Brighton & Hove Albion

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Brighton scored all of their goals from set pieces as they fought back from 2-0 down to clinch a 4-3 win against Strasbourg to wrap up their week-long training camp in Austria.

The Ligue 1 side went two goals up inside the first 14 minutes thanks to Martial Godo and Samuel Amo-Ameyaw, before the Seagulls hit back with two goals in six minutes.

Pascal Gross needed a second bite at the cherry to convert his penalty, before assisting team-mate Olivier Boscagli from a free-kick for an important equaliser.

Brighton substitute Eiran Cashin, who has returned from his loan spell at Championship side Blackburn Rovers, headed in from a corner early in the second half to complete the comeback for Fabian Hurzeler's side.

"We took it a little bit too easy in the first minutes," Hurzeler said. "We weren't that intense but, after we went 2-0 down, we showed resilience and reacted well.

"We were good in possession, but out of possession we definitely have to improve the little details. It was a good test in the end."

The clubs agreed to play an additional 30 minutes at the end of the usual 90-minute behind closed doors fixture to give the players more game time.

Plenty more action ensued, with 21-year-old Ibrahim Osman converting a penalty for Brighton's fourth goal of the afternoon and Ghianny Kodia heading in for Strasbourg's third goal late on.

"It is very important that we are strong on set pieces, but of course we also want to have our own identity on the pitch as well and that is playing intense football," Hurzeler added.

"My message to the boys is to keeping working hard, I think that is the main bit. I was really pleased with how they worked this past week."

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"It is always sad to see a player and a person of his stature leave," says Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler following the announcement of Danny Welbeck's move to Chelsea.

The 35-year-old forward, who joined the Seagulls on a free transfer in October 2020, went on to make 201 appearances in all competitions - scoring 51 goals and contributing 18 assists.

"We are all sorry to see him go," Hurzeler said. "He has been a pleasure to work with from the moment I arrived at the club.

"His professionalism, attitude and commitment set the standard here every day - and he has been a fantastic support to me, personally.

"As well as the quality he brought on the pitch, he was an important leader within the squad and a role model for our younger players.

"We are grateful for everything he has done for the club and we wish him all the very best for the future."

Brighton chairman Tony Bloom added: "He has made an incredible contribution during his six years with the club.

"His performances, goals and experience played a key role in some of the most important moments in our recent history.

"I would like to thank him for his outstanding service and I wish him every success in the next chapter of his career."

Welbeck leaves Amex Stadium as the club's leading top-flight goalscorer, having helped Brighton achieve their highest-ever Premier League finish in 2022-2023 and having twice secured European football for the club.

Coventry City have agreed a club record deal worth an initial £22.5m deal to sign English goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, 25, from Brighton. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Rangers are interested in Coventry City winger Jahnoah Markelo, with Brighton's Amario Cozier-Duberry still a player of interest. (Rangers Review - subscription required), external

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Video assistant referees should only be used to change "blatantly incorrect" decisions and clear missed incidents, say European refereeing officials.

Chief refereeing officers from all 55 European national football associations met last week with Uefa refereeing officials and a representative from the International Football Association Board (Ifab) to address recent changes to the game's laws.

Attendees said "lengthy, microscoping reviews" indicate VAR has gone beyond its original scope.

When VAR was added to the laws of the game in 2018 by football's rulemakers Ifab, its "philosophy" was "minimum interference - maximum benefit", with the intention of reducing "unfairness caused by clear and obvious errors or serious missed incidents" relating to goals, penalties, direct red cards and mistaken identity.

Uefa said that at its recent meeting that refereeing bosses agreed a return to those original aims is needed.

"It was reiterated that, in accordance with protocol, VAR must only intervene in situations of 'clear and obvious' error, ie. when a referee decision is blatantly incorrect or when the referee has missed a clear incident," Uefa said in a statement.

"VAR is not meant to re-referee the game, it is an essential support to the referees, who must remain at the centre of all decision-making.

"Lengthy, microscoping reviews are often a symptom revealing that the decision on the field was not clearly and obviously incorrect, and should therefore be limited."

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We asked for your views on how Danny Welbeck's linked move to Chelsea has left you feeling and whether Brighton would regret selling their key forward.

Here are some of your comments:

Paul: A big blow, but, for the player, l understand his desire for one last move. I'd like to see a deal as a swap or loan for Liam Delap, who I think would fit in well at Brighton.

