Brighton & Hove Albion launch the second half of their ninth Premier League campaign in succession with a home game against Burnley on January 3.
The winter transfer window, which in 2026 runs from New Year’s Day to February 2, is a chance to take stock of the way things have gone so far in Fabian Hurzeler’s second campaign as Brighton head coach and what, if any, changes are needed in pursuit of their aims.
The Athletic looks at some of the main issues for Jason Ayto’s first window since he was appointed sporting director in September.
What positions will they be looking at in January?
They are well covered in every position with one exception – No 9. That concern stretches back to the summer, when Joao Pedro was sold to Chelsea. His departure meant a lot of emphasis has been placed on Danny Welbeck staying fit and in form.
So far, so good on that score.
Welbeck enjoyed an especially rich run of form across September, October and November, scoring seven times in seven league appearances, although Hurzeler pays greater attention to his performance levels than his goal tally. Hurzeler is reluctant to start the 35-year-old in every fixture of any three-match week.
The issue has been exacerbated by the early December loss of fellow striker Stefanos Tzimas for the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury. Georginio Rutter can play as a No 9, but his best position is a little deeper as the No 10.
Losing Stefanos Tzimas to injury has been a huge blow to Brighton’s attacking options (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Which players do they want?
The obvious solution to the No 9 puzzle is to bring Evan Ferguson back early from what is meant to be a season-long loan with Roma. Obvious, yes, but not necessarily as straightforward as that, even though speculation has been rife in Italy about the Republic of Ireland international’s future with the Serie A side.
Ferguson is a different sort of No 9 to Tzimas, more of a target man than a runner in-behind the opposition defence. Does Hurzeler want him back? Does the player want to return when the game time he’ll get with his parent club might be limited? And what about the terms of the loan, both for Brighton and Roma, if the deal is cut short?
Who will they be looking to sell?
Brighton rarely, if ever, allow significant sales in the winter window. A good example of this stance came in 2023, when Chelsea and Arsenal both had sizeable bids for midfielder Moises Caicedo turned down. Chelsea went on to pay a British record package of £115million to land the Ecuador international in the next window that summer.
More generally, Brighton do not look to sell at this time of year. Interest in doing so is only sparked if they consider both any bid received for a player and the circumstances to be right for them.
Will anyone move out on loan?
A total of 17 players were loaned out to clubs in the top three tiers domestically or abroad during the summer window. Some of those deals could be revisited and those involved relocated, depending on the success or otherwise of those moves in the first half of the season. Central defender Eiran Cashin, for example, has not had much game time in the Championship with Birmingham City.
Academy prospect Joe Knight is in line for a first senior loan move, with League One and League Two clubs (the third and fourth tiers of the English game) showing interest in the 20-year-old central midfielder. Knight made his Premier League debut in the closing moments of the 3-0 home win against Leeds United in early November and has been in several matchday squads since without getting any further minutes.
Eiran Cashin has not had much game time on loan at Birmingham City (Andrew Kearns/Getty Images)
Do they need to sell to buy?
The answer to that is a short and simple no, because…
What is their PSR position?
There is zero possibility of Brighton falling foul of the league’s profitability and sustainability rules, or the squad cost ratio ones (SCR), which replaces PSR from next season and which they voted against at the November meeting of clubs.
Their combined pre-tax profit across the past two seasons was in excess of £200million. The figures fluctuate depending on variations in player trading, but Brighton only spend within their means.
What sort of budget do they have?
Brighton’s owner Tony Bloom always backs his managers and is always trying to improve the squad. The majority of the club’s main transfer business is normally done in the summer window, with the focus for the shorter winter one being more on young signings for the future.
For example, in January this year, Tzimas was signed from Nurnberg for around £20million and immediately loaned back to that German club for the rest of last season. The 19-year-old Greek striker was gradually getting more minutes when he suffered serious knee damage twisting in the early stages of his full league debut in the 4-3 home defeat by Aston Villa on December 3.
If they don’t make any signings, will they be able to achieve their goals this season?
The main aim at Brighton is to qualify for Europe for only the second time in the club’s history. They have been hit hard by injuries again this season, but have never had it better in terms of quality depth. It would be tricky to predict the result between two different XIs chosen from within this squad.
A first major trophy is also a target. The draws have been unkind in the domestic cup competitions, though — a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup in October and a looming FA Cup third-round trip to Manchester United on January 11.