Season Preview: How will Brighton fare in debut Premier League campaign?
Previous season
After playoff heartbreak in the 2015/16 season, Brighton went one step further last term and secured automatic promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history, albeit as runners’ up. Chris Hughton’s side were on course to go up as champions, though a failure to win any of the final three games of the season saw them leapfrogged by Newcastle on the last day of the campaign. That isn’t to take anything away from the Seagulls’ achievements and they thoroughly deserved their promotion.
They’ll be handed a stern examination on the opening weekend of the campaign with the welcome of big-spending Manchester City, who’ll be keen to get off to a good start in their Premier League title bid. However, Saturday will be as good a time as any to cause an early season upset as they aim to make the Amex Stadium a fortress this term.
Transfer summary
Chris Hughton has invested impressively in the squad over the summer as the Brighton boss capitalises on the pulling power of the Premier League and the financial windfall that came with promotion. The Seagulls made Davy Propper their club-record signing on Monday and he joins Mat Ryan, Markus Suttner, Pascal Groß and Izzy Brown at the Amex Stadium. David Stockdale’s departure is a blow - he kept more clean sheets (19) than any other Championship goalkeeper last season - but Ryan is a solid successor to the number one spot for Brighton.
One to watch - Pascal Groß
Brighton acted swiftly to land Pascal Groß, with a deal confirmed for the German back in May. For a rumoured £2.7m, he represents a bargain for Hughton’s side. Groß made more key passes (98) than any other player in the Bundesliga last season, with that all the more commendable considering he plied his trade for relegated Ingolstadt. Anthony Knockaert’s possible absence on the opening day of the campaign means there will be ample pressure on the 26-year-old, but the creative star has the requisite tools to shoulder the responsibility.
Predicted finish - 19th
Will Brighton’s respectable summer business be enough to stave off relegation? That remains to be seen. The Premier League newbies may have a manager who has worked in England’s top tier, but you can count on one hand the players with English top-flight experience in the squad. The Seagulls will make a good stab of their debut Premier League campaign, yet the gulf in quality between the two leagues could prove costly for Hughton and his side.
