Brighton face season of change after key departures as Europa Conference League campaign looms
Brighton enter the 2026-27 Premier League season having lost key players including Danny Welbeck and Jan Paul van Hecke, and must bolster squad depth to cope with Europa Conference League commitments; Guardian writers’ predicted position: 9th (NB: this is not necessarily John Brewin’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips). The preview was published on 11 August 2026.
On the final day in May Brighton’s fans and players celebrated qualification for the Europa Conference League despite a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United, setting a continental programme that will introduce Thursday–Sunday demands. The Conference League has been won by West Ham and Crystal Palace since its inception, making the trophy a realistic target for the club. James Milner did not celebrate as Europe was reached because, by then, he had decided he would retire. Danny Welbeck, described here as last season’s outstanding forward for Brighton, has moved to Chelsea and will turn 36 in November.
Summer departures have thinned the veteran contingent who are older than head coach Fabian Hürzeler, 33, leaving Pascal Gross, Lewis Dunk and reserve goalkeeper Jason Steele as the remaining senior figures. Solly March was not offered a new contract after injury problems, and Jan Paul van Hecke was sold to Tottenham for £52m with the teenager Luka Vuskovic moving the other way. Brighton’s recruitment continues to draw attention given the club’s reputation, underpinned by the Jamestown Analytics operation owned by Tony Bloom, which is admired and coveted but has produced a number of busts.
Tony Bloom’s financial backing remains central to Brighton’s model: the piece notes his involvement with Hearts’ chase for the Scottish title and records that in January he increased his Brighton investment with a £107m loan, taking the overall loan to £400m. Matchday improvements form part of the club’s £40m Amex modernisation, with safe standing being expanded in the South Stand during September’s extended international break. The 1901 Pub has opened as a hybrid matchday lounge with a capacity of 660 and membership starting at £173 a month.
Fabian Hürzeler’s position is described as secure despite earlier doubts; the club awarded him a new three-year contract in May and chief executive Paul Barber and Bloom have kept faith. Bloom is quoted as referring to a "clear playing identity". Hürzeler, who has carried a fiery touchline demeanour, begins the season as the fifth longest-serving manager in the Premier League and unveiled a severe hair remodelling in pre-season.
Brighton signed the experienced centre-back Pascal Struijk from Leeds which, the piece says, allows Luka Vuskovic time to develop; Vuskovic never played a match for Spurs but impressed on loan at Hamburg where his reading of the game, positioning and maturity drew rave reviews. The Croatian’s playmaking from the back is presented as the potential long-term successor to captain Lewis Dunk. The club hope the deal will be regarded as a bargain.
Offensive statistics underline Brighton’s chance creation: only the two Manchester clubs scored more Premier League goals than Brighton in regular play last season, and the Seagulls had an identical rate for open play expected goals per game as Arsenal in 2025-26 despite dropping in the standings once counterattacks were included. With Welbeck gone there is a vacancy to lead the line; patience with new arrivals is part of Brighton’s approach and Charalampos Kostoulas, a 19-year-old signed last summer from Olympiakos, showed flashes including an overhead kick against Bournemouth in January after making two league starts last season. Stefanos Tzimas is back in training after an ACL rupture, offering further attacking options.
Several Albion players had mixed summers with international teams: Jordan Henderson ensured Jason Steele received a medal when England celebrated third place at the World Cup; Maxim De Cuyper reached the quarter-finals with Belgium; Diego Gómez was suspended for Paraguay’s historic defeat of Germany yet featured in Paraguay’s subsequent exit to France; Yasin Ayari became the first Brighton player to score two World Cup goals in a game as Sweden beat Tunisia 5-1; and Michael Svoboda, the summer defensive signing from Venezia, did not play a single minute for Austria. Brighton will compete in the Europa Conference League this season alongside their Premier League campaign.