£200m squad rebuild and exciting start: will anything happen at Brighton? – Nature today

A new manager in Fabian Hurzeler and a £200 million ($265 million) renewal in the summer transfer window… how profitable could this be for Brighton & Hove Albion?

They scored five goals and conceded once in wins against Manchester United and Everton, and the 31-year-old German hasn’t even used most of his seven signings so far, worth over £ 140 m. No wonder enthusiasm is growing.

Midfielder Matt O’Reilly and full-back Ferdi Kadioglu arrive from Celtic and Fenerbahce, taking their summer spending to £200m – and that may not be the end of the deal. Brighton are still looking to add another centre-back, with Mats Hummels once among the targets, although the 35-year-old German is in talks to join Real Sociedad as a free agent.

They are also interested in signing Diego Gomes to Inter Miami as they continue their policy of buying young talents from around the world. The Paraguayan midfielder, 21, joined the Premier League season in January.

Brighton’s first seven signings come from seven different countries. Six of them are between 19 and 22 years old, and the oldest is Dutch midfielder Mats Wiffer, 24 years old.

Denmark international O’Reilly, 23, will become Pascal Gross’s number 8 following the German’s move to Borussia Dortmund. O’Reilly scored 19 goals and provided 18 assists in 49 games in all competitions for Celtic last season and was an excellent passer. It also makes up for the loss of the Gross joint movements.

Fenerbahce refused to lose Kadioglu. The highlight of José Mourinho’s side was being kicked out of the Champions League in the third qualifying round against French side Lille.

Brighton will be looking at the 24-year-old Turkish international primarily as a right-back who can play as a left-back. That’s why the promising Argentine Valentín Barco was loaned to Sevilla in the off-season, as a warning to the 20-year-old footballer. Brighton’s Joel Veltman, Jack Hinshelwood and Tariq Lamptey are already competing for full-back positions, while Ecuadorian Pervis Estupinan is returning from ankle surgery that has kept him out since April.

Former Newcastle full-back Yankuba Minte was the only new signing to start in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Manchester United at the Amex Stadium.

“We haven’t taken advantage of many new contracts yet. It means that the players who are already here have good quality and are laying a good foundation to win games,” said Hurzeler after the game against United.

“And now we are trying to bring in new players as soon as possible. We must be clear that some players need more time and some can integrate faster than others. It is very important that we give them time, because the Premier League is one of the most competitive leagues in the world.

“They have to adapt because they come from different cultures, from different leagues and it’s not easy for them. But I’m sure we’ll make it easy for them because of the environment, the training place and the staff who are very helpful.”

Wiffer, who made his debut in a 3-0 win over Everton, was playing his first home game, although he suffered a minor injury. Billy Gilmour, Wiffer’s impressive replacement, remains a regular target for Napoli moves.

Hurzeler didn’t bring on Georginio Rutter, a club-record £40m signing from Leeds, until the 89th minute as a triple substitution. The French striker immediately made his debut on the right.

Rutter came on for Joao Pedro’s goal in added time, but two more substitutes were brought in to join him in the build-up. Yassin Ayari assisted Simon Adingra for a cross headed by Joao Pedro.

Joao Pedro scored his side’s second goal against United (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)

The Brazilian, last season’s top scorer with 20 goals, was the fourth player to score for Brighton this season. Danny Welbeck has never been as prolific as Joao Pedro in the same campaign, but there are early signs that he will benefit from Hurzeler’s intense, pressing style.

The 33-year-old now has two goals in as many games after a late first-half goal from Kaoru Mitoma. It was Welbeck’s 100th career goal (seven against United) since making his debut as a 17-year-old.

Of the other new signings, 20-year-old attacking midfielder Bryan Gruda from Mainz arrives too early for the Premier League. Ibrahim Usman was loaned to Feyenoord. Amario Cozier-Dubry is also on loan; The former Arsenal player has attracted a lot of interest from Championship clubs.

IFK Goteburg’s teenage midfielder Malik Yalkoue played his first 90 minutes in the Football League Cup group stage against Crawley last week. Their last penalty shot attempt was saved in a 4-3 loss on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.

The picture will become clearer at the end of the transfer window, with more loan payments expected to reduce an overextended squad, but what lies ahead for Brighton under Hurzeler is promising. Six points have already been achieved.

It won’t be easy for Hurzeler to lift Brighton from a top-six finish under Roberto De Zerbi in 2022-23, but European football will feel another boost if the new-look team builds on a promising start.