Sussex

In the final part of our Q&A with BBC Radio Sussex's Johnny Cantor, we talk about the form of Carlos Baleba and Kaoru Mitoma.

Alex asked: Do you think Baleba and Mitoma's drop-off in form is due to the loss of support from Pervis Estupinan sweeping forward to help, or an unbalanced/random midfield, with Yasin Ayari getting more game time?

Johnny answered: I think the issues are probably different for the two players.

Estupinan was certainly one of the most energetic Albion players of recent years and that cannot be underestimated. He had also played regularly behind Mitoma so the pair had struck up a really good partnership. It may take a little time for Maxim de Cuyper and midfielders to do the same.

Mitoma has not been quite at the levels of last season, but that may be down to injury niggles, and also opposition double up on him much more now.

Carlos Baleba seems unsettled but was inconsistent last season too. Some may suggest that he has been affected by reports linking him to a move to Manchester United, but that is over for the time being, so they need him to refocus and deliver.

I think there is a danger of people comparing him to Moises Caicedo. My feeling is he actually may be better playing further forward. Ayari will play regularly, but I don't see that as connected to the above.

Check over the Brighton page from Thursday to find more from Johnny's Q&A

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In the second part of our Q&A with BBC Radio Sussex's Johnny Cantor, we have been discussing how Danny Welbeck should be used and who will be the side's top scorer.

Clive asked: Can you explain why Fabian Hurzeler doesn't like to play Welbeck as a super-sub? He plays so much better over the final 45 minutes.

Johnny answered: So far in the Premier League, Welbeck has started four matches and been a substitute in three games. It is always difficult to assess without seeing him train week-in and week-out, but I think the lack of other number nines is why he starts more games than maybe some expect.

I also think the opposition will be taken into consideration and whether that particular team suits a certain set-up. Hurzeler does talk about "finishers" like in rugby, but at the moment Welbeck is a key option from the start as well as the bench.

If Stefanos Tzimas develops, we may see Welbeck off the bench more as the season progresses.

Ed asked: Who do you think will be Brighton's top Premier League goalscorer this season and how many goals will they get? I would say either Diego Gomez or Brajan Gruda, what do you think?

Johnny answered: Well, Ed, as it stands at the moment, it could be anyone!

Only Danny Welbeck has two goals and they came as a substitute in the same game. The rest have one. I think with better decision-making in front of goal, Yankuba Minteh has a chance of delivering double figures.

One good thing is the team already has eight different goalscorers, so it is not reliant on just one player. Last season they had 18 and I expect the number this term to rise. Maybe Stefanos Tzimas could break into the team and get on a run.

However, I did once tip Chris O'Grady to be top scorer and that certainly did not come to fruition!

Return to the Brighton page later on Thursday for the final part of Johnny's Q&A where we he will be talking about Carlos Baleba's and Kaoru Mitoma's form

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Brighton have confirmed that goalkeeper Jason Steele has extended his contract at the club until 2028.

The 35 year-old, who has made 60 appearances for the Seagulls, said: "The progress the club has made since I came to Brighton is incredible and hopefully I can complete 10 years with the club, which would be a fantastic achievement personally.

"I'm looking forward to playing my part in Brighton's future. Our ambition this season is to qualify for Europe again."

Head coach Fabian Hurzeler added: "I'm delighted Jason is going to be with us for the next few years. He is a big influence in the dressing room and he maintains high standards on and off the pitch every day. I am pleased he will be on the journey with us in the coming seasons."

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In the first part of our Q&A with BBC Radio Sussex's Johnny Cantor, we have been focussing on Brighton's transfer strategy and the future of Eiran Cashin.

Eddie asked: What do you think about the club bringing in players that are not ready for the Premier League, surely a mix would be better?

Johnny: I think the club has brought in players at a variety of levels. Maxim de Cuyper has moved seamlessly into the Premier League, and previously Yankuba Minteh.

Not many people had heard of Bart Verbruggen when he arrived but he has developed into one of the world's best. Yes, there are several more developmental signings, but this is in line with the club's strategy over the past few years.

There is better value in younger talent and, too a certain extent, less risk compared to a reliance on more established, but more expensive additions. Having players like James Milner and even Olivier Boscagli as options gives a bit of experienced cover if required.

