After qualifying for the Europa League in the 2022/23 season, Brighton took a massive step back last season, finishing 11th in the league. The Seagulls have their eyes on qualifying for Europe again this season with new manager Fabian Hürzeler.
People have talked enough about Brighton’s 31-year-old manager; it’s time to look at the players who could take the club back to Europe this season. Here are the five Brighton players you need to know:
RW Yankuba Minteh
In typical Brighton fashion, the Seagulls may have pulled off the best signing of summer with their purchase of Yankuba Minteh from Newcastle for £30m.
The 20-year-old winger spent all of last season on loan with Arne Slot’s Feyenoord, where he had 10 goals and 5 assists in 27 league matches. He averaged 0.93 goal contributions per 90 minutes, which was seventh-best in the Eredivisie.
Beyond goals and assists, Minteh was a devastating dribbler. He led the league in take-ons leading to a shot (27), goal-creating actions per 90 (1.24), and carries into the opposition penalty area (91).
Minteh showed in the preseason that he could be as good of a player in the Premier League as he was in the Eredivisie. The Gambian looked like Brighton’s most dangerous attacker in each of their four preseason matches. He scored three goals in those matches and drew a penalty in the one match he failed to score.
Even if Minteh has some growing pains offensively–as many players coming from the Eredivisie do–his work rate, blistering pace, and ability to get into dangerous areas immediately makes him a valuable member of the squad.
CM Mats Wieffer
Mats Wieffer is another new young star who could shine for Brighton this season. Like Minteh, the Wieffer comes from Feyenoord. The midfielder was one of the best players in the Eredivisie last season. Brighton signed him for £25m this summer.
Wieffer is a hybrid defensive midfielder, perfect for a club who plays as aggressively as Fabian Hürzeler’s teams tend to. He was in the top ten in the Eredivisie for progressive passes, tackles, and dribblers tackled. Wieffer was also an effective pivot for Feyenoord. He ranked tenth in the league for touches.
An injury kept Wieffer from showing out in the preseason like Minteh did. However, he looked great in the club’s last friendly against Villarreal playing alongside James Milner.
Brighton have a lot of new signings to be excited about heading into this season. For me, Wieffer is the most exciting. He looks like a perfect replacement for Moises Caicedo, and could even surpass the Ecuadorian’s time at Brighton thanks to his offensive ability.
As long as he stays healthy, Wieffer will be Brighton’s best midfielder. If he overperforms my expectations, he could easily be one of the breakout players of the Premier League this season.
CB Lewis Dunk
As much as I love flashy new signings, there’s nothing better than a homegrown player delivering for their boyhood club. That’s exactly what Lewis Dunk does every single year.
The 32-year-old has been with Brighton since he was 12. He made his debut for the Seagulls when they were in League One. Dunk captained them in the Europa League last season.
This incredible longevity is a testament to Dunk’s versatility. During Brighton’s first few seasons in the Premier League, he was a typical no-nonsense defender who led the league in blocks alongside fellow hardman Shane Duffy. Dunk still has his physicality and defensive instincts, but he’s also now one of the most underrated ball-playing defenders in Europe.
He lacks the pace of other top center backs–like Micky van de Ven and William Saliba–but he makes up for it with his passing. Dunk’s passing range is as good as any center backs’ in the Premier League. At long-range passing, he might be the best in the league.
From what I’ve seen of Hürzeler’s Brighton so far, Dunk will have plenty of chances to send threaded long-distance through balls to wingers or direct balls over the top to Brighton’s forwards.
It’s a lot to ask for from a 32-year-old, but I think Dunk could take another step up this year in Hürzeler’s system. He’s definitely one to watch for this season.
FW João Pedro
João Pedro was Brighton’s top scorer last season, so of course I have to mention him here. Even if the Brazilian didn’t top Brighton’s scoring charts, he would probably make my list due to his versatility and playmaking ability.
Pedro joined Brighton last summer for a club record fee of £30m. He immediately lived up to his price tag. He shot home a penalty in the Seagulls’ first match of the season and scored two goals against AEK Athens in Brighton’s first ever European fixture. Pedro really showed his value later in the season though.
With Mitoma, March, and other wide attackers out injured, Pedro played everywhere for Roberto De Zerbi’s side. He looked at his best when he was given free range out on the left where he could link up with other players at his leisure.
He won’t be playing quite the same role this season, but Hürzeler obviously saw that Pedro is better as an attacking midfielder and than a striker. He played behind Danny Welbeck in Brighton’s last friendly, where he also scored a brilliant goal from outside the box.
Pedro is worth watching for goals like that screamer, but with as much freedom as Hürzeler is going to give him this season, I’m sure he’ll deliver a lot more than goals.
LW Kaoru Mitoma
Injuries and struggling teammates around him really limited Kaoru Mitoma last season. The Japanese winger played just 19 league matches for Brighton last season. When he did play, it was clear that Mitoma wasn’t himself. Thankfully, Mitoma now looks healthy. Not only that, he looks like he could be one of Hürzeler’s most important players.
In Brighton’s friendlies Kashima Antlers and Tokyo Verdy, Mitoma played significant minutes as a LWB/LM with another attacker in front of him. He has played this role before with Japan and for Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium, but never for Brighton. Mitoma has played as a more traditional left wingback for the Seagulls before, but only as a last resort, and never with an attacker in front of him.
If Hürzeler can make a left side of Mitoma and another attacker work, Brighton’s left flank could be one of the best in the league. Even if Mitoma is used just as a normal left winger, he’s worth watching.
Mitoma is arguably the best one-on-one attacker in the league. I haven’t seen a defender yet who can consistently stop him from getting to the endline.
At his best, I think Mitoma is in the conversation of being the best left winger in the league along with Heung-min Son, Jérémy Doku, and Luis Diaz. If you get the chance to watch him and Brighton, you should.
