Sussex

Sophie Brown
BBC Sport journalist

A south-coast derby between Bournemouth and Brighton, two sides who have bounced back after sluggish starts to the season.

After losing four of their first-choice back five over the summer, there was a lot of scrutiny on Bournemouth's new-look defence in the opening match of this campaign.

It didn't get off to a good start with a defeat by Liverpool, in which the Cherries conceded four goals and faced 19 shots, 10 of which were on target.

However, anyone who saw the match will know it was a more encouraging display than those stats suggested – and that has been borne out in their subsequent two league games.

Bournemouth were the only Premier League side to keep clean sheets in both the second and third matchdays, and faced both the fewest shots (11) and the fewest shots on target (two) in that time.

But on Saturday they are up against Brighton, who have won five of the past six league meetings between the sides and took all six points last season, in which they eventually finished six points and one place ahead of Bournemouth in the table in eighth and ninth respectively.

After going winless in their opening two games of 2025-26, the Seagulls thrashed Oxford United in the EFL Cup and then came from behind to beat Manchester City, and they will be hoping that the international break hasn't curtailed that momentum.

One man whose momentum shows no signs of slowing is evergreen midfielder James Milner, whose equalising spot-kick against City made him the oldest penalty scorer ever in the Premier League.

Brighton have scored a penalty in four of their past six Premier League matches, while in 2025 they have netted nine goals from the spot – four more than any other side – so 39-year-old Milner could well get a chance to extend his own record before too long.

• Hear more from Milner speaking to BBC Radio Sussex before the game against Bournemouth

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Premier League football is a brutal business and the brutal reality is that David Weir has effectively been sacked.

Weir was incredibly popular at Brighton. Following the shock exit of Dan Ashworth, he stepped into the technical director role after very little lead-in and, overall, has done really well. Club staff have been genuinely saddened by Friday's news.

However, owner Tony Bloom will never shy away from making big decisions if he feels they are the best thing for the club and there is a wider situation at play.

Brighton are a nimble operation and they are in the process of making big changes that tie into a medium-term strategy that will take the club to 2030.

Part of that involves appointing more female board members, another is the arrival of a chief technology officer - to bring new ideas and new energy to both the football and non-football side of the operation.

"Refresh, revitalise, re-energise" was the phrase repeated to me as the driver behind what Brighton are trying to do.

As you would expect of them, Brighton already know who Weir's replacement will be, although the announcement of that will have to wait for a little while so due acknowledgement for the Scot's work can be paid.

Club sources have stressed there is no fallout. Brighton simply want to go in a different direction.

To outsiders, Weir's exit is a shock. Some may question it.

However, after spending so long punching above their weight, Brighton's hierarchy have at least earned the right to be judged on what actually happens rather than what people think the outcome might be.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on David Weir leaving his role as Brighton technical director.

Here are some of your comments:

Billy: This is a strange move. I thought Weir had been excellent in his roles throughout the club in the past eight years. It's been a very strange summer - too many players leaving and an upheaval at the top of the club. I'm very worried about this season and what direction the club is going in.

Roger: In Tony Bloom we trust. I see three options... 1. We promote Gordon Greer, the current pathway manager, as was Weir; 2. We bring in a 'big name' from Europe; 3. Dan Ashworth returns 'tail between his legs'... Not very likely but Bloom is a poker player, so who knows!

Ben: I have every faith in Bloom's decisions. If he said he isn't the man for the job any more he's probably already got his replacement.

Adam: Brighton fans were told the news on Instagram with the coldest of posts by their admin - "We can confirm that David Weir has left Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club." That's it. We do trust Bloom but something must have happened behind the scenes none of us know about. Strange times.

Brighton owner Tony Bloom says the club "wish to refresh our technical area with new leadership and direction" as Albion confirmed the departure of David Weir.

Weir joined the club as pathway development manager in 2018 and went on to succeeded Dan Ashworth as technical director in in May 2022.

Bloom said: "David has served our club very well but we now wish to refresh our technical area with new leadership and direction. I'd like to thank David for everything he has done for us, and to wish him well for the future".

Chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber added: "I have greatly enjoyed working with David over the past eight years and have appreciated his support and hard work throughout this period."

Barber will oversee the technical areas at Brighton until a replacement is confirmed.

What do you make of Bloom's statement and Weir's departure? Do you trust the process, or are you worried by the news and the direction the club is taking?

Get in touch with your views here

Sean Byrne
BBC Sport researcher

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• No fresh injury concerns after the international break.

• On Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma and Diego Gomez returning from long-distance international duty: "They all returned in a good shape. Some didn't play the full games - especially Mitoma, who only played 20 minutes. Diego played a little longer, so he might be more tired, but overall they all look in a good shape. They are used to the long travels."

• On if Brajan Gruda is now ready to start: "Every player in our squad is ready to start. He had a very good appearance against Manchester City when he came on the pitch. He was away and had two games with Germany Under-21s. We try to give him more game time, but we have to decide if he starts tomorrow yet. He will be a very important player for the future regardless of if he starts tomorrow or not."

• On Charalampos Kostoulas' development: "He has unbelievable potential. Now we have to give him time to do things consistently. I expect him to be working hard in training sessions so that he shows the best reactions and adapts more to the intensity of the Premier League. We are still not where we want to have him, but we are getting closer."

• On Mats Wieffer's injury: "Let's see. There will be a training session today, and then we will see if he is 100% or not. He did miss so many training sessions, so we don't want any risk. We want to do things that make sense for him and the team."

• Reflecting on the start to the Premier League season, he said: "Overall, the performances were good. Of course we want more points, but we have to work on the basic things. We have to keep doing the things we did in the second half against Manchester City. With basics, we can win football games."

• On Bournemouth's start to the season: "Like last season, they are very difficult to play against. They showed the highest intensity in the league regarding sprint distance and they are very good in 50/50 moments. They play simple but effective [football]. They will be a big challenge but we go there to win the game. Let's see what we can do."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Is it a bad sign that Brighton sold more players than they bought in during the summer transfer window? That is one of the questions sent in via our 'Ask about Brighton' form.

Joao Pedro and Pervis Estupinan were sold, alongside other non first team players, for a total of £139m. The Seagulls spent £70m was on incomings.

I don't see the numbers as being an issue. Last season, Brighton had 19 players who started 10 or more Premier League games.

Fifteen have already started a game this term, even though it is only three matches old.

That figure only includes one of the players Brighton paid a significant fee for this summer and also excludes Olivier Boscagli, the 27-year-old Dutchman, who arrived on a free transfer after playing almost 200 games for PSV Eindhoven.

In addition, Solly March and James Milner have recovered from long term injuries and we can't be sure at this point if anyone from the academy will force their way into Fabian Hurzeler's squad.

With no Europe, Hurzeler has enough cover to cope. Brighton's ownership has proved so often they know what they are doing. Maybe one day, that will change.

But if it is this season, I can't think that the reason will be a lack of bodies.

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