Our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) 2026/27 team previews continue with Brighton and Hove Albion.
Here, we discuss their best FPL picks for the upcoming campaign, predict the line-up for Gameweek 1, review pre-season, detail their set-piece takers, assess the summer transfer activity and more.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
A STRONG FINISH TO LAST SEASON
Last season was a real rollercoaster for Brighton and Hove Albion fans.
From the start of December to mid-February, they took just nine points from 39, with a solitary win over Burnley in 13 matches.
But after that, it all seemed to click for Fabian Hurzeler’s side, with seven wins and one draw in 12 games to finish the season.
However, in terms of their defensive metrics, they were really solid from the start of the year.
From Gameweek 19, they ranked second for expected goals conceded (xGC), with 23.23 xGC:
They were also third for fewest shots conceded (212), only behind Arsenal (178) and Manchester City (200).
They’ve since lost centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke (£5.0m) to Tottenham Hotspur, which is far from ideal, but they have at least replaced him with several new arrivals at the back, including Luka Vuskovic (£5.0m) and Pascal Struijk (£5.0m).
STABILITY
Hurzeler is remarkably one of the longest-serving managers in the Premier League.
This could provide Brighton with an early boost, particularly if the nine new top-flight managers require time to settle at their respective clubs.
Hurzeler already has a deep understanding of both Albion and his players, of course, having guided Brighton to back-to-back eighth-place finishes in his two seasons at the helm.
“… I think now to go to my third season is definitely an advantage for me. I understand more and more the Premier League. I understand more and more my players. Of course, we added some new players. But the core, the style of play, how I want to lead and how I how build this connection with the core we already have in this club will remain the same.” – Fabian Hurzeler, via We Are Brighton
REASONS TO BE FEARFUL
A TRIP TO THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
Brighton will face Norwegian outfit Tromso, who are based in the Arctic Circle, in the play-off round of the Conference League.
They visit Norway on Thursday 20 August, just a few days before their Gameweek 1 opener at home to Aston Villa. The second leg is at the Amex Stadium on 27 August.
Hurzeler could rotate his line-ups for Europe, of course, but the quick turnarounds next season, especially at the start, are a concern for Fantasy managers.
KEY DEPARTURES – PARTICULARLY UP TOP
Brighton have lost a couple of key players this summer, in van Hecke and Danny Welbeck (£6.0m).
The Dutch centre-back was Albion’s best defender in 2025/26.
Welbeck meanwhile netted 23 Premier League goals and supplied six assists over the past two seasons.
Van Hecke has at least been replaced, but for now, it looks like Albion will be relying on Georginio Rutter (£5.5m) or Charalampos Kostoulas (£5.5m) to lead the line, which perhaps feels like a bit of a gamble.
INJURIES OUT WIDE
The problems in attack don’t end there.
Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma (both £6.0m) are set to miss the start of the season, which leaves the Seagulls desperately short of wide-midfield options – and now competing on two fronts.
BRIGHTON: SUMMER TRANSFER ACTIVITY
Key Transfers In:
| MID | Zadok Yohanna | AIK (£21.5m) |
| DEF | Costinha | Olympiacos (£11m) |
| DEF | Pascal Struijk | Leeds United (£20m) |
| DEF | Michael Svoboda | Venezia (£4.3m) |
| DEF | Luka Vuskovic | Tottenham Hotspur (£46m) |
Key Transfers Out:
| MID | Jeremy Sarmiento | Middlesbrough (Undisclosed) |
| MID | James Milner | Retired |
| MID | Solly March | Released |
| DEF | Adam Webster | Released |
| DEF | Joel Veltman | Released |
| DEF | Jan Paul van Hecke | Tottenham Hotspur (£52m) |
| MID | Brajan Gruda | RB Leipzig (loan) |
| DEF | Diego Coppola | Paris FC (£15m) |
| FWD | Danny Welbeck | Chelsea (£5m) |
| GK | Carl Rushworth | Coventry City (£22m) |
Brighton recruited three centre-backs over the summer: Vuskovic, Struijk and Michael Svoboda (£5.0m). We’ve barely seen Struijk and Svoboda in pre-season, with the former dealing with a fitness issue.
It’s difficult, therefore, to have a strong idea over which centre-back pairing Hurzeler will favour.
Vuskovic is the great hope. He averaged 12.5 DefCons per 90 minutes for Hamburg last season, and scored six goals – a fantastic total for a centre-back.
A new right-back in Costinha (£4.5m) has arrived; he looks very much like back-up to Mats Wieffer (£5.0m). Zero goals, zero assists and just 6.60 DefCons per 90 minutes in 2025/26 doesn’t set the pulses racing.
Similarly, the exciting but very inexperienced Zadok Yohanna (£5.0m) is likely going to be understudy to Minteh and Diego Gomez (£5.0m) on the right flank – although the current injury crisis might fast-track his integration!
BRIGHTON: PRE-SEASON FPL REPORTS
| Jul 18 | Brighton and Hove Albion 4-1 Wycombe Wanderers (h) | Kostoulas (Minteh assist), Kostoulas (Osman assist), Osman (Keogh assist), Rutter (Boscagli assist) |
| Aug 1 | Strasbourg 3-4 Brighton and Hove Albion (a) | Gross pen (Wieffer assist), Boscagli (Gross assist), Cashin (Boscagli assist), Osman pen |
| Aug 8 | Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0 Roma (h) | Rutter (Gomez assist), Ayari, Ayari (Rutter assist) |
| Aug 15 | Brighton and Hove Albion 1-0 Bologna (h) | Hinshelwood (Wieffer assist) |
Form Players: Rutter (2 goals, 1 assist), Osman (2 goals, 1 assist), Boscagli (1 goal, 2 assists), Ayari (2 goals), Kostoulas (2 goals), Gross (1 goal, 1 assist), Wieffer (2 assists)
OPENING FIXTURES
How you assess Brighton’s opening fixtures depends on your timeframe. Over the first nine Gameweeks, they’re bottom of the ticker.
Omit the trips to Liverpool and Man City at the end of that run, however, and it’s not looking so bad outside of Gameweeks 2 and 5.
Gameweek 1 could certainly be an opportune time to face Aston Villa, who are beset by fitness issues – particularly in attack.
Gameweeks 10-17 looks a good period for investment, too:
PENALTY + SET-PIECE TAKERS
The rest of this article below is completely free to read but requires a Fantasy Football Scout user account for access – you can get yours at no cost here
