Brighton jet off for a 10-day pre-season training camp in Spain this weekend.
Historically, lesser known talents and new signings are given the opportunity to firmly establish themselves in the new manager’s plans.
This upcoming pre-season is set to be no different.
With a plethora of new signings both young and experienced, as well as academy players and players returning from respective loans, the two games set to take place behind closed doors and the two games back in the UK with fans in attendance could be used as a great opportunity to impress Fabian Hürzeler.
So, who could be the breakout star of pre-season? Last year it was Yasin Ayari, who will it be this season?
Let’s run through some contenders.
The Greek Revolution
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Signed for €35m (£29m) from Olympiacos this summer, 18 year old forward Charalampos ‘Babis’ Kostoulas could show exactly why Brighton paid the big bucks for him.
Kostoulas can become a complete, elite nine, or second striker, and with the departure of Joao Pedro has the opportunity to show why he’s the shining light of a Greek golden generation.
Alongside him is Stefanos Tzimas, who joined for €26.5m (£23m) from Fc. Nuremberg in the German second tier.
Another nine/second striker, Tzimas is slightly older at 19 and will be hoping to link up with Kostoulas and form an unstoppable Greek attacking force at Brighton.
With a £52m outlay on Greek forwards this year, Hürzeler will hope that they can provide good competition in the attacking ranks this campaign.
The Home Heroes..
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Despite the hefty squad size Brighton currently boast, academy players will be looking to get a chance this summer to establish themselves as options in the first team.
Charlie Tasker, a 19 year old defender who plays predominantly as a right back, has been touted to potentially have a similar impact as Jack Hinshelwood.
Given Tasker is comfortable across the back four, he’s a nice option to have if he is to be involved this training camp. Given he made quite a few match-day squads in the second half of last season, this could be a breakthrough campaign for him.
There is also Joe Knight, a hard working midfielder who loves to get stuck in. The 19 year old isn’t the tallest but has a serious engine on him, and could elbow his way in to contention.
Harry Howell made his debut towards the end of last season, with the 17 year old being considered one of the brightest Albion has to offer from the academy. A 10 or right winger, Howell is a creative threat and has some serious ball striking capabilities.
And lastly, if involved, Kamari Doyle is a player who I think will be on Hürzeler’s radar in the mid to long term. The 19 year old midfielder/winger is versatile, gets stuck in to duels, crashes the box well and has made a serious impression on loan in league one in the previous campaign.
The Loan Army Syndicate
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Plenty of players left the club on loan last summer and in January and have since returned. Are any of them prepared to make a statement in the first team?
Malick Yalcouyé had a seriously impressive stint for the Austrian champions last season, playing a wealth of positions.
The 19 year old has seemed to have bulked up a bit, and could force his way in to Hürzeler’s plans. One to look out for, for sure.
Andy Moran has played plenty of minutes in the championship now, and although he hasn’t been overly impressive, the Irish midfielder is highly rated internally. Could he serve a squad role with a good pre-season? Let’s see. I’m quite excited to see him, to be honest.
It looks like Facundo Buonanotte may be off on another Premier League loan, unless he can force his way in to Hürzeler’s plans. We know how good the Argentinian can be, but is there too much competition for that position now?
The Other Signings
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Diego Coppola comes with a high reputation at centre back, the 21 year old has been a defensive demon in Italy and could solve some problems for Brighton.
Tom Watson is now the de facto left winger back up, so could get some serious minutes under his belt sooner rather than later. He’ll be eager to prove that Brighton made the right choice in swapping him for Simon Adingra, with a £10m bonus.
Can Maxim De Cuyper and Olivier Boscagli form a pitch perfect partnership on the left side of the defence? Brighton seem to think so given the £20m outlay to bring both in. They’ll be eager to hit the ground running.
So, who will be the Breakout Star?
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I think we will see good pre-seasons from Coppola and Tzimas particularly. From the loan army, I’m hoping Moran gets a fair run out as I don’t think the loan spells he has had are representative of his ability.
Yalcouyé if given a chance will prove how good he is, and I think we will see a good portion of Watson. Hopefully a bit of Tasker and Howell as well.
I’m going to go for Tzimas as my Breakout star, but I’m eager to see everyone prove themselves this pre-season. The future is Brighton.
