Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler remains confident as transfer rumors swirl around key players like Carlos Baleba. Despite reported interest from Manchester United in the Cameroon midfielder, Hurzeler is not worried about losing vital squad members ahead of the 2025-26 Premier League season.
Brighton follows a strategy of signing promising young players using data insights and developing them before selling at a profit. Recent sales of stars such as Joao Pedro, Alexis Mac Allister, and Moises Caicedo—who moved to Chelsea for a British record fee of £115 million—have brought significant revenue.
When asked if he fears losing his best players, Hurzeler said on the Monday Night Club, “No chance. I don’t feel fear. I’m not afraid of anything because the only thing we can do is be the best version we can be every day, like work as hard as we can.”
He added, “All the other things we can’t influence, so we really have to focus on us.”
Focus on Team Strength Over Individual Stars
Brighton chairman Paul Barber expressed his desire for Baleba to remain at the club long-term but admitted there are no certainties in the transfer market.
Hurzeler avoided directly commenting on Baleba’s status but highlighted Brighton’s depth. “It’s not easy, but we proved last season that we are a very competitive team,” he stated. “Without Joao Pedro, for sure, he was an unbelievable player. But we can’t replace him with one player, but we can replace him as a team. And that’s our focus.”
Joao Pedro recently signed for Chelsea on a £60 million deal. Hurzeler emphasized Brighton’s adaptable approach, saying, “We as a club always find solutions and I’m sure in the future we will find solutions. That’s our model, we have to accept it.”
New Signings Boost Optimism Ahead of Season Start
Hurzeler also pointed out that Brighton has rejected offers for other key players, including Kaoru Mitoma. “We have had offers for other players—big offers for Mitoma and others. We proved that we are not selling every player,” he added.
The Seagulls, who finished eighth in Hurzeler’s first season, open their campaign against Fulham at home on Saturday. They recently concluded pre-season unbeaten, with a 2-1 win over Wolfsburg. New signing Maxim de Cuyper, a Belgian defender signed for around £17.5 million, scored his first goal.
Carlos Baleba is recovering from a knee injury but is expected to feature in the opener. Hurzeler remains optimistic about the squad’s unity and competitiveness. “With the togetherness we have, with the team chemistry we have, we can compete with the big teams, and we can compete with teams who might be individually better than us.”
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