Hurzeler Does Not 'fear' Losing Key Brighton Players

Brighton caput coach Fabian Hurzeler says he does not fearfulness losing cardinal players to bigger clubs successful nan transportation window.

Carlos Baleba, 21, is nan latest Seagulls subordinate to beryllium linked pinch a move distant from nan club, pinch Manchester United reportedly hoping to sign nan Cameroon midfielder.

Brighton's recruitment exemplary has been to bargain and nurture talented young players based connected information analysis, and waste for a higher interest erstwhile nan clip is correct for nan club.

In caller seasons, nan income of players for illustration Joao Pedro, Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo - whose move to Chelsea successful 2023 was a then British grounds transportation of £115m - person each generated important profit.

"No chance. I don't consciousness fear," 32-year-old Hurzeler told nan Monday Night Club erstwhile asked if he worries astir having to waste cardinal members of his squad.

"I'm not acrophobic of thing because nan only point we tin do is beryllium nan champion type we tin beryllium each day, for illustration activity arsenic difficult arsenic we can.

"All nan different things we can't influence, truthful we really person to attraction connected us.

"For sure, we can't walk nan money for illustration nan large teams but 1 of our biggest values is togetherness. And if you enactment together, if we effort to push our limits and summation nan boundaries, past I'm judge we tin compete pinch nan large teams."

Brighton, who vanished eighth successful nan Premier League successful German Hurzeler's first play successful charge, commencement their 2025-26 run astatine location to Fulham connected Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Seagulls ended their pre-season unbeaten tally pinch a 2-1 triumph complete Wolfsburg connected Saturday, pinch Maxim de Cuyper, a 24-year-old Belgian defender signed for a reported £17.5m, scoring his first extremity for nan club.

Baleba was absent arsenic he continues to retrieve from a knee wounded sustained successful June, but is expected to beryllium backmost for nan opener against Marco Silva's Fulham.

Brighton president Paul Barber said during a instrumentality forum he hopes Baleba, who has 3 years near connected his statement astatine Amex Stadium, stays "for years to come" - but could not make immoderate promises.

Hurzeler, meanwhile, did not speak astir Baleba's business erstwhile appearing connected nan Monday Night Club.

"It's not easy, but we proved past play that we are a very competitory team," he said astir whether he feels disappointment erstwhile players are linked pinch rival clubs.

"Without Joao Pedro, for sure, he was an unbelievable player. But we can't switch him pinch 1 player, but we tin switch him arsenic a team. And that's our focus."

Brazil guardant Joao Pedro joined Chelsea for £60m connected an eight-year statement this summer.

Hurzeler continued: "We arsenic a nine ever find solutions and I'm judge successful nan early we will find solutions. That's our model, we person to judge it.

"I deliberation that arsenic a nine we person proved we are not only trading large players. We person had offers for different players - large offers for [Kaoru] Mitoma and different players. We proved that we are not trading each player.

"Of people location were immoderate large players who near nan club, but location are caller players that are coming into nan club. With nan togetherness we have, pinch nan squad chemistry we have, we tin compete pinch nan large teams, and we tin compete pinch teams who mightiness beryllium individually amended than us."