Raymond asked: What has happened to Eiran Cashin? We paid a big fee for him, he disappeared to Birmingham City and now nobody seems to want to mention him.

Johnny: The signing of Cashin always seemed a little odd to me but the player had been linked to the Albion for a long time before finally arriving, so they clearly rated him.

A back-up left-sided centre back was probably required but I'm not sure he was going to be able to cope with the pace of the Premier League. He clearly has talent and, although he is in and out at the moment, he may be a regular starter at Birmingham and could work well in the Championship.

I guess we should be careful to not assume too much as I heard the same thing when Dan Burn went out on loan straight after signing and look at him now, he is playing for England!

Come back to the Brighton page later on Thursday where Johnny will be answering questions Welbeck and who could be the club's top scorer this season.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

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The Premier League table is starting to take shape and while results are obviously what matter most, they don't tell the whole story in terms of how teams have been playing so far.

Expected goals (xG) tells us how much teams have been dominating games by creating lots of good chances up front and restricting opponents to few, bad ones at the back.

Penalties are excluded because they distort a team's numbers on how threatening or vulnerable they are in general, especially at this early stage.

Below is a graphic showing how good teams have been in attack and defence, with the most dominant teams in the top-right corner and the least impressive in the bottom-left corner.

Arsenal and Manchester City have been the most dominant sides, with the Gunners having the best defence and fourth-best attack and City the joint-best attack and fourth-best defence.

High-flying Crystal Palace are the only side to rival City's attacking threat, while Newcastle are living up to their name by being almost as impregnable at the back as Arsenal.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea have one of the top five attacks in the league but worryingly also rank in the bottom five defensively.

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Liverpool's back-to-back defeats following five straight wins gives a more accurate picture of how they have been playing, while Tottenham have needed to be very efficient to make up for their lack of dominance in games.

Aston Villa's early-season struggles are no longer to do with finishing - they have now scored six non-penalty goals from an xG of 6.0 - but simply because they have not been playing well.

While promoted sides Leeds and Sunderland have adapted quite well to the top-flight, Burnley have struggled to make the jump so far with both the worst attack and the worst defence.

Read more on what expected goals tell us about the start to the season

In case you missed it, Brighton's owner Tony Bloom, has given a rare, wide-ranging interview discussing the club's journey, the challenges ahead, and his vision for the Seagulls' future.

From the continued growth of the club to navigating the demands of the Premier League, Bloom offers candid insight into what lies ahead for Brighton both on and off the pitch.

Catch the full conversation on the latest episode of the Albion Unlimited podcast, along with Johnny Cantor and read much of his comments below on the posts below.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Listen to every Brighton game live on BBC Radio Sussex, with all the build-up and full commentary with Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall, and there is a full preview of all Seagulls' matches on Fridays at 18:00 in The Weekend Warm-up

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Brighton chairman and owner Tony Bloom sat down for an exclusive interview with BBC Radio Sussex's Johnny Cantor. In this final part, he talks about Albion's finances hat included discussions around the squad, finances and the Seagulls' future.

Bloom on competing financially in the Premier League: "The finances are really tough, clubs are spending more and more money.

"The net spend of our competitors just keeps going up. If you look at our net spend at Brighton &Hove Albion over the past five years compared to our rivals, we are spending a lot, lot less. Most clubs lose significant sums of money. We want to be a sustainable football club.

"We will have seasons where we lose a lot of money, as well as some seasons where we make a lot of money. But over a consistent time, if we stay in the Premier League, we will be sustainable and we will be profitable. But most of our rivals are not, so it is really tough to compete with that.

"For the very biggest clubs, their commercial and stadium revenues are so much bigger than ours. So we have significant obstacles to overcome, but we as a club and I as an individual, are happy to take on the competition."

On confidence of winning a trophy and getting back into Europe this season: "I don't think you can ever be confident of winning a trophy. We have not won a major trophy ever, so we don't want to get obsessed with it. We know how difficult it is.

"The latter stages of any cup competition are playing some of the best teams in the world, but we absolutely are aiming every season to be competitive, to be aiming to win cup competitions - and that is the men's and the women's teams.

"What is a bit more in our control is the league, the league form, the league position and, as I said before, our aim is to be playing in Europe. We loved playing in Europe a couple of seasons ago and we want to be regularly pushing for those European spots."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Find more from the interview by checking back over the Brighton page