Brighton & Hove Albion

The latest episode BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast has dropped!

Host Johnny Cantor and former Seagull Warren Aspinall preview Brighton's trip to Oxford United on Wednesday evening, plus we hear from midfielder Yasin Ayari on last week's Everton defeat and catch up with summer signing Diego Coppola.

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

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Carabao Cup second-round tie at Championship side Oxford United (kick-off 19:45 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Hurzeler confirmed "everyone is available, we have the full squad" for the trip.

• On a chance to give different players opportunities: "There will be opportunities for players who didn't play that much in the first games, a chance for everyone to show themselves - but I can promise we take it very seriously and there is competition in the squad. We go into this game to try to win it and go into the next round."

• On Oxford United: "We expect an opponent who is very good in their defence and defensive shape. They are very compact and they have a lot of physical players in the last line, so it will not be easy to outplay them. They don't give away a lot of chances. We have to be good regarding the long balls and tough in the personal duels. It will be a challenge and a good opportunity for us to do better than last weekend."

• On the competition: "It's a cup game, a tournament where you can win a trophy. That is the expectation from the club so we have to take it seriously, we want to give our fans what they deserve. I'm sure there will be a lot of away fans again who spend a lot of time and money, so we have to go there and show our best performance. We have to show how good we are."

• On what winning the Carabao Cup can do for a club: "It doesn't have the tradition like the FA Cup, but we saw last season with Newcastle that if you win a title, it is still something special, the supporters are still very proud of their team and they enjoyed celebrating a title together."

• Hurzeler said "there is no new news" regarding the transfer window, adding: "We still have a very big squad so we have to reduce the squad. There are not any things I can comment at the moment. The transfer window closes soon so hopefully we have clarity for our squad and our planning."

• On new defensive signings Diego Coppola and Olivier Boscagli: "I saw them in the friendly games and they made a good impression, so they will have a chance tomorrow to show how good they are, to show that they are competitive for us. They have both integrated into the group quickly. They are good characters with potential to help us. I'm sure they will show a good performance tomorrow and I'm sure long term they will help our squad."

Follow the rest of Tuesday's football news

Scott McCarthy
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

In the three transfer windows for which Fabian Hurzeler has been Brighton head coach, Tony Bloom has not so much loosened the purse strings as cut them off and set them on fire.

The Albion have spent a quarter of a billion pounds on new players. Yet despite this splurge, Hurzeler was able to name only one centre-forward in his matchday squad for the trip to Everton - Danny Welbeck.

This led to the comedic scene at Hill Dickinson Stadium of Jan Paul van Hecke being thrown up front in the closing stages. And subsequently strolling offside.

It seems 51 million of those significant transfer chips have been placed alongside gyros in a basket labelled 'Greek teenage strikers'.

Stefanos Tzimas and Charalampos Kostoulas barely featured in pre-season because Hurzeler believes they need a period of adjustment to English football.

If Hurzeler considered them not ready to face Wycombe Wanderers or Stoke City in a friendly, they are unsurprisingly yet to make a Premier League squad.

Which is fair enough. The jump for Tzimas from Bundesliga 2 and Kostoulas from the Greek league is massive. Once they have adapted and are unleashed, they could end up being the best things since tzatziki.

But in the here and now, the opening two games have seen the Albion look woefully short up front and toothless in taking opportunities. We have subsequently made our worst start to a season since our Premier League debut in 2017-18.

By the time the Greek duo have had the weeks (or heaven forbid, months) they need to get ready, there is a very real danger Brighton could be so far off the top seven pace as to make qualifying for Europe difficult.

And that will disappoint a lot of Seagulls supporters who have heard from Hurzeler, the players and decision-makers at the Albion that Europe is the aim after a 'transitional' 2024-25.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external

Johnny Cantor
BBC Radio Sussex reporter

Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler said he was happy with his squad both before and after Sunday's defeat at Everton but he has also commented that it is important to 'never say never' when it comes to late business in the window.

Some £50m was spent on Greek teenagers Babis Kostoulas and Stephanos Tzimas. Neither has featured in a Premier League squad so far and despite 30 minutes with the under-21s are not currently deemed ready for the top flight.

