Strasbourg target Antwi and Ensicopublished at 13:40 BST 20 August
13:40 BST 20 August
Nizaar Kinsella Football reporter
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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.
Kadioglu looks past frustrating drawpublished at 12:08 BST 20 August
12:08 BST 20 August
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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."
🎧Kadioglu's return and Everton away previewpublished at 17:46 BST 19 August
17:46 BST 19 August
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.
'Baleba stance a perfect boost and shows club's summer message is clear'published at 12:40 BST 19 August
12:40 BST 19 August
Joe Sayers Fan writer
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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.
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.
Baleba's room for improvement is 'quite a prospect to consider'published at 15:44 BST 18 August
15:44 BST 18 August
Mark Scott Final Score reporter
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Fabian Hurzeler told me after the Fulham game that he expects Carlos Baleba to still be at Brighton come the end of the transfer window, and what a boost that will be for the Seagulls.
Despite not playing for almost a month, the 21-year-old stood out in a game that won't live too long in the memory.
We know the Cameroon International is already coveted by others higher up the food chain - and Hurzeler believes there is still room for improvement in terms of Baleba being better in possession.
That is quite a prospect to consider for a player who could conceivably go on to stake a claim for being one of the best central midfielders in the division this season.
We need to be as ruthless as the top teams - O'Rileypublished at 13:48 BST 18 August
13:48 BST 18 August
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Matt O'Riley spoke to BBC Radio Sussex after Saturday's draw with Fulham: "Disappointing, but lots of positives to take.
"Towards the end of the game, teams get tired and we work a lot on transition in training [so we create a lot of chances]. We have to be more ruthless - the top teams kill games off and this is what we need to improve on."
On his penalty: "We have got a few takers, but I knew before I was going to take it. I try to focus on executing my routine and being in the moment.
"We were hard to play against. We created a lot of chances to kill the game but I think we can be cleaner on the ball to manage the game when it gets chaotic.
"It's the first game of the season - naturally we are going to get sharper and fitter."
Brighton 1-1 Fulham - the fans' verdictpublished at 17:54 BST 17 August
17:54 BST 17 August
Media caption,
We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brighton and Fulham.
Here are some of your comments:
Brighton fans
Chris: Seeing out games was a real problem last season, and it looks like that hasn't properly been solved with Fulham. No Europe if it continues to happen this season too.
Fran: Just like last season and before that and before that... we just cannot finish a game off. Had enough good chances to be well in front but no, we are too wasteful. It's all very well playing nice, tippy-tippy, backwards football but, at that stage of the game, we should just boot it out. Who cares if it is not pretty? We have got to learn and quickly.
Mark: Very disappointing from the Seagulls. Same problem as last season: can't defend a one-goal lead and can't get the second goal to kill the game. Two points dropped at home again to one of the poorer-quality teams in the league. We can't afford another season doing this.
Jon: This looked like a case of deja vous - slow-paced, sideways passing all the time, throwing a game away in stoppage time. Fabian Hurzeler says he wants more intensity, then sends a team out that he knows play slow-paced football. All that money spent sitting on the bench - changes must be made next week.
Bob: Time and time again we cannot hold on to a lead. We must have lost 12-15 points by letting in late goals. Drop Dunk.
Ben: Thought the manager would have learned from last season. You take off the players doing badly, not the ones doing the job! The first three substitutions basically changed the game and he seemed to be making more to try to sort it out. Can't take off Georginio Rutter. Based on last season, we will now finish ninth. Every point is vital, so shipping two in the first home game is dreadful.
Fulham fans
Larry: Phew! Maybe let's not sell Muniz?!
Rob: Lacklustre up top. Good in possession but go backwards in final third. Need some new faces desperately to freshen up and improve squad. Josh King was superb and we saw some good things from Smith Rowe when he came on. Need him to stay fit. We have to start Muniz to give us a physical presence up top and don't, in any circumstances, sell him. He will be in the Brazil squad in the World Cup, so play him.
Mario: Frustrating. Thank goodness for Muniz. A point is as good as it was going to be. I hope the owners realise they need to get themselves together and sort out the transfers.
Rob: Obviously, as a fan, these are the best moments to get a goal - the extra emotion, laughing at the home end emptying like the proverbial fire drill, a draw feeling like a win. On the flip side, I'm still underwhelmed at our slowish transitions from defence to attack. I think that's an area we can work on more.
Simon: Lucky to grab a point, Brighton dominated but couldn't finish us off. We can play better but a big plus was Josh King, who did well with the limited about of ball he had.
Danny: Neither Jimenez nor Muniz is a 20-plus-goals striker. Without a consistent goalscorer we will struggle to finish in the top half of the table, let alone get anywhere near the European places. The other problem Marco Silva needs to address is our inability to build on an opening goal or hang on to a lead. Far too many points squandered last season.
Watch Premier League highlights and analysispublished at 11:31 BST 17 August
11:31 BST 17 August
Pundits Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's opening Premier League fixtures.
