replace Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes and Italian Sandro Tonali. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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It is common practice these days for transfer fees to have performance-based add-ons. The theory is the selling club gains more if the player goes on to be extremely successful, while the buying club is to some extent protected financially if the transfer doesn't work out.

In some cases, the total value of add-ons is significant - Real Madrid could end up paying an extra £30m to Borussia Dortmund for Jude Bellingham depending on how successful he is over the course of his career in the Spanish capital, for example.

In others, like the potential £1.7m worth of add-ons Brighton's £29.78m signing of Greece Under-21 forward Charalampos Kostoulas, are less significant.

Clubs sometimes say add-ons are 'easily achievable' or 'difficult'.

Easier-to-achieve add-ons can include things like making a basic number of appearances, or scoring a certain amount of goals. Add-ons can also be attached to a team's success rather than the individual player's - a club may agree to an add-on requiring an extra payment if they qualify for Europe, for example.

Others can be more ambitious - tied to extreme levels of individual or collective success, like winning the Champions League or the Ballon d'Or.

An example of the difficulty add-ons can present when discussing valuations would be the claims made in the Portuguese media in 2022 that the first additional payment in Darwin Nunez's £64m-plus-add-ons move from Benfica to Liverpool was triggered by the Uruguayan making just 10 appearances.

Then Liverpool boss Arne Slot rejected speculation he had not started Nunez in some games because it would trigger an additional payment.

Whether Liverpool paid more for Nunez, or club captain Virgil van Dijk - for whom they paid a flat fee of £75m to Southampton in 2017 - cannot be determined without knowing exactly what add-ons were included in the Nunez deal, then figuring out which conditions he has and has not met.

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To celebrate 125 years of the Albion, the club's 14-year journey from homelessness and near closure to a new community stadium is charted in this special documentary by BBC Radio Sussex.

Listen to The Road to Falmer below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Brighton content on BBC Sounds

Listen to every Brighton game live on BBC Radio Sussex, with all the build-up and full commentary with Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall, and there is a full preview of all Seagulls' matches on Fridays at 18:00 in The Weekend Warm-up

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Former defender Adam Virgo talks to Albion Unlimited after Brighton beat Roma 3-0 in a pre-season friendly: "I've been in pre-season games before where I've had successful pre-seasons and not a lot of injuries and plenty of wins and plenty of goals and then we go into the first game of the season and end up losing.

"It's just swings and roundabouts and I know there's a lot more detail in the pre-seasons now with your fitness levels and your minutes and what you can and can't do.

"When I saw the announcements of Roma and Bologna being two pre-season friendlies in the build-up to the Premier League season, I thought, yes, they're good fixtures to have.

"Two well-respected teams, two very good teams, even though you probably didn't see that from Roma on Saturday.

"I think I kind of like those games because it gives you a good indication of where you are at sometimes."

He continued: "I thought that the performance was solid. I thought there's periods of the play in the first half where Brighton were decent, but then there was other times where I felt apart from the goal that they could have taken a shot on a little bit earlier rather than the extra pass.

"There was little performances in the middle which I thought were decent and I thought the goals were taken very well and it was a solid performance.

"I listened to Fabian afterwards and he was very, very happy and I could certainly understand that and getting some minutes for some youngsters coming on, but then your kind of core players doing a decent job pre-season, not necessarily going at fifth gear, but getting through those minutes and having a decent performance along the way."

Listen to Albion Unlimited below or on BBC Sounds here

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Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross has been speaking to Albion Unlimited after the 3-0 pre-season win over Rome.

The 35-year-old told BBC Radio Sussex: "Yes, I think it was a good friendly against a good opponent. I think it's really important pre-season you feel your legs, you feel you want to suffer a bit as well. You want to feel the blow and go over it.

"That's what you need, that you feel game ready for the first game and also building connection with players. Sometimes some players going out, some new coming in. You have a chance to build connection, you have a chance to build a good feeling.

"I think that's what pre-season is about. Obviously a good test, a good win. You want it that way, but in the end, the first game will be totally different."

As one of the most senior players at the club, Gross discussed his role in welcoming new signings, Luka Vuskovic, Costinha, Michael Svoboda and Sadat Yohanna.

He explained: "It's an important role. I want to help them to feel at home as fast as possible.

"I always say, when you feel welcome, when you feel home, you're more in your comfort zone. When you're in your comfort zone, it's the best chance you bring out your best version of yourself as a football player.

"They must also adapt to the culture, adapt to our identity. We are a club with a clear identity. We welcome these boys very much."

On the upcoming games Gross said: "I feel good. I think we're in a good state.

"You can be as good as you want on the friendly list. That doesn't mean you start well and also the opposite way around. But we want to get a good feeling. We want to grow.

"So we need to be there fully ready. But we try to prepare. We have two weeks. I'm very, very positive."