Several of you have also been asking about winger Solly March and whether he is likely to play this season via our 'Ask about Brighton' form.

March underwent a procedure on his knee during the early part of the summer and continues with his recovery.

Hurzeler has said he is a little time away from a return to action and will not be rushed back. March is still viewed as an important player and Albion hope he will be available later this year.

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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Everton and Brighton.

Here are some of your comments:

Everton fans

Neil: It's a win, though clearly still a lot of work to do and we were not convincing at times in the game. However, there were also a lot of positives to be taken, Pickford as reliable as ever, Grealish and Ndiaye showed what they can do together on the pitch. I think we need more games and clearly a couple of new faces. Great result in our new home!

Gary: This one's for the squad players! Michael Keane, James Garner both brilliant. Gueye superb and Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall added some quality. Great day.

Anton: Much like our last match at Goodison Park, our first match at Hill Dickinson Stadium was only about winning. The performance was better than Monday night but, to be fair, it was difficult for it to be worse. Grealish showed his class, Iroegbunam was very, very good and we scored two nice goals. Let's hope we can still bring in two or three more before the close of the transfer window to set us up for a comfortable season.

Brighton fans

Alfie: Another one of those games for Brighton that's just been a case of wasted chances. Yes, you could say it's one of those days but 'those days' seem to be happening more often than not! If we want Europe we need to learn how to kill a game.

Angry Seagull: That was diabolical. Too slow, missed chances and just embarrassing. To only get one point from six against two teams we should easily beat is very concerning. Dock them all a month's wages after this performance!

Marc: How we didn't win 4-2 suggests it's the same old story of not taking our chances. The squad seems to be unbalanced and we are waiting on our Greek boys to get up to speed. Our forward options were exposed - we didn't have any.

Pundits Troy Deeney and Rob Green join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest

• Everton 2-0 Brighton

• Fulham 1-1 Manchester United

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton will look back at this defeat and focus on a first half when they created the opportunities to punish Everton, but let the home side off the hook.

When Iliman Ndiaye put Everton in front after 23 minutes, it came against the run and play and with the first signs of anxiety just starting to show at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Karou Mitoma glanced the bar with a good chance, before Danny Welbeck wasted a chance created by Yankuba Minteh, sending a close-range finish over the top with the goal at his mercy.

James Tarkowski, who had a nightmare first 45 minutes, then played a back-pass straight to Matt O'Riley and had to be rescued by Jordan Pickford's bravery at the feet of the Brighton midfielder.

When Jan Paul Van Hecke hit the post, Brighton must have feared this was not going to be their day, with further proof offered up when the excellent Pickford saved Welbeck's penalty, ensuring Fabian Hurzeler's side went home empty-handed.

Fabian Hurzeler spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Brighton's defeat against Everton: "I think overall we were the better team, we created the better chances but in the end football is about scoring and keeping clean sheets. We didn't take care of the small actions and the small elements of the game and this is how you lose."

On the chances Brighton had: "We had a similar situation in the last game where we had chances and we have to be more ruthless. Every player wants to score and a goal always helps. In some moments we didn't defend well when we conceded the goals. We didn't take care of the throw-ins in some moments of the game. We can improve and we have to focus. We have enough chances here to win the game."

Did you know?

• Brighton have failed to win either of their opening two matches of a Premier League season for the first time since 2017-18 – their debut season in the competition (D1 L1).

• Since joining the Premier League ahead of the 2017-18 season, only Manchester City (17) and Manchester United (13) have missed more penalties than the Seagulls (12).

Listen to Hurzeler's chat with BBC Radio Sussex here

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Everton's performance

What did you make of Brighton's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Everton's highest profile summer signing Jack Grealish, on loan from Manchester City, gets his first start after coming on as a late substitute at Leeds United.

And there is also a first start for France under-21 striker Thierno Barry, signed from Villarreal in a £27m deal this summer, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall makes his home Premier League debut after his £28m arrival from Chelsea.

Everton manager David Moyes will look to that trio to provide inspiration after a dismal display at Elland Road.

Everton XI: Pickford, Keane, Tarkowski, Ndiaye, Barry, O'Brien, Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall, Gueye, Garner, Iroegbunam.

