We take a look at what lies ahead in a second season for Fabian Hurzeler as the Seagulls continue to trust the process and challenge the establishment.
Squad strength
--------------
Still hard to tell but it feels potentially stronger barring big injury problems.
Attacking options are tricky to weigh up until we see what Stefanos Tzimas, Charalampos Kostoulas and Tommy Watson offer and whether Ferdi Kadioglu is used in attacking areas.
The same goes for defence all the time we wait on Olivier Boscagli and Diego Coppola but both are used to being first choices in top-flight teams.
Reasons for excitement
----------------------
The scope for development we see from so many players is high on the list.
Yankuba Minteh, Yasin Ayari, Carlos Baleba and Kadioglu stand out in this respect.
Possibly Diego Gomez. And we haven’t seen the best of Matt O’Riley on a sustained basis.
Someone will make huge strides this season.
Reasons for mild concern
------------------------
It feels like they might be a bit under-protected at the back.
And the loss of Joao Pedro is disconcerting for one reason - his ability and just sheer will to come up with something decisive late in games.
Clearly all was not well behind the scenes late last season and he could also be a frustrating figure on the pitch.
But sometimes a bit of arrogance is good to have on your side.
_(Image: PA Wire/Gareth Fuller)_
The rivals
----------
The obvious first thing to look at when targeting an improved league position is which teams above you can you leapfrog?
Nottingham Forest seem the obvious targets. We all recall that perfect storm by the Trent last season and Forest were widely, and rightly, seen as one of the success stories of the season.
But, without that one result, Albion were only one point worse off than them over the other 37 games and had a significantly better goal difference so that gap is not so big.
Then there is the hope that Aston Villa and Newcastle struggle with European commitments and what so far seems to be an underwhelming summer transfer market.
The super powers
----------------
When Leicester won the Premier League in 2015-16, it felt like the richer clubs decided there could be no repeat.
Over the subsequent five seasons, 29 of the 30 top-six places were taken by the big six (the exception being a fifth place for Leicester in 2019-20, when Arsenal were eighth).
The only other “other 14” teams to finish in the top six since 2016 are Albion, Aston Villa (twice) and Newcastle (twice), all in the last three seasons.
Now have a look at which teams won the FA Cup after Wigan and the League Cup after Swansea, both in 2012-13.
Okay, Liverpool won the league last season but the cups went outside the big six and smaller clubs made the giants (especially two of them) look silly at times.
Even Arsenal and Manchester City probably under-achieved last term.
Like 2016, this has felt like a “won’t get fooled again” summer for the giants and they will all be expected to improve - even Liverpool given their spending.
But it won’t happen for all of them. Or, if it does, not by enough. They can’t all be happy.
Manchester United are giving off a feel of desperation and, though Albion fans might not have enjoyed it, Crystal Palace showed in the Community Shield that the super powers must not be feared (which Albion never do).
The mini-league
---------------
Albion came top of their mini-league last season but it wasn’t quite enough.
It feels like Brentford and Bournemouth have been weakened this summer but they have defied football logic more than often enough to be able to reinvent themselves in the coming months.
Overlooked factors
------------------
Albion never fielded an unchanged team last season. But they did it outfield in the Wolfsburg friendly. If that is a sign of more settled line-ups, that can only be a good sign.
Although we have not yet seen much of them, they have got their signings in early. That’s a cliche we hear at every level of football at the end of every season - managers saying they want new additions on board ready for pre-season:
It never happens. Only this time it has - albeit it feels like they won’t all be match-ready for day one.
But the summer of settling in can be a huge plus for the new signings.
Those new signings who came in early include a set-piece specialist, Yannick Euvrard, who was with the squad in Spain.
Albion have looked quite good at attacking set-plays but this is another tough role to judge because its success ultimately depends as well on what doesn’t happen.
Players to watch
----------------
_(Image: Simon Dack)_ **Georginio Rutter:** Became a great crowd favourite and was involved in some important moments while showing the essential appetite for work.
He also feels like the type of character who might help lift a squad on a flat morning during the long, dreary, winter months of a tough season.
Given his impact, it is perhaps easy to forget he was a late arrival to the squad last summer and only started 19 games.
He ranked down in tenth place for Premier League appearances within the Albion squad and was 13th for total minutes played.
A clearer run at the Prem, a season’s experience and maybe more responsibility after the departure of Joao Pedro can all see him really blossom.
**Max De Cuyper:** An easy and obvious choice as the one new signing who has been prominent in pre-season but it looks like he adds a lot in attack.
We will watch with interest and anticipation given what we have seen so far.
And also trepidation at times given that there might be a trade-off on defensive security. But that used to happen anyway with the often brilliant Pervis Estupinan.
Look out too for Boscagli. Albion have been [keeping tabs on him since 2018](https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/25324336.olivier-boscagli-long-term-brighton-interest-last-year-psv/) so you would think they would make good use of him now he is here.
**Jack Hinshelwood:** He won’t feature in many season previews and might not make a lot of ideal starting XIs.
But he makes the collective better and that is a huge attribute for any boss across 38 lots of 90 minutes (plus cup ties).
That is also why Lee Carsley wanted him in his England under-21s XI in high-stakes Euros games.
This is a World Cup year and, while few will currently expect Hinshelwood to be in the senior squad for North America and Mexico next summer, who would have written his script so far?
**Charalampos Kostoulas (for 2026-27):** Explosive, hugely confident and with a bit of a swagger, ‘Babis’ could be a breath of fresh air when he hits the Premier League.
But, for someone who has so far mainly known sunshine both metaphorically and meteorologically, there could well be tougher times in our brutal league and windy, drizzly city.
It would be no surprise – or problem – if this was to a fits-and-starts type of season.
If that proves to be the case, watch him go in the following campaign.
Prediction
----------
In terms of predictions, well they are not really my thing.
I’m more than happy to turn up at a match (or new season) not really knowing what to expect. In fact, I often prefer it that way.
Just be ready to report and describe it on a fair and balanced way. That’s a reporter’s job.
But, like all of you, I have my thoughts. They are a little conflicted at the moment but generally go along the lines of a “don’t get your hopes too high” kind of optimism.
I have written about Albion’s dress rehearsal against Wolfsburg but, actually, it wasn’t really that given the players they still have to bring in.
There are players who could make the difference who we have not seen yet.
But I also trust Tony Bloom on Albion matters - [including the hot topic of Carlos Baleba,](https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/25347915.brighton-unlikely-sell-carlos-baleba-summer/) by the way.
I’ll go for seventh place. It’s tentative and not hugely scientific.
I watch very little of the other 19 teams across a season.
As “world champions” and for all their business and methods, I actually believe Chelsea may well win the title. Anything else this season or next is failure.
European commitments will be a factor for a few teams and Albion MUST learn to win games against sides well below them.
If there are 13 teams looking up at the Seagulls in May, it will have been a good league season.