Listen on the link below or on BBC Sounds here

Brighton eased past Roma on Saturday and so the latest episode of Albion Unlimited from BBC Radio Sussex assesses the fine pre-season win.

Albion Midfielder Pascal Gross and ex Seagulls defender Adam Virgo have their say on preparations for the season to come.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Brighton content on BBC Sounds

Listen to every Brighton game live on BBC Radio Sussex, with all the build-up and full commentary with Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall, and there is a full preview of all Seagulls' matches on Fridays at 18:00 in The Weekend Warm-up

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Brighton's record signing Luka Vuskovic says "it was very nice" to make his home debut at Amex Stadium in the friendly against Roma.

The centre-back featured in the first half before being replaced for the second by club captain Lewis Dunk.

"A clean sheet is the most important thing for me as a defender, but I think we played very good as a team," Vuskovic told BBC Radio Sussex. "The last two or three weeks that I've been here have been really nice and I am enjoying my time here.

"All the guys accepted me really well, so did the coaching staff and the other people at the club.

"I think we are a really good group of young people and we can only grow as players and humans. I think this will be a really good season for us."

Head coach Fabian Hurzeler added: "He's very mature for his age so he adapts quickly and understands quickly. If a player can understand quickly then it shows they have real quality.

"He will be an important player for us. This is just the first step as there are things that he needs to improve, but he has the right mindset and attitude.

"He is a big threat as he scored a lot of goals at his previous club, so that will help us with set pieces which have been very important for us in the Premier League."

Listen to Hurzeler's full interview on BBC Sounds here and Vuskovic's chat by pressing play below

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Brighton continued their pre-season preparations with a fine 3-0 win over Roma at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.

Gerorginio Rutter put the Seagulls in front on the half hour mark with a spectacular curling effort from 20 yards before Yasin Ayari scored either side of half time to secure the win.

Record signing from Tottenham Luka Vuskovic impressed in the centre of Fabian Hurzeler's defence, while fellow new arrivals Costinha and Zadoc Yohanna also featured as second half substitutes.

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Brighton have confirmed Facundo Buonanotte has joined La Liga side Elche on a season-long loan.

The 21-year-old attacker joined the Seagulls from Rosario Central in January 2023 and has made 50 appearances, scoring five goals.

Buonanotte spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Leicester City, and was loaned to Chelsea then Leeds last season.

Brighton Sporting director, Mike Cave said: "Facundo is a talented young player who has continued to develop since joining the club. This loan gives him the opportunity to play regular football in one of Europe's top leagues.

"We believe this move will provide an excellent environment for him to gain further experience, and we'll continue to monitor his progress closely throughout the season."

Johnny Cantor
BBC Radio Sussex reporter

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There was a generally positive feel to this season's Fans' Forum and it was no surprise the issue of Danny Welbeck's departure was seized upon straight away. There was also a fair amount of concern of the loss of so much experience on and off the pitch over the summer.

A resolute response indicated a full focus on pushing forward, accepting the realities of the Premier League and stiff resolves in the decision making by the club in its transfer and retention policy.

The name checking of young players, a desire to do well in the Conference League and changes to the Amex Stadium were also discussed in a pacy, fun evening. The event is as good as its questions and there were plenty of interesting topics under the microscope.

Below you can read several questions and answers from the night.

You can listen to the Fans Forum in full on BBC Sounds here or hit play below.

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In the final instalment of the Brighton Fans' Forum, Paul Barber answers a question on matchday ticketing and Fabian Hurzeler explains how he keeps a harmonious team.

Question: What work is being done to stop away fans from getting tickets in the home end? It stops proper fans getting tickets.

Paul Barber answered: "Unfortunately, a large proportion of those tickets are being sold by Brighton fans. So the first thing we've got to do is take care of ourselves and not do that.

"We've made it very clear that if home fans sell tickets on the black market then it creates tension in the stadium and it makes fans upset.

"There's another percentage of people that may live locally and buy memberships. It's very difficult for us as a club to determine that those people aren't fans of other clubs. It's only when they out themselves that we can take any kind of action.

"The largest majority will be our own fans selling them on. We have to stop doing that because it doesn't help the team."

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Question: The club has brought in three centre-halves so are you intending on playing a different way this season? Or with the news Carlos Baleba is injured, will one of them be playing in the midfield? If not, how will you keep everyone happy?

Fabian Hurzeler answered: "It's a big challenge for a coach to make everyone happy.

"You have to be clear that in certain moments you will disappoint players, but how you can handle that is with honesty.

"We were quite successful with a back four, but I don't want to work that much with formations. I work with principles because no matter if you play a back four or five, they have to deal with situations. If they can do that then it gives me the flexibility to change the formation.

"We will stick to the back four, but we have the flexibility which is a great situation to have as a coach.

