Read our 2026/27 season preview for Brighton & Hove Albion as the Seagulls look forward to a second European adventure with the possibility of silverware at the end of it.
Brighton were nervously looking over their shoulder in mid-February as defeat to Aston Villa extended their torrid run to one win in 13 matches, and sections of the Amex faithful were eager to see Tony Bloom wield the axe on Fabian Hurzeler.
But the Seagulls supremo kept faith and Hurzeler, who remains the youngest Premier League manager at 33, turned the tide to secure qualification for the Conference League - even if at one stage it felt like the Europa League was theirs for the taking.
Key question
Can Hurzeler balance European commitments with Premier League demands?
There have been numerous case studies which outline a noticeable decline in Premier League performances when a team is competing in Europe.
Aston Villa were an exception last term as Unai Emery's men capitalised on a strong start to the season to finish fourth before rounding off their campaign with Europa League glory.
Newcastle United and the team that shall not be named (Crystal Palace) both demonstrated the pitfalls of challenging on the continental stage whilst maintaining performances in the Premier League.
Brighton themselves are experienced, having finished 11th in 2023/24 whilst competing in the Europa League for the first time. It's the one season since 2020/21 that the Seagulls have finished outside the top 10 of the Premier League.
When times get tough this season, which they will, Hurzeler will no longer be able to call upon his vast array of experienced operators to help galvanise the squad. James Milner, Joel Veltman and Danny Welbeck have all departed East Sussex, and the average age of the Brighton squad has fallen - Pascal Groß, Lewis Dunk and Jason Steele are the only players aged over 30.
There is also the obvious question as to how Brighton plan to replace the goals of Welbeck, who was comfortably their top goalscorer last season with 14 in all competitions.
Will Bloom be able to conjure another transfer special to fill the void, or will Hurzeler have to look in-house?
Key transfer
Luka Vuskovic
Brighton were pretty persistent in their pursuit of Luka Vuskovic whilst they sanctioned a deal which saw Jan Paul van Hecke head in the other direction to Tottenham Hotspur.
Recent history tells us that the Seagulls are far smarter than Tottenham when it comes to the transfer market and they look to have it right yet again.
The subject of a club record fee, there's already immense pressure on the 19-year-old Croatia international, but Vuskovic has all of the qualities to repay Brighton's investment and more.
He excelled whilst on loan at Hamburg in the Bundesliga last season, ranking prominently across a number of metrics including tackles and clearances per 90 in Europe's top five leagues, and while the Premier League will be a step-up compared to Germany's top-flight, the Seagulls hierarchy are extremely confident in his ability.
Able to operate on both sides of central defence, despite being right-footed, the Croat is perfectly able to mix it in different tactical setups and cover for absentees in the backline. It’s one of his many valuable attributes, but none match his ability in the air.
Vuskovic won a mammoth 75% of his aerial duels in the Bundesliga last season, utilising his outstanding area of strength in both boxes.
In fact, Hamburg knew this and were only too keen to exploit it. Despite playing for a side that scored the third-fewest goals in the Bundesliga, Vuskovic managed to score six times and, according to Understat, registered the second-most xG for a centre-back in the Bundesliga, despite making just 27 appearances.
Physicality is becoming increasingly important in the Premier League, a factor that Brighton will have been well aware of when securing his signature and he has the potential to cause real issues for both attackers and defenders throughout the campaign.
Breakout star
Charalampos Kostoulas
The bet365 News team are all on board the Vuskovic train and the Croatian defender features in our 10 Premier League breakout players.
However, in the context of Brighton, the upcoming season has all of the ingredients to be a breakthrough campaign for Charalampos Kostoulas, if he is given the chance to fill Welbeck's void.
Signed from Olympiacos for just shy of £30million last summer, the 2025/26 season served as a transitional learning period for the prodigious forward, who clocked only 353 minutes of Premier League action. Despite the lack of game time, he still managed to produce a sensational bicycle kick against Bournemouth - a clear indicator of his raw potential.
With a season under his belt to adapt, Kostoulas has demonstrated in pre-season that he's chomping at the bit for regular minutes.
The Greece international is strong enough to shield the ball effectively, but nimble and agile enough to create separation from defenders, drop into spaces or run in behind. In the penalty area, he's a sharp shooter.
Brighton are never always right with their purchases, but they're frequently not wrong - and Kostoulas is a gem who can truly announce himself this season.
What is a good season?
Top 10 finish... and European glory
2026/27 will mark Brighton's 10th consecutive season in the Premier League, which is an astonishing achievement when you consider the club was operating in League One 15 years ago.
The Seagulls have surpassed many with their outlandish recruitment model, but there was always the question of how far Bloom's profitable player trading model could take Brighton when attempting to infiltrate the top end of the division.
After back-to-back 8th-place finishes, Brighton will be eager to push on and securing European qualification for a second consecutive season could be significant in helping the East Sussex outfit to take that next step towards major silverware or, dare I say it, UEFA Champions League qualification.
Whether they achieve that through the Premier League or UEFA Conference League, it does not matter. Sticking inside the Premier League's top 10 will help Hurzeler to keep any disgruntled supporters at bay, but Brighton have a fantastic chance of securing a trophy this season given the success of English clubs in the Conference League.
Seagulls fans are already a dreaming of a trip to Istanbul next June, and the squad possesses the quality to honour any prematurely booked return flights to Turkey.
Bold prediction
Jack Hinshelwood to receive an England call-up before the season ends
Nominally a central midfielder in his academy career, Jack Hinshelwood came to the fore when utilised as a No.10 by Hurzeler in the second half of last season.
The versatile 21-year-old, who’s drawn comparisons to David Platt for his ability to perform almost anywhere on the pitch and ghost into the penalty area, was rewarded with a new long-term contract in March and finished the campaign in excellent goalscoring form, netting in three consecutive matches against Chelsea, Newcastle and Wolves.
Hoping to stay injury free, this season has all the ingredients to be a monumental one for Hinshelwood.
It’s well-documented how heavily stocked England are in the 10 department – just look at how Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Morgan Gibbs-White were left at home this summer – but Hinshelwood’s positional flexibility will no doubt catch the eye of Thomas Tuchel, especially with preparations commencing for Euro 2028.
Will they be better than last season?
There or thereabouts...
The margins were so tight in the battle for European qualification last term that a team could win two matches in a row and catapult themselves from 12th to 7th.
It's likely to be a similar case again this season with numerous clubs who finished below Brighton strengthening their squads, not least Tottenham Hotspur, who surely can't endure another campaign of relegation trouble.
Replacing Welbeck's goal contributions will be one thing, but ensuring a greater number of goals from all areas of the pitch is a key item Hurzeler will be keen to address - only Welbeck, Diego Gomez and Jack Hinshelwood scored more than three in the Premier League last season.
The arrivals of Vuskovic, Pascal Struijk and Michael Svoboda present Hurzeler with the option to deviate from a 4-2-3-1 and return to his favoured 3-4-3 which he implemented with great effect at St Pauli.
Inconsistency has blighted Brighton during Hurzeler's reign and if the German can stop the rot of a losing streak sooner, they have the potential to be knocking on the door of the top seven once again.