Bob: Chelsea are raiding us once again. Maybe we should just move to west London to make things easier for them. I can't blame him for wanting to finish his career with a decent pay rise but I'm worried about a replacement number nine. Just make them pay through the nose.

Raymond: I hoped Danny's future would be with the Seagulls as a player and coach. But if this is the right move for him, in many ways I wish him good luck and bon voyage. However, as we are spending more on higher transfers, we must look to our future and keep the talented players.

Pai: Sick and tired of Chelsea poaching our players. They should learn from Tony Bloom's plan and stop using us as a feeder club. If we want to be in the top six, we need to learn to say no.

David: As Danny is nearing the end of his playing career, it is essential he makes the most of his limited time left. A move to Chelsea would be financially beneficial and therefore understandable. A brilliant player for us, difficult to replace and if he goes, he does so with our best wishes and thanks.

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Another transfer window possibly means more business between Chelsea and Brighton.

In the past few seasons, the Blues have signed players including Robert Sanchez, Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella from the Seagulls - as well as manager Graham Potter and other coaches - but now Chelsea's attention is firmly on Danny Welbeck.

The 35-year-old only missed one Premier League game last season, and he had his best goalscoring season under Fabian Hurzeler in the league - scoring 13.

How has this news left you feeling? Do you think Brighton would regret selling their key forward to Chelsea?

Get in touch with your views here

Sevilla are willing to sell Ruben Vargas, 22, for 20m euros (£17m) with Brighton, Newcastle and Aston Villa among Premier League clubs interested in the 27-year-old Switzerland winger. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish), external

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English football is set to implement a trial to try to eradicate the goalkeeper tactical timeout this season, BBC Sport can reveal.

The Football Association, Premier League, English Football League, National League and Women's Super League have agreed on the measure, pending permission from the International Football Association Board (Ifab).

Earlier this year, Ifab decided against changing the law and invited leagues to volunteer for trials.

Pro Ref, led by chief refereeing officer Howard Webb, has been in discussions with the leagues to determine how to tackle the issue. It settled on a team having to remove an outfield player from the field.

If a referee signals that the physio can come on to treat a goalkeeper, the coach will have 10 seconds to nominate another player to leave the pitch for one minute, telling the fourth official of their choice.

If no player has been selected within 10 seconds, the captain must leave the field.

Read more on the trial

It says everything about Danny Welbeck that senior figures at Brighton were convinced England should have taken the veteran striker to the World Cup as a back-up.

Forget about his age. Welbeck featured in 37 out of Brighton's 38 Premier League games last season. His 13 goals put him joint-ninth in the list of top scorers, with only three Englishmen bettering that tally.

Those statistics show him to still be a top forward.

Then there is his overall game - his ability to hold the ball up, bring team-mates into play or buy his defence some valuable time.

Finally, there is Welbeck's presence behind the scenes. He is someone who drives standards, makes demands of team-mates; someone for younger players - of which Chelsea have plenty - to learn from.

Manchester United tried to bring him back to Old Trafford in the past but it did not quite work out. Welbeck is the kind of forward they need now.

But it is Chelsea who have acted first. One of the most surprising deals of the summer could turn out to be one of the most astute.

• Read more on Chelsea's move for Welbeck

Brighton's Carlos Baleba is being considered by Manchester United as they aim to strengthen their midfield. (Sky Sports), external

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Charalampos Kostoulas has a "big season" ahead of him, says former Brighton player Warren Aspinall.

Striker Kostoulas was signed for £29.78m from Greek side Olympiacos in the summer of 2025 and made 21 appearances last season, scoring twice.

However, the 19-year-old started just twice in the Premier League and once more in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

"It's a big season for Kostoulas," Aspinall told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast.

"Every time he appeared last season he did something, even if it was five minutes. I think we need to give him a good crack at the whip this time, take the shackles off him and let him go.

"He is chomping at the bit and I think he can be very good for Brighton this season. I think he's raw and has everything in him. He doesn't give the defender a minute's peace. We need a striker who can stretch teams and go over the top - we don't have that player.

"Fingers crossed Kostoulas comes to the party next season. If he could get 15 goals in all competitions I would be delighted. He just needs a run of games."

BBC Radio Sussex's Johnny Cantor added: "We've talked about this striker situation a fair bit, but maybe he needs that opportunity to grow into that role with Danny Welbeck.

