At various stages of the 2024/25 season, Brighton & Hove Albion seemed capable of achieving anything they wanted.
They were a penalty shoot-out away from an FA Cup Semi-Final against the weakest Manchester City team in a decade.
Agonisingly, they were an FA Cup victory for arch-rivals Crystal Palace away from qualifying for the UEFA Conference League.
Hindsight also shows they had multiple chances to bridge a four-point gap to 7th-placed Nottingham Forest. Not least, an abhorrent 7-0 defeat at the City Ground.
However, Brighton’s season should not be told through a series of what-ifs and maybes.
There is more to the tale, as head coach **Fabian Hürzeler**’s permanent optimism attests.
While there were tactical failings and psychological blocks - both of which the club has dealt with before - there was also a new lease of life in several players, and thrilling opportunities for many more.
The first Hürzeler season, or the start of the post-Roberto De Zerbi age, as some loyalists would have it, offered many reasons to be optimistic.
With trends on the pitch being reminiscent of recent seasons - wildly-celebrated giant-killings, poor performances against relegation fodder, horrific injury curses - it gave more time to reflect on off-the-pitch matters.
After all of this, the Seagulls - from boardroom to pitch level - should be assessed as a continuing success story.
With only minor tweaks to be made in the summer of 2025, they are now in a much stronger position than they were 12 months ago. That alone suggests that the campaign was a success, as the two men who matter most - owner Tony Bloom and Chief Executive Officer Paul Barber - seem to support.
Player of the Season - Jan Paul van Hecke
Brighton’s in-house Player of the Season award was narrowed down to three contenders by mid-May, and there were few qualms about van Hecke, Danny Welbeck and Carlos Baleba being the men shortlisted.
Dutchman van Hecke emerged successful, and there are no arguments here about the centre-back being a worthy winner.
The 25-year-old played the most minutes of any outfielder in 2024-25 (2,958 in the Premier League), but more than being available, he was commanding amid a chaotic season in defence.
All of his centre-back partners - captain Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, Igor Julio, and latterly Eiran Cashin - were injured or unavailable for large spells of the campaign, while the situation at full-back was little better.
With Joël Veltman and Tariq Lamptey crocked on the right, van Hecke aided the unproven Jack Hinshelwood, Mats Wieffer and Baleba. Meanwhile, Pervis Estupiñán did not offer his usual reliability on the left.
These circumstances brought the best out of van Hecke - already a commanding and mobile defensive presence - as he demonstrated leadership and tactical flexibility beyond his years.
He was the glue that held a defensively risky approach from Hürzeler together, stopping the **Premier League**’s best forwards in their tracks.
As an addendum, it is notable that in the four league matches van Hecke missed, the Seagulls conceded 10 goals.
The Dutchman enhanced his reputation even further in 2024-25, and all Albion fans will be hoping for this summer is that he does not extend the club’s ‘Player of the Season curse’.
Given Baleba was in the running for the club’s main honour, there is no doubt he is most deserving of the YPOTS award.
Still only 21-years-old, the midfielder played 40 games across all competitions, becoming a lynchpin of the side after being used sparingly by De Zerbi in 2023-24.
Comparisons with Móises Caicedo and Yves Bissouma are unfair on the young Cameroonian, with his game different to both.
Baleba’s crashing runs from deep into the heart of attack dictated the tempo of Brighton’s season, and only when opponents found ways to stop him did the Seagulls struggle.
He deserved more than the four goals and two assists he posted, with his spectacular added-time winner against West Ham proving what he can do in the final third.
Defensively, he was a fulcrum, too. Tasked with being the only sitting midfielder before Hürzeler was forced to change tack after the 7-0 defeat, Baleba’s durability and knack for a last-gasp interception were a constant saving grace.
He is hot property in the midfield market now, but with only a handful of sides able to afford the youngster, Brighton will hope Baleba remains for 2025-26.
All reflections on Brighton’s transfer business this season should immediately mention the headline figure of £200 million.
There is no hiding that Brighton were the second biggest spenders in the Premier League last season, with only **Chelsea**spending a fraction more over the course of the campaign.
