Team guides · Brighton
Brighton FPL team guide 2026/27
Squad, fixture runs and rotation partners
Squad leaders
The fastest routes into this club's player pool.
Points and form from 2025/26.
Schedule pulse
Difficulty across the next 5 listed fixtures.
Attack vs defence
Bawler's own split — the same run can be kind to one end and cruel to the other.
Rated 1 (easiest) to 5 from the opponent's attacking and defensive strength, not the official single number. How it's built →
Squad
30 players in the FPL game, by position.
| Player | Owned | Pts | xPts | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||
| VerbruggenNailed | 9.3% | 130 | 3.09 | £4.6 |
| SteeleBackup | 0.2% | 0 | 0.24 | £4.2 |
| McGill | 0.3% | 0 | — | £3.9 |
| Defenders | ||||
| Van Hecke | 10.7% | 148 | — | £4.7 |
| F.Kadıoğlu | 1.4% | 118 | 2.52 | £4.5 |
| DunkRotation | 1.0% | 100 | 2.11 | £4.5 |
| IgorFringe | 0.1% | 6 | 0.69 | £4.5 |
| Webster | 0.0% | 0 | — | £4.4 |
| De Cuyper | 1.7% | 84 | 2.75 | £4.3 |
| Veltman | 0.1% | 46 | — | £4.3 |
| BoscagliBattle | 0.1% | 39 | 1.84 | £4.2 |
| Simmonds | 0.0% | 0 | — | £4.0 |
| Tasker | 0.2% | 0 | — | £3.8 |
| Midfielders | ||||
| MitomaOUT | 1.9% | 62 | 0.00 | £6.1 |
| March | 0.0% | 4 | — | £5.8 |
| Georginio | 0.3% | 87 | 2.51 | £5.6 |
| Groß | 3.0% | 78 | 2.90 | £5.6 |
| MintehNailed | 2.5% | 117 | 3.10 | £5.5 |
| O'RileyBattle | 0.3% | 16 | 1.89 | £5.5 |
| Hinshelwood | 1.6% | 91 | 2.82 | £5.2 |
| GomezBattle | 0.4% | 97 | 2.12 | £4.9 |
| Milner | 0.1% | 35 | — | £4.9 |
| Ayari | 0.4% | 98 | 2.66 | £4.8 |
| WiefferBattle | 0.3% | 94 | 2.01 | £4.8 |
| BalebaOUT | 1.5% | 56 | 2.13 | £4.5 |
| HowellFringe | 0.0% | 4 | 0.35 | £4.5 |
| OriolaFringe | 0.0% | 1 | 0.12 | £4.5 |
| Forwards | ||||
| Welbeck | 8.4% | 126 | — | £6.3 |
| Tzimas50% | 0.1% | 16 | 0.29 | £5.2 |
| KostoulasBattle | 0.3% | 35 | 2.15 | £4.8 |
Points from 2025/26. xPts is Bawler's projected points per gameweek — fixture-adjusted and weighted by how likely the player is to start. Full projections →
Rotation partners
Own one from each pair and start whichever has the kinder week.
Scored by taking the easier of the two clubs' fixtures each gameweek across the listed horizon.
Fixture run
Every listed fixture ahead, coloured by official FPL difficulty.
Latest updates
Bart Verbruggen started in goal and played in Brighton's 4-3 pre-season win over Strasbourg in Vienna, making several saves. He reported to the Austria camp as a returning international, with no sign of the hip bruise picked up on Netherlands duty in June.
FPL: Removes the fitness cloud over Brighton's first-choice keeper ahead of GW1; Verbruggen can be treated as a fully available nailed starter again.
Scan results reported on 6 August confirmed Baleba suffered ankle ligament damage in a training session at Brighton's Vienna camp, ruling him out for 'a few weeks'. He missed the 4-3 friendly win over Strasbourg. David Ornstein reports he is doubtful for the start of the campaign, though Brighton do not anticipate a longer-term problem.
FPL: Baleba is a major doubt for the GW1 home game with Aston Villa; avoid until he is seen in training or a friendly. Opens extra central-midfield minutes for Ayari, Groß and Hinshelwood.
Tromso won 5-0 away at CFR Cluj in the third qualifying round first leg on 6 August, all but securing the play-off tie against Brighton. Brighton play the first leg away on 20 August with the return at the Amex on 27 August, meaning an Arctic Circle trip three days before their Premier League opener at home to Aston Villa on 23 August.
FPL: Raises GW1 rotation risk across the Brighton XI: a long northern-Norway away trip on 20 Aug sits three days before hosting Villa. Treat non-nailed Brighton assets with caution for GW1.
Tracked daily from cited sources. News for every club is on team news.
Manager & style
Non-fixed, rotation-heavy system. Base 4-2-3-1 through 2025/26 but shifts between 4-2-4, 4-3-3 and 4-1-4-1 in and out of possession. Pressing is selective/trigger-based (backwards passes, poor body shape) rather than blanket high-intensity, preserving shape behind the press. Build-up described as 'bait, bounce, break': invites pressure with calm circulation then breaks lines with third-man combinations and vertical passes; inverted full-backs and dropping midfielders as auxiliary progression routes; half-space overloads vs low blocks. Heavy in-possession positional rotation (CBs stepping into midfield). Notably has NEVER used the back three he was known for at St Pauli, despite persistent speculation.
