Brighton & Hove Albion's seagulls attack the elite in the premier league
Brighton & Hove Albion have established themselves in the Premier League since 2017. With new coach Fabian Hürzeler, the club intends to challenge the Top Six in the Premier League
Brighton & Hove Albion soccer club has recently developed in a similar way to its own city of Brighton and the neighboring district of Hove. The coastal town on the English Channel, which is famous for its miles of beach promenade, has long been regarded as an excursion and weekend destination for people seeking a break from the hustle and bustle of London, just an hour's train ride away. But Brighton & Hove is now much more than just a tranquil and free-thinking vacation resort. The region is often singled out in the UK for its high quality of life due to its numerous recreational and sporting opportunities. And the local flagship football club Albion has also become a trendsetter for many other clubs in England.
Since being promoted to the Premier League for the first time seven years ago, Brighton & Hove Albion FC has steadily established itself in the league. The foundations were initially laid by coach Graham Potter, who turned the team into one of the most defensively complicated teams in the league during his tenure from 2019 to 2022. In the past two seasons, Roberto De Zerbi added a sophisticated style of play based on possession to the defensive strength. The German Fabian Hürzeler, who Brighton & Hove Albion acquired two months ago from Bundesliga promoted FC St. Pauli - for nine million euros, the highest transfer fee ever received by the Kiez club - is now expected to combine both approaches.
“We are top of the league”, cheer the fans of Brighton & Hove Albion
The plan looks promising after two Premier League matchdays: After the clear opening win at Everton, Brighton & Hove Albion also defeated record champions Manchester United on Hürzeler's home debut on Saturday lunchtime. The 2:1 (1:0), which João Pedro secured in stoppage time after a number of missed scoring opportunities, puts Albion well up the table. For a few hours, the club was even top of the league until Manchester City overtook them thanks to their one-goal better goal difference. “We are top of the league,” said the fans jubilantly about the unfamiliar league table. He didn't understand what they were singing, Hürzeler fibbed; he was “realistic, never euphoric”. The coach is already familiar with such rankings from the second division championship with St. Pauli. Next Saturday, Brighton visit Arsenal, who are also without a loss, for the top match.
In the clash with United, Albion - an old name for Great Britain and England respectively - impressed with the multi-faceted attacking soccer that one would have expected from their opponents. Their squad value of almost 900 million euros is around a third higher than that of Brighton & Hove Albion. The Independent pointedly analyzed that Brighton played to win, while United only tried to stay in the game. Hürzeler built on the ball circulation practiced by De Zerbi, with both sides sharing a similar style of play. But compared to his predecessor, he gave his team's combinations significantly more speed and determination.
Dynamic, innovative, adept: The coach's approach matches the club's direction
The quality of the team is primarily the result of its well-established team. Unlike in previous seasons, this time only one key player left the club, with DFB international Pascal Groß moving to Borussia Dortmund. The players complement each other both in terms of their footballing characteristics and their personalities. A talented player and a veteran always form a pair on the pitch, so to speak, in defense, on the right and left flanks, in midfield and up front. For example, Billy Gilmour and James Milner play alongside each other in the center: 23-year-old Gilmour is one of the most talented playmakers, while the strong Milner, at 38 the second oldest professional in the league, has his back.
The management has been running the club, which is owned by strategic gambling billionaire Tony Bloom, in a dynamic, innovative and accomplished manner for years. These attributes also apply to the way Hürzeler works, who has proven at St. Pauli that he can develop players and teams in equal measure. The 31-year-old is by far the youngest coach in the league's history. This is the first Premier League club to follow the trend that has started in Germany of increasingly relying on inexperienced coaches. Hürzeler has signed a contract at Brighton until 2027 and the Seagulls are planning to attack England's elite with him.
Against Manchester United, there was still no newcomer in the starting eleven
The ascent has already begun. In the transfer window so far, Brighton have already spent 170 million euros on player transfers, more than ever before. The club is in third place in the Premier League's spending list, ahead of only Chelsea FC and Aston Villa. The money was invested almost exclusively in talent: striker Georginio Rutter from Leeds United (47 million), winger Yankuba Minteh from Newcastle United (35 million), midfielder Mats Wiedder from Feyenoord Rotterdam and the heavily courted attacking player Brajan Gruda from FSV Mainz 05 (both 30 million).
Of the seven new signings who are to be carefully integrated into the squad, not a single one started against Manchester United. This demonstrates the future potential of the team. In order to be able to compete with the top clubs over the course of a season, consistency and squad depth are required above all, both of which Brighton & Hove Albion have repeatedly lacked. If Fabian Hürzeler now succeeds in implementing the club's and team's promising assets, Brighton could soon become a hotspot for soccer fans.