Subs: Travers, McNeil, Beto, Chermiti, Coleman, Alcaraz, Aznou, Armstrong, Onyango.

Fabian Hurzeler has restored Danny Welbeck to the line-up in place of Georginio Rutter.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Dunk, Van Hecke, Minteh, Baleba, Welbeck, Mitoma, Ayari, Wieffer, De Cuyper, O'Riley.

Subs: Steele, Gruda, Hinshelwood, Boscagli, Milner, Kadioglu, Gomez, Veltman, Coppola.

There are three games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest (14:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Everton v Brighton (14:00) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Fulham v Man Utd (16:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times BST

Follow the 14:00 games here

And get Fulham v Man Utd here

I've said this on many occasions. Everton overachieved last season. It's painted a false picture as to where they currently are.

They didn't offer a lot the other night against Leeds. Sorry, Everton fans, but I've just got a feeling Brighton will play party poopers in the first Premier League game at your new stadium.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tom White
BBC Sport journalist

A grand total of 99 days after Everton's tearful goodbye to Goodison Park, the Toffees play their first competitive fixture at Hill Dickinson Stadium with Brighton & Hove Albion the visitors.

David Moyes' side will want to hit the ground running in their new surroundings, with Monday night's 1-0 defeat at Leeds taking some shine off fan excitement around a fresh start in their new ground. Indeed, Moyes warned fans in his pre-match news conference that after "a difficult window" the club could be in for "a difficult season".

Moyes will hope the stadium move can quickly coincide with an upturn in the Blues home form. Of the teams to have featured in each of the past three Premier League seasons, Everton's 19 victories from 57 home games is the fewest, while their five wins at Goodison last term was only better than the three relegated sides.

Brighton, meanwhile, found it was a new season but the same old frailties on the opening day, letting a one-goal lead slip at home to Fulham when substitute Rodrigo Muniz scored a 96th-minute equaliser to deny them victory.

The Seagulls are unbeaten in their past four visits to Everton (W3, D1) and will be hoping to replicate their performance from the opening day of last season when goals from Kaoru Mitoma, Danny Welbeck and Simon Adingra gifted Fabian Hurzeler a 3-0 victory in his first game in charge.

Welbeck didn't start against Fulham but will undoubtedly be keen to face the Toffees, against whom he has five goals and five assists in his last 18 appearances as well as scoring in his past two starts away at the Merseyside club.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton midfielder Andrew Moran has joined Los Angeles FC on loan until January.

The 21-year-old, who has made three senior appearances for the Seagulls, spent last season on loan with Stoke City and made 35 appearances in the Championship.

He also spent the previous 2023-24 season at Blackburn Rovers, where he scored twice in 19 starts.

Technical director David Weir said: "This is an exciting opportunity for Andrew, where he will get to test himself in a new league and culture, as well as work alongside some of the big names in the game.

"We will keep close tabs on his progress and wish him the best of luck during his time in Los Angeles."

Image source, Getty Images

It has been just over a year since Georginio Rutter headed south from Leeds United to join Brighton.

In his latest news conference, Fabian Hurzeler spoke at length about the importance of the French attacker in the dressing room in his first 12 months on the south coast.

"Like he is as a person, [his first year] has been positive," Hurzeler said. "He is always smiling and joking, but when it is time to work he knows to switch on.

"He is a great connector - normally [in the dressing room] you always have groups but he connects the different cultures, ages and characters. He is not only important for me on the pitch, off it as well.

"He is a very positive person, every time you see him you need to smile! He brings a positive energy and he gives it to everyone. That is so crucial because there is pressure, but I want the players to enjoy it when they step into the building.

"It is so important that they find the joy and Georgie brings that."

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport journalist

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium (kick-off 14:00).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Hurzeler says Jack Hinshelwood is now available for selection after missing last weekend's opener against Fulham. Elsewhere in the squad is "quite positive".

• On Julio Enciso's rumoured move to BlueCo, the company who own Chelsea: "There are some rumours and talks but nothing has been agreed yet."