Usual shape: 4-2-3-1
Summer transfers
In
| Player | Pos | From | Fee | Expected role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Vuskovic | CB | Tottenham Hotspur | £46m (+£4m add-ons) | Likely immediate starter at CB; big fee and reported goal threat from set pieces at previous club |
| Zadok Yohanna | RW | AIK | £21.5m | Squad/rotation winger, likely bench initially |
| Pascal Struijk | CB | Leeds United | £15m (+£3m add-ons) | Starting CB contender; aerial and set-piece threat, started first preseason friendly |
| Costinha | RB | Olympiacos | £11m | Competing for starting right-back berth after Veltman's exit |
| Michael Svoboda | CB | Venezia | £4.3m | Squad depth |
| Rodrigo Rego | RW | Benfica | £3m | Signed then immediately loaned to CD Castellon; no 2026/27 first-team role |
| Olivier Boscagli | CB | PSV Eindhoven | Free | Five-year deal, announced 2 July 2026; played 45 mins at CB in first friendly. NOTE: reported by BBC Sport/Yahoo but not listed on Transfermarkt's 2026/27 arrivals page - minor source conflict |
Out
| Player | Pos | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan Paul van Hecke | CB | Tottenham Hotspur | £52m |
| Diego Coppola | CB | Paris FC | £16.5m (+£3.5m add-ons) |
| Jeremy Sarmiento | LW | Middlesbrough | Undisclosed |
| Brajan Gruda | CAM | RB Leipzig (loan) | Loan |
| Rodrigo Rego | RW | CD Castellon (loan) | Loan |
| James Beadle | GK | Birmingham City (loan) | Loan |
| Solly March | RW | Released (contract expired) | Free |
| Joel Veltman | RB | Released (contract expired) | Free |
| Adam Webster | CB | Released (contract expired) | Free |
| James Milner | CM | Retired | — |
Current injuries
| Player | Issue | Expected return |
|---|---|---|
| Stefanos Tzimas | ACL/cruciate ligament tear suffered early December 2025 vs Aston Villa; reported back on the grass mid-July 2026 | Conflicting estimates across sources: 3 Aug, 8 Aug and 1 Sep 2026. Treat as GW1-GW3 window, date genuinely unclear |
| Kaoru Mitoma | Unspecified issue that ended his 2025/26 season early and excluded him from Japan's 2026 World Cup squad. No named diagnosis found in any 2026 source | Unverified. Fantasy Football Scout's tracker (21 Jul 2026) gives him a 25% chance of starting GW1, i.e. currently expected to miss the opener |
| Bart Verbruggen | Hip bruise around the Netherlands' June 2026 World Cup preparation window; did not start the 18 July Wycombe friendly (McGill/Hall played instead) | Unverified - could not confirm he is back in full training. Flag as a GK-selection uncertainty rather than assume fit |
Injury picture as of 30 July 2026 — availability moves fast in pre-season, so confirm against official team news.
Expected XI & selection battles
Formation: 4-2-3-1
- GK Bart Verbruggen (fitness unconfirmed; Tom McGill deputised in preseason)
- RB Costinha
- CB Luka Vuskovic
- CB Lewis Dunk
- LB Maxim De Cuyper
- CM Carlos Baleba (transfer risk - see uncertainties)
- CM Pascal Gross
- RM Yankuba Minteh (transfer risk)
- AM Jack Hinshelwood
- LM Kaoru Mitoma (fitness doubt) or Georginio Rutter
- ST UNRESOLVED - Welbeck agreed a move to Chelsea on 29 Jul; Charalampos Kostoulas or Evan Ferguson are the likely replacements but neither is confirmed
Battles to watch
- Centre-forward is wide open if Welbeck's Chelsea move completes: Kostoulas (scored twice vs Wycombe) vs Evan Ferguson (back from Roma loan) vs Rutter as a false 9
- Right-back: Costinha vs Ferdi Kadioglu deployed as a full-back vs Tariq Lamptey
- Centre-back: six-plus senior options after Vuskovic, Struijk, Boscagli and Svoboda all arrived - Dunk, Vuskovic, Struijk, Boscagli, Svoboda, Cashin
- Double pivot / No.10: Gross, Baleba, Wieffer, Ayari, Hinshelwood, Buonanotte all in contention - Hurzeler rotates heavily
- Goalkeeper: Verbruggen's fitness unconfirmed, McGill started the one friendly played
Set-piece takers
FPL winners & losers
Research calls from the sources below, not model output — the model's numbers for these players are on predicted points.
Key uncertainties
The honest list — what this guide could not pin down as of 30 July 2026. Any of these can change the FPL picture before Gameweek 1:
- Whether Danny Welbeck's Chelsea move completes before GW1 - agreed and medical booked as of 29 Jul (ESPN) but NOT officially confirmed by either club. Resolves both the No.9 and the penalty-taker question
- Carlos Baleba's future - Man Utd interest still live as of 24 Jul reporting, unresolved. He started the 18 July friendly so is still a Brighton player
- Yankuba Minteh's future - Liverpool reportedly preparing a £70-80m bid as a Salah replacement (mid-July reports), unconfirmed
- Roony Bardghji (Barcelona) linked as an incoming, but the deal is explicitly contingent on Minteh leaving
- Kaoru Mitoma's actual diagnosis and realistic GW1 availability - no named injury found in any 2026 source
- Stefanos Tzimas's precise return date - three different estimates found (3 Aug / 8 Aug / 1 Sep)
- Bart Verbruggen's fitness and training status - could not confirm; he did not start the one friendly played
- Set-piece and penalty hierarchy post-Welbeck - no 2026-dated source found at all
- Whether the six-deep centre-back pool finally triggers the long-rumoured switch to a back three, which Hurzeler has never used