Joao Pedro, Matt O'Riley, Carlos Baleba. (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Brighton & Hove Albion have endured something of a mixed 2024/25 campaign.
Though they’ve impressed in spells, their purple patches have been interrupted by some difficult periods—most notably over Christmas, when Fabian Hürzeler’s side went eight Premier League games without a win.
Nevertheless, the Seagulls are still—just about—in the running to secure European football next season, currently sitting ninth with two games to play.
If they win both—one against Premier League champions Liverpool and the other against struggling Tottenham Hotspur—Brighton will finish eighth. That could be enough to qualify for the Europa Conference League, but only if Chelsea both finish seventh in the league and win the competition this year by beating Real Betis in the final.
Speaking to the press ahead of his side’s game against Liverpool, Hürzeler said on their chase for Europe: “We really want to compete with the best and chase them.”
Reflecting on his first season in charge at the Amex Stadium, the German coach added: “I am very grateful for working with this team because they are all great characters and have intrinsic motivation to improve. But I am also grateful to the staff as they built the environment and foundation for me to build on. It is crucial the togetherness and team spirit.”
Brighton Could Lose O’Riley
Whether or not Brighton qualify for Europe, they are expected to have a busy summer in terms of both incomings and outgoings.
João Pedro—who has been nominated for the Premier League’s Young Player of the Season award—is one of several players who could be on their way out, as is midfielder Carlos Baleba, with both attracting interest from some of the division’s biggest clubs.
Another player who could also be on the move is midfielder Matt O’Riley.
The Danish international only joined the Seagulls last summer from Celtic but has struggled for game time under Hürzeler, making just 11 Premier League starts.
Now, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the 24-year-old is attracting interest from clubs across Europe, including in Serie A, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League.
In a post on X, Romano wrote: “Approaches started eyeing an opportunity on the market to try sign the talented central midfielder.”
Though he’s somewhat struggled at Brighton, O’Riley had previously shone at Celtic, where his former boss Brendan Rodgers described him as “phenomenal.”
“He is very humble, there is nothing flash about him. His peers recognise the work he puts in and the mentality that he has,” Rodgers said of O’Riley after he collected Celtic’s Player of the Year award last season. “They know when they sit beside him in the changing room, this is a guy that puts in absolutely everything for the team and that is obviously very much respected.”
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