This figure includes Brighton’s pending arrival, Stefanos Tzimas, but demonstrates just how important 2024-25 was for the club’s transfer strategy.
Bloom and Barber’s bullish approach meant they saw off other suitors for several players, and also contending for other huge talents like Vitor Reis.
Injuries, however, scuppered the chances of almost every one of these players to build momentum.
Consequently, there are three contenders for this award: Rutter, Yankuba Minteh, and Brajan Gruda.
Gruda’s rise was delayed, but a goal in the penultimate away trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers and a stunning performance against champions **Liverpool**meant he took full advantage of João Pedro’s absence. He now looks a capable replacement if the Brazilian departs.
Minteh was tireless on the wing and a match-winner on several occasions, with memorable moments coming both for his brilliance at Old Trafford and against Chelsea, and while playing as a wing-back in late winter.
But Rutter - the club’s record signing - must take the plaudits for making fans fall head over heels in love with him.
The Frenchman oozes charisma, was a match-winner in the most dramatic of circumstances against Tottenham Hotspur, and has offered Hürzeler everything he could have wanted.
Tireless, capable of playing any attacking position and full of positivity, Rutter is the future of Brighton’s forward line.
While this award might usually be reserved for younger players, it is two leaders within the Brighton dressing room who lead the contenders.
It is a tough call to separate**Welbeck** and Adam Webster, but having already mentioned the ex-**England**striker’s excellence, there should be space for praise of Webster too.
Having started the season with questions about his future, and then taking heavy criticism for his performance in a 4-2 defeat at Chelsea before a serious thigh injury, Webster had a hard time of it.
The West Wittering-born defender has rarely had a smooth run at Brighton since joining in 2019, however, and this seemed to benefit him.
Hürzeler’s public backing of the 30-year-old, saying about critical fans on social media that “We should invite them” to training, sparked a remarkable response.
Webster returned from two months on the sidelines at an opportune time in January, when Dunk and Igor were afflicted by injuries, and took the captain’s armband for the first time in a 2-0 win over Ipswich.
Having watched on at the 7-0, Webster came in as skipper for four of the next five Premier League matches, winning four and drawing one.
He then returned in May for another three excellent performances, leaving his reputation in its best-ever condition at the Amex Stadium.
Of the squad Brighton finished the season with, the player least certain to be a part of the team back in August was Ayari.
The Swedish midfielder was a divisive figure for much of the campaign, with many fans questioning what his best assets are and what he contributes to the team.
The 21-year-old is a scrawny presence in midfield, comparable to Billy Gilmour the season prior.
Where Gilmour had his skills - set-pieces and a terrier-like pressing ability - Ayari has also worked hard to be of value this season.
Having gained confidence and consistency with both of these skills, Ayari has also become a goal threat.
His long-range screamer against West Ham proved where he has an edge over Gilmour, who was notorious for firing in shot after shot without reaching the target.
Ultimately, Ayari’s late-season renaissance justified the decision to let Gilmour go last season and has meant he is beginning to nail down a starting position.
Match of the Season - Brighton 3-0 Chelsea, Premier League, 14th February 2025
Amongst many memorable home matches, Brighton’s zenith came on St. Valentine’s Day, when their European push looked to be re-energised.
The second of two home wins over Chelsea in the space of a week, this demolition job was even more definitive than a 2-1 FA Cup win when the Seagulls utterly dominated the second half.
It will be remembered for **Kaoru Mitoma**’s wonder strike, which won the BBC Goal of the Season, but the game should also be viewed as a masterstroke of Hürzeler’s management.
Brighton treated a 4th-placed Chelsea side with disdain, with the arrogance of youth abundant as Minteh netted a second-half brace, twice sitting ex-Seagull Marc Cucurella on his behind before smashing past Filip Jörgensen.
Given how Chelsea have become Brighton’s second-favourite team to hate in the past few seasons, completing the home double was especially sweet.
To do so while playing such an exhilarating style, and turning things around entirely from the 7-0 defeat a fortnight earlier, meant Brighton were back.
Calls for Hürzeler’s head had departed, and the European charge was back on.
While it did not pan out as intended, the latter half of the season continued with that tone. Brighton resultantly head into the summer in a strong condition.