"I like him. He's strong despite the fact he's not the tallest - it's difficult to get the ball off him.

"There are different ways of being a good striker and he's different to Welbeck."

Listen to the full episode of Albion Unlimited on BBC Sounds

Rangers are set to formalise their interest in Brighton's Amario Cozier-Duberry after Anderlecht had a £5m bid rejected and with Hull City, Paris FC, Red Bull Salzburg and West Ham also keen on the winger. (Simon Collings on X, external)

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Adam Webster has reflected on "the most enjoyable part" of his career, after his seven-year spell at Brighton came to an end on the expiry of his contract this summer.

Webster became the Seagulls' record signing when he joined from Bristol City in 2019, and went on to make 158 appearances for the club, missing last season with a serious knee injury.

Speaking exclusively to the Albion Unlimited podcast, Webster said: "It's a bit of a strange time to be honest. It's the first time in my career I've been a free agent, so it's a bit weird.

"It was a great seven years, I enjoyed every minute of it. It was certainly the most enjoyable part of my career and I absolutely loved it.

"I was delighted to be given the chance to play in the Premier League. It was a great show of faith by the owner. I was buzzing when Brighton signed me."

In Webster's time at the club, Brighton went from a newly-promoted side who had finished 15th and 17th in their first two Premier League seasons, to four top-half finishes, a best ever place of sixth, and two European qualifications.

"I always remember all of my goals as there weren't many!" Webster added when asked about his best moments.

"Some of the games we had - I look back on some of the games in Fabian's [Hurzeler] first season with really good memories. Last game of the season away at Spurs, and Newcastle away in the FA Cup especially.

"Then under Roberto [De Zerbi], we had quite memorable ones. We beat Wolves 6-0 at home, beat Manchester United 1-0 after the FA Cup semi defeat which was special.

"There are so many to name, so many games, so many good memories. We've had so many results against the big boys. We had a lot of special nights at the Amex.

"I always felt like I had a really good relationship with the fans. Got a bit of stick at times, but that's normal. I certainly had a good connection and they've always been really supportive, especially in the downs."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Manchester United remain keen to sign a central midfielder but have cooled their interest in Brighton's Cameroon international Carlos Baleba and Bournemouth's Guernseyman Alex Scott, both 22, because of their high price tags. (Teamtalk), external

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Now the dust has settled on the 2026 World Cup, you can officially review your Predictor results for the tournament.

If you played more than four rounds, BBC Sport has done a deep dive into your predictions, tournament performance and compared you to other players.

Don't worry, though, Predictor isn't stopping at international tournaments! Pre-season has kicked off and there are plenty of friendlies and European qualifiers to keep us occupied before the new season gets under way.

So how do you fancy your chances of correctly predicting the scores for our six selected matches every week?

BBC Sport has launched a new weekly Predictor game to cover the 2026-27 season, allowing users to pick what they think will be the result from six fixtures from across the leagues.

There will usually be a Friday deadline and the game will also feature streaks, so make sure to build it into your weekly football habits.

Lock in your first round of predictions before Friday, 24 July here

If you're wondering how to play, here are a few easy steps:

• Click on the link above to take you to the selections page.

• For every match, you either choose a winning team or select a draw - once your prediction has been submitted you won't be able to change it, so be sure to pick carefully.

• Then wait for the results to roll in to see how you have done.

• Share your results with your friends and family.

• Every consecutive round you play adds one to your streak, but if you miss a round then your streak will reset to zero.

Mohamed Moallim
BBC Sport Journalist

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The Premier League's financial landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade. Since 2016 total summer transfer spending has risen from £1.16bn to a record £3.19bn in 2025 – an increase of almost 175%.

On the surface, that suggests transfer figures are continuing to accelerate. Headline fees, though, tell only part of the story.

Research by Kieran Maguire and colleagues at the University of Liverpool suggests some of the Premier League's earlier record signings represented even greater investments when measured against clubs' buying power at the time.

Using Premier League broadcasting revenues as an index, Alan Shearer's £15m move from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United in 1996 remains the league's biggest transfer relative to clubs' spending power. Rio Ferdinand's £29.1m move to Manchester United in 2002 and Juan Sebastian Veron's £28.1m arrival at Old Trafford in 2001 also rank above any of this summer's blockbuster deals.

