Brighton & Hove Albion owner-chairman Tony Bloom talked up the chances of Europe happening for the second time in the club’s 124-year history in the early stages of the season.
The lifelong fan, not noted for hyperbole on the rare occasions that he speaks in public, was in bullish mood about prospects during an interview with The Athletic in September.
Brighton were third in the Premier League table at that stage under new head coach Fabian Hurzeler after wins away to Everton and at home to Manchester United, followed by a draw at Arsenal. Bloom stated: “Our long-term vision of (regular finishes in the Premier League) top 10 doesn’t change, but certainly this season, we think we have a great chance of qualifying for Europe.”
Bloom’s hopes are still alive after Brighton’s home campaign ended with a rousing 3-2 victory over champions Liverpool at the Amex Stadium on Monday night. Hurzeler’s side came from behind twice to leave their quest to finish eighth in the table — which would be the second-highest finish ever for the club — in their own hands on the final day of the season.
They go to Tottenham Hotspur next Sunday and have to retain that position to have a chance of reaching the Conference League in 2025-26. Also, Chelsea have to finish seventh and win that competition by beating Real Betis in the final in Poland on May 28 — three days after the finish of the Premier League season. An alternative but far more implausible route is Chelsea finishing sixth and Newcastle seventh.
It is a long shot because a lot of results have to fall into place but, even if European qualification does not happen, it has been an encouraging first season under Hurzeler.
His team have not been outside of the top 10 throughout the campaign and they cannot finish lower than 10th. Talk of qualifying for the Champions League lingered while they were in the top seven until mid-December. The narrative only switched to eighth potentially being enough for the Conference League amid dips in form and results.
Finishing sixth in the table two years ago to qualify for the Europa League under former head coach Roberto De Zerbi whetted the appetite for more European experiences for the club. Competing in the Europa League was worth around £20million. Other major benefits include the difference it makes in attracting potential signings and the valuable experience gained by both new and existing members of the squad from playing on the European stage.
From a fans’ perspective, European nights can yield precious memories that will last a lifetime. The competition last season included wins away to Ajax and AEK Athens, a 2-2 draw from 2-0 down in Marseille — the French club De Zerbi now manages — and a 1-0 home win in the final fixture against the same opposition to clinch top spot in their group.
Even so, Europe is not the be-all and end-all. The extra midweek games plus travel and the accompanying strain on the squad can have a detrimental impact on league form. De Zerbi’s side discovered that last season, with a drop of five places to 11th. Considering that each place in the Premier League is worth approximately £3million in merit money, the financial boost can be more or less wiped out by a downturn in league performance.
Fabian Hurzeler could mark his first season in charge of Brighton with European qualification (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Europe should be a target, not an obsession. There are other ways of measuring progress.
Monday’s win against Liverpool was secured in the 85th minute by 20-year-old midfielder Jack Hinshelwood. He came off the bench a minute earlier aloingside his 17-year-old cousin Harry Howell. Hinshelwood and Howell — who was making his Premier League debut — are both homegrown products.
Yasin Ayari, scorer of the first equaliser, is only 21 years of age. Hinshelwood and Ayari have been involved all season in a congested fight for midfield places together with young player of the season Carlos Baleba, who is also 21 years old.
Bloom’s early-season optimism was fuelled by an unprecedented splash of nearly £200million on nine new signings last summer, along with spending limitations being felt by rival clubs such as Newcastle in order to comply with the league’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
The outlay warrants context. The quality of the squad had been impacted by major sales in previous windows, including Alexis Mac Allister (to Liverpoool) and Moises Caicedo (Chelsea) in 2023.
Amongst the newcomers, three more youngsters were immediately loaned out for the season in Ibrahim Osman (Feyenoord), Yanick Malcouye (Sturm Graz) and Amario Cozier-Duberry (Blackburn Rovers).
Mats Wieffer, Matt O’Riley, Ferdi Kadioglu and Georginio Rutter — the latter has been the pick of the bunch alongside Yankuba Minteh — have all been severely hampered by injuries. German prospect Brajan Gruda, a bright spark against Liverpool in the No 10 role, is still learning his trade at the age of 20.
The tone from Bloom was more measured when he spoke at the annual player awards evening at the earlier this month in the build-up to a 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the penultimate away fixture. He said: “Every game, you have got to be on it, otherwise you are going to come unstuck. Hopefully, we get top 10 and maybe more. We still have hopes of finishing in Europe this season. That is what we will be aiming for in the next three games but it just goes to show how far the club has come that some of us, myself included, had hopes of doing even better.”
What ever happens at Tottenham and elsewhere on Sunday, the overall picture is a club still in good health with realistic aspirations of making further progress.
(Top photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)