"In regards to the injury to Carlos [Baleba], I am hopeful that it is not that bad and that we will see him back on the pitch quite soon. You don't need to worry that much about him."

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Deputy chairman Paul Barber answered two questions from the audience on this summer's transfer activity during the live Brighton Fans' Forum.

Question: Solly March is possibly going to Crystal Palace and Adam Webster and Danny Welbeck have gone. It's like we're pushing these older players, who are leaders, out and replacing them with inexperienced younger players. Why the change?

Paul Barber answered: "It's football and it's what happens unfortunately. Players can't play forever or at the level we need them to forever.

"We have to make tough decisions and it's never easy. Fans - and I am one too - become attached to players and it's an emotional attachment, but our job is to be unemotional, focused and pragmatic.

"We have to give Fabian the squad that we think, and he thinks, can cope this season in four competitions.

"It's one that you're going to have to trust us on."

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Question: Do you foresee any more incomings, especially to replace Danny Welbeck? Or will there just be more outgoings?

Paul Barber replied: "Maybe and maybe! We don't talk about business that we might do because it's a fool's game.

"What we do know is that we have a big squad already. The players that we have brought in aren't all young. There are some in their mid-twenties and the youngest played in the World Cup this summer.

"We have a great squad around them who have experience as well - like Lewis Dunk, Pascal Gross and Bart Verbruggen.

"The most important thing is to have a balanced squad and players who we think will be fit and available for three games a week.

"The balance is always going to be difficult to strike."

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In the third instalment of the Brighton Fans' Forum, which was live on BBC Radio Sussex on Thursday. Fabian Hurzeler and Paul Barber answered questions from fans around next season's European campaign.

Question: How well do you think the team are going to adapt to playing European football this year as well as balancing the Premier League?

Fabian Hurzeler replied: Statistically, the teams who have to play in Europe might finish a little bit lower in the league than expected.

I want to face this challenge by having a really good and strong squad. We have a bigger squad than last season and one that is capable of playing three times a week.

We see it as an opportunity to give more players the chance to play. Young players need time to develop, but they can only develop by having more game minutes.

We are really excited by this opportunity and to express our style as a club in Europe.

Paul Barber added: I think you guys [the fans] can play a massive part in helping us because if we can get the stadium full and rocking for every European game then that will help carry the players.

It will carry us through the games. You can make the difference.

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Question: Can Brighton win the Conference League this season? I think we can.

Fabian Hurzerler replied: Well if you think we can win it, then I also do!

To play every three days is definitely a challenge and then there is the travel and the emotions for the players.

I think it's important that we stay together. You, the supporters, were a big part in us reaching Europe.

I think we have the squad to compete and achieve things, but we all have to stick together. It's your support and our hard work.

What I can promise, is that every single player, me as the coach and the coaching team, will do everything we can to bring something home that we can celebrate.

Don't forget, you can listen to the full forum on BBC Sounds

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In the second instalment of the fans' forum, head coach Fabian Hurzeler was asked about why he chose to join Brighton and deputy chairman Paul Barber reflected on his favourite Brighton memory.

Fan question: You're in your third season at Brighton, but what inspired you to come here? Was it because you loved the football, or the fact we're a one-club city?

Hurzeler answered: Brighton is known for being a very well run club, with good structure, a great owner, CEO, and others who are responsible for the club.

I was a young coach, and still am, but a young coach needs to believe and to trust. To learn from those around him, adapt, and have time to solve issues.

I thought this would be the right move for me. A club where I can express my ideas and fulfil my beliefs. But there have also been times of adversity and that's when you need the trust from the owner and CEO.

I felt after my first meetings with Paul [Barber] and Tony [Bloom] that we had a really good connection and I believed in the structure.

The second reason [for joining] being that it was the Premier League and it's the best league in the world.

Since I've arrived, I have identified myself within this club and the city.

I need to feel welcome and for it to feel like home, and Brighton has some similarities to Hamburg.

All those reasons made it easy for me to join this great club.

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Fan question: The Albion have just celebrated their 125th anniversary. What has been your favourite memory whilst being Deputy Chairman, and why?

Barber answered: That is a very nice question. I suppose my favourite memory would be broken down into two parts.

The first has to be getting into the Premier League, because when I first met Tony Bloom 15 years ago he painted that vision to me. He asked if I could put the club into shape and structure to do it and that was the one thing that excited me about joining this club.

To achieve that after five years was just fantastic. To see you all out there on the pitch celebrating - even though I asked you all to not do it - was one of the best moments of my life.

The second was when we re-calibrated the vision, from not just being in the Premier League, but in European competition. Achieving it by finishing sixth in the Premier League and now qualifying for it again is really special.

They are my real highlights and I'm so glad that in both cases the fans were really able to enjoy those, especially after all those years when you fans had to put up with some pretty baron times. That's the beauty of football.

Come back to this Brighton page throughout Friday to find more questions and answers