Minteh impresses but Seagulls heldpublished at 19:25 BST 16 August
19:25 BST 16 August
Marissa Thomas BBC Sport journalist
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Until Fulham's late equaliser, Brighton were heading for a narrow but comfortable win to kick-start their campaign.
That would have been a fifth consecutive victory on the Premier League's opening weekend, but instead they will have to make do with remaining unbeaten in those fixtures.
James Milner, still going strong at 39, came on as a substitute for his 17th first-matchday appearance, with only Frank Lampard (18) making more in the Premier League.
Brighton did not look like they missed forward Joao Pedro, who has joined Chelsea, with winger Yankuba Minteh particularly lively in attack.
The Gambian had five touches in the opposition box, more than any other Seagulls player, and could be a key figure in his second season with the club.
Brighton 1-1 Fulham: What Hurzeler saidpublished at 18:07 BST 16 August
18:07 BST 16 August
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Brighton drew 1-1 to Fulham in their opening Premier League fixture and boss Fabian Hurzeler believes his team should look at the positives.
"For sure it feels painful," Hurzeler told BBC Sport.
"It's really important to take the positives away. We played well and defended good. We should score the second goal and I think the game would be over. That's football.
"It's very difficult to say [if they could have defended the equaliser better]. It's more about avoiding the corner. The ball is deflected so it's not easy to defend. We have to accept it.
"We controlled most of the first half, although there were not a load of chances. We had to be patient."
Brighton 1-1 Fulham: Did you know?published at 17:43 BST 16 August
17:43 BST 16 August
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Brighton are unbeaten on the opening day of the Premier League season in each of the last five campaigns (W4 D1), with today being the first time they've drawn their opening fixture (W5 L3 prior).
Brighton v Fulham: Team news published at 14:08 BST 16 August
14:08 BST 16 August
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler hands a Premier League debut to left-back Maxim De Cuyper while fellow newbies Diego Coppola and Olivier Boscagli are on the bench.
Brighton XI: Verbuggen, Dunk, van Hecke, Wieffer, De Cuyper, O'Riley, Ayari, Baleba, Minteh, Mitoma, Rutter.
Sutton's predictions: Brighton v Fulhampublished at 11:02 BST 16 August
11:02 BST 16 August
I had a nightmare predicting Fulham last season because they were less consistent than usual at home, but picked up a few unexpected points away.
They haven't really added to their squad this summer, but under Marco Silva they are still a decent team who play attractive football.
It's Brighton I am backing here though, even if I do wonder what effect Joao Pedro leaving will have on the Seagulls - who were so exciting in attack at times last season.
The Seagulls have signed young Greek striker Charalampos Kostoulas, who has a big reputation but he is only 18 years old, so they will be relying on wily old Danny Welbeck - as well as Kaoru Mitoma - while Kostoulas adapts.
We had Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler on this week's Monday Night Club and it was really interesting to listen to him talk about all aspects of management.
Hurzeler said they had turned down bids for Mitoma in the past. We know Brighton's model is to sell players, but Hurzeler clearly has got ambition himself - and while players like Mitoma are there, they are going to be in the top half of the table.
I was thinking of being bold and starting the season by backing them to get a big win, but I'm going to be sensible - for once.
Fulham v Brighton: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 17:18 BST 15 August
17:18 BST 15 August
Tom McCoy BBC Sport journalist
Fulham ended last season with five defeats in their final seven matches but have failed to strengthen their squad over the summer, prompting concern from head coach Marco Silva.
Speaking ahead of their opening game away to Brighton, Silva said he was surprised by how "passive" the club had been, adding "I knew what I wanted and the plan was there but it hasn't happened – right now we need to reinforce".
The Whites are in talks with Shakhtar Donetsk for Brazilian winger Kevin, who could eventually cost a club-record fee of £40m, but to date they have brought in just one first-team player, fewer than any other Premier League club. Their solitary signing so far, 34-year-old goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte, joined for approximately £400,000, meaning the west London side also rank last for total spending.
Silva admitted on Thursday "in some positions we are very short in numbers" but he can at least take heart from results in pre-season. Fulham have won five of their six friendly games, including last weekend's 1-0 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt courtesy of a Raul Jimenez free-kick.
Brighton's outlay of approximately £68m is the seventh lowest by a top-flight side this summer, but it is worth noting they spent a league-high £196.6m last summer plus a further £40.8m in January.
One of the key questions for Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler is how to replace forward Joao Pedro following the Brazilian's £55m move to Chelsea.
The Seagulls have coped with the loss of star players before. When Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Alexis Mac Allister were sold, the profits were reinvested in emerging stars and that's the strategy they will again follow this season.
Two of the latest acquisitions are Greek forwards Charalampos Kostoulas, 18, and Stefanos Tzimas, 19.
Kostoulas arrived this summer for almost £30m after just 35 appearances and seven goals for Olympiakos. Tzimas, meanwhile, was signed earlier this year for over £20m but allowed to remain with Nuremberg for the remainder of the season. He ended the campaign with 12 goals in 24 appearances for the German second-tier club.
Both players are inexperienced and expected to be eased into action gradually but, given Brighton's track record, are likely to make their mark before too long.
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