What is Brighton’s strongest starting lineup?

Carl Rushworth will be Steele’s understudy initially as he awaits a loan move to a Championship club for a second successive season after impressing at Swansea City.

Selection: Bart Verbruggen

Sides

On the right, Jack Hinshelwood has the opportunity to pick up where he left off before his breakthrough last season was cut short by a stress fracture in his foot that sidelined him from February through the end of the season.

The 19-year-old came through the academy as a central midfielder and that is where his long-term future lies, but De Zerbi has made effective use of his energy, adventurous instincts and eye for goal (he has scored three times in 12 league appearances in 2023-24) on the right side of defence in a back three and a back four.

There are viable alternatives, however. Joel Veltman doesn’t have the pace and mobility to get up and down the field, but the 32-year-old is a model of consistency and reliability.

Tariq Lamptey, on the other hand, has speed but not the same level of reliability. He has suffered persistent injury problems and his size makes him weak in physical confrontations.

On the left, Pervis Estupinan will miss the start of the season due to an ankle injury sustained in April that required surgery. If the Ecuadorian international returns to the injury-free influence he demonstrated in 2022-23 in tandem with Kaoru Mitoma, it will be difficult to change him.

As with the goalkeeper situation, however, the injury allows 20-year-old Valentin Barco to press his case. The talented Argentine will push Estupinan hard in his first full season at the club.

Hurzeler also considers Carlos Baleba an option for left-back.

Selections: Jack Hinshelwood and Pervis Estupinan

Hurzeler has oscillated between a back three and a back four during pre-season. Regardless of the system, two spots at the heart of the defense are more or less defined.

It’s hard to know whether Lewis Dunk’s England career is over after being named in the squad but failing to play a single minute at Euro 2024. But if there are any doubts about what the future holds for Dunk at international level, the 32-year-old captain’s enduring importance to Brighton is undiminished.

Jan Paul van Hecke is the most improved player in the squad, second only to the 2023-24 Player of the Season award for the enduring excellence of the now-departed Pascal Gross.

Left-back Igor Julio had a good first season at the club when he was called up, but his absence through injury throughout pre-season has hurt the Brazilian’s chances of a run of games at the start of the season.

It is not so long ago that Adam Webster, who can play on the left or right, was close to an England call-up before injuries halted his momentum. Hurzeler’s appointment offers a further boost.

Internally, there is little optimism that interest in 35-year-old free agent Mats Hummels will turn into a deal, given the number of clubs with bigger salaries who are also attracted to the idea of ​​signing the German World Cup winner.

Adding another experienced, high-profile player to the squad was the plan before Adam Lallana returned to Southampton. Now that Gross has also been lost from the core group of wise guys following his move to Borussia Dortmund, it is even more important that Brighton find suitable cover.

Selections: Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke

Central midfielders

Mats Wieffer is the most significant signing of the transfer window so far in the squad area of ​​concern, having lost Gross in addition to the departures of Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister in the summer of 2023.

The Feyenoord signing will be crucial for Hurzeler in and out of possession, especially when the high press is broken.

His long-legged stride gives him the ability to win the ball back and he will be the pacesetter with his simplistic passing stance — a Dutch version of Declan Rice.

The big question is who will partner Wieffer, given Napoli’s pursuit of Billy Gilmour. A case could be made for the versatile 38-year-old James Milner, who was mainly used last season as a full-back until he suffered a hamstring injury in January.

The best is yet to come for Baleba (top left). There were inconsistent flashes last season from the Cameroonian newcomer’s rich promise. His defensive awareness and positioning need improvement, but he has the potential to develop into a top-class box-to-box midfielder with his powerful athleticism and combative instincts.

Selections: Mats Wieffer and Carlos Baleba

Attackers

Who to choose from a wealth of talent? While the centre of midfield looks weaker than it did two seasons ago, when Brighton finished sixth under De Zerbi, the depth of quality in attack is stronger.

Glenn Murray’s 13 goals, which saved the team from relegation in 2018-19, remain the most goals scored by a Brighton player in the Premier League.

That will be more under threat than ever this season, given this rich roster of wingers and forwards: Yankuba Minteh, Amario Cozier-Duberry, Simon Adingra, Mitoma, Julio Enciso, Jeremy Sarmiento, Ibrahim Osman, Joao Pedro, Danny Welbeck and Evan Ferguson.

The £30 million ($38.3m) investment in Minteh (right in top image) could end up looking like a bid from Newcastle. Peak Mitoma is essential on the left if he overcomes last season’s injury problems.

Joao Pedro can build on an exceptional debut campaign and Danny Welbeck’s enduring class cannot be ignored. The team’s total of 72 goals in 2022-23 is an outlier. But their best tally other than that in seven Premier League seasons of 55 (2023-24) should be bettered.

Selections: Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma, João Pedro and Danny Welbeck

(Main photos: Getty Images)