This is an exciting time to be a Brighton and Hove Albion fan; but then it’s been pretty good on the South Coast for some time now.
Under Graham Potter the Seagulls became known for their free flowing football and when he left for the Chelsea fans were rightly concerned. His successor, Roberto De Zerbi, has arguably become more popular over the past two years but did his departure cause the same level of angst?
Probably not, because Brighton fans have reason to trust their board to find the right man for the dugout. And now Fabian Hurzeler has become the youngest permanent manager in the Premier League; and he could well prove to be the most important signing for the club this year. The 31 year old led St Pauli to the Bundesliga title last year and that was good enough for Brighton to offer him a three year contract; and now Hurzeler has his sights set on the start of the new Premier League campaign when the Seagulls kick off with a trip away to Everton on 17 August.
The Brighton board will back Hurzeler and the Seagulls have spent £70m so far this summer, with a fee of between £25m and £30m spent on Gambian winger Yankuba Minteh on a five year deal. Brighton picked up the 20 year old from Newcastle United after the Magpies signed him only last year from Danish club OB. He hasn’t played a game for Newcastle, loaned out to Feyenoord last season where he scored ten goals in 27 games and lit up the Eredivisie with his electric pace and inventive wing play. He’s just the sort of player Brighton fans will love.
The Seagulls have spent a similar amount on Dutch defensive midfielder Mats Wieffer, another star who impressed at Feyenoord last season. Wieffer, at 24 years of age and with nine Oranje caps, is a commanding figure in front of the defence and was greatly admired by former Feyenoord boss, Arne Slot, now the head coach at Liverpool. Brighton had to move quickly to get their man after Liverpool tried to snatch Wieffer away with an 11th hour bid. He played 79 times under Slot at Feyenoord, winning the Eredivisie in 2023 and he has now become the most expensive transfer in the history of the Dutch club, outstripping the fee paid for Luis Sinisterra when he moved to Leeds United.
And the Seagulls have shelled out a cool £16m on 19 year old winger Ibrahim Osman to bring him from Nordsjaelland. He’s a player who may take time to settle in to the pace of the Premier League, but with six goals in 35 appearances for the Danish club he won a lot of praise last term, and £16m could turn out to be a very good deal.
Undav to stay
Brighton will most likely be in a mini-league with the ambitious teams just outside the leading pack in the Premier League, Fulham and West Ham United included, but they should have enough depth in their squad to win that league and push for a higher finish. And one player Hurzeler is keen to keep at the club is forward Denis Undav who spent last season on loan at VfB Stuttgart where he had an outstanding campaign, scoring 19 goals and making ten assists as Stuttgart stunned the Bundesliga with a second placed finish, ahead of Bayern Munich.
Brighton have just rejected an offer from Stuttgart for the 28 year old who is in the prime of his career and in the form of his life. The German outfit has offered 30m Euros for Undav but have been told he is not for sale.
In terms of incomings, Brighton’s spending could fly past £100m pretty soon if their ambitious move for Turkish wingback Ferdi Kadioglu comes off. Manchester United have been tracking the 24 year old, who impressed with Turkey at Euro 2024, but it will take a bid of 30m Euros for his club Fenerbahce to be tempted to sell.
Here at SBOTOP we’ll continue to bring the Premier League 2024 news as soon as it happens; the transfer market is hotting up and Brighton fans can look forward to a busy three weeks as the season approaches. If the Seagulls are to break into Europe they will have their sights set on the likes of Newcastle United who have their own challenges in the transfer market, with Financial Fair Play at the forefront of manager Eddie Howe’s mind.
The Premier League 2024 betting odds pitch Brighton hot on the heels of the Magpies and Aston Villa as an established top ten side, and one which can push for a European place. The Seagulls will be a team to watch for sure, and Hurzeler may well become the latest hot coach on the circuit.
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