• Hurzeler does not think Enciso's time on the South Coast has been a failure, adding: "Some players perform better in some environments and cultures, but I wouldn't say he had a bad time if he leaves. You can see there is interest in him because he showed great things for us."

• Matt O'Riley has also been linked with a move away from the club, but Hurzeler says he is "very confident" the Dane will stay.

• He was asked if there is potential for any last minute incomings: "We are in talks every day. We know each other's opinion and we will see what happens. They are always opportunities in football so never say never."

• On playing the first official match at Eveton's new stadium: "The atmosphere [at Goodison Park] was a special atmosphere so I expect the same this weekend. We are looking forward to seeing the new stadium but we are not there to be the nice club."

• Hurzeler says he is very happy with Yasin Ayari's development, but wants to see the Swede "take more responsibility on the pitch" and "grow as a communicator".

• "On Sunday's opponents: "Moyes' teams are always very organised and difficult to create chances [against]. You have to be awake all of the time. [Jack] Grealish is a great signing and I'm sure he will help Everton, he is an unbelievable talent."

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

BlueCo, the group that owns Chelsea and Strasbourg, has reached an agreement to sign Paraguay midfielder Julio Enciso, 21, from Brighton. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

RC Strasbourg, the club owned by Chelsea's BlueCo owners in France, have brought in academy defender Genesis Antwi to pitch their project.

Antwi played in Chelsea's Under-21's win over Manchester City on Monday but could move to Strasbourg on a permanent deal as they target a new right-back signing before deadline day.

Strasbourg also want an attacking option and have contacted representatives of Brighton winger Julio Ensico and Southampton's Sam Edozie.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton full-back Ferdi Kadioglu admitted his frustration with the result of Albion's opening weekend clash against Fulham but expressed delight at finally making his Premier League return.

The Turkish international, who joined from Fenerbahce for £25m last summer, endured a nightmare first campaign in England after suffering a toe injury that required surgery and ruled him out for the entire 2024–25 season.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sussex, Kadioglu reflected on the challenges of spending such a prolonged spell on the sidelines while stressing that the squad should not dwell too heavily on conceding a late equaliser against Fulham.

He said: "Disappointed with the result, but happy that I am back after a long time injured. It would have been nice if we had won. I think it was around nine months from my last match. I'm happy to be back with the team.

"I never experienced a long injury in my career, and this was the first time. The season before I came here, I played 60 matches and last season I just played 10. It was something new for me and I have learnt from it and I will profit from it for the next few years of my career.

"We had a good pre-season and we just need to continue. We cannot stay in this game; we have a long season ahead."

Listen on BBC Sounds

Brighton defender Ferdi Kadioglu reflects on his Premier League return, while BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty looks ahead to the Seagulls' visit to Everton's new stadium.

Plenty for Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall to dissect in the latest episode of Albion Unlimited.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Joe Sayers
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Carlos Baleba, our midfield powerhouse who has stepped in to almost seamlessly replace Moises Caicedo, has been nothing short of a revelation since his arrival.

We have watched his incredible rise with pride, but success inevitably attracts attention, and the transfer noise had been growing by the day.

Until now, keeping Baleba felt like a distant dream. The tireless speculation suggested it was only a matter of time before a top club came calling with an irresistible bid.

But the news that Brighton have categorically declared him not for sale is the perfect boost at the start of what promises to be a huge season.

This is not just about keeping a player; it is a bold declaration of ambition. It proves we are determined to build on last season's progress rather than cash in and start again.

Many Albion fans had braced themselves for the blow of losing Baleba, fearing what that could mean for our season. Instead, we can now shift the conversation towards what we could achieve with our anchor in place, and the possibilities feel exciting.

Of course, any club looking to prise away one of our stars knows they will have to go toe-to-toe with Tony Bloom, one of the toughest negotiators in world football. Brighton's unwavering stance on Baleba is yet another reminder that if you try to play poker with Bloom, you will be the one folding first.

Crucially, we have built a position of strength. Recent smart transfer business means we are not under financial pressure to sell, and the club's resolve is as strong as our squad.

This summer's message is clear: Brighton & Hove Albion are not here to be raided, we are here to compete.

Find more from Joe Sayers at Albion Obsessed, external