The same model suggests Trevor Francis' £1m move from Birmingham City to Forest in 1979 – English football's first £1m transfer – would equate to about £173m in today's market.

That does not mean the fees paid for Morgan Rogers, Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali were modest. Rather, it reflects how dramatically Premier League revenues have grown, allowing clubs to spend sums that would once have been unimaginable.

When Jack Grealish became Britain's first £100m footballer when joining City from Villa in 2021, the transfer marked another turning point in the evolution of the market.

Only five years later, nine-figure deals are no longer viewed as extraordinary. They have become a familiar feature of Premier League transfer windows.

The next milestone may not be far away.

While no Premier League club has yet paid £200m for a player, football's financial ceiling continues to rise and the first transfer of that magnitude no longer feels beyond the realms of possibility.

• Read more on transfer fee evolution

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We asked you to pick one player you would like to move on this summer and one realistic target you want Brighton to bring in before the transfer window shuts.

Here are some of your suggestions:

Joe: In: Defence seems sorted, but we need some more attacking depth - we don't really have a back-up for Mitoma and look a bit light on the wings. We were linked to El Mala, who looks like he fits the bill - can play across the forward line and scored 13 last season. Antonio Nusa would be a dream - although I expect the big guns will come in for him after the World Cup. Maybe us sending Gruda to Leipzig could swing it? Out: Surely Matt O'Riley's days are numbered? He was recalled from loan but failed to make a real impact and it seems Fabian doesn't fancy him. Best to cash in now!

Steve: Carlos Baleba was a shadow of the player we saw in the 2024-25 season so if Manchester United want him and the fee is fair then he should move on. I'd sign Harvey Elliott. He has the industry we need in midfield, scores goals and the fee would be OK.

DbH: Out - Baleba. He was shocking this year. He is a central midfielder and not having one goal involvement the whole year is not good enough. Sell him. In. We need a name that someone has heard of and will play well straight away rather than in two years. There is Marc Casado from Barcelona who would be good if Baleba left, or - and this might be a bit of a stretch - Jobe Bellingham from Dortmund.

Fran: We now have a lot of defenders but still showing no signs of signing a striker, which, considering we create and miss so many easy chances, I would have thought is a priority. I know they are not readily available, but surely there is a striker out there? We cannot rely on Danny Welbeck to carry us. Perhaps also a creative midfielder to open up defences. The rest of the squad looks good.

On the latest episode of Albion Unlimited defender Adam Webster exclusively reflects on his Brighton career.

The Albion Unlimited team also discuss the departure of Andrew Crofts and the future for all the Seagulls' keepers.

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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Andrew Crofts has left his position as Brighton assistant head coach to take on the same role at Tottenham as Roberto de Zerbi's's assistant.

The pair previously worked together during De Zerbi's spell in charge of the Seagulls.

Brighton sporting director Mike Cave said: "Andrew has been a fantastic member of the coaching staff in both our men's first team and the boys' academy, adding a huge amount of value to every role he has undertaken.

"While we are disappointed to see him leave, we understand that this is a fresh opportunity for him to challenge himself in a new environment.

"He is a great example of the pathway at the club for both our players and staff. We wish him the best of luck for the future."

Tottenham have also confirmed the appointments of Ali James (head of medical services), Tom Tombleson (head of athletic development) and Agostino Tibaudi (strength and conditioning coach).

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Thirty-four years ago a £13m transfer caused national outrage in Italy.

When AC Milan signed Gianluigi Lentini from Torino in 1992 for a then world record fee, newspapers called the deal "obscene", while the Vatican's official newspaper described it as "an offence against the dignity of work".

Today that fee would barely register among the Premier League's biggest transfers.

This summer alone Chelsea have agreed a club record £117m deal for Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest £116m for Elliot Anderson, and Tottenham spent a club record £100m on Sandro Tonali.

These are not the only major deals. Tottenham also agreed an £85m move for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes, Barcelona paid £69m to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United, and Manchester United spent £50m on Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos.

It is the first transfer window in Premier League history to produce three £100m-plus signings - and there are still weeks to go before deadline day on 1 September.

During the 2025 summer window English top-flight clubs spent a record £3bn.

So why are transfer fees continuing to climb? Why are clubs paying record sums for players already playing in England? And why are more clubs willing to sell some of their biggest stars?

Read more here on the big spending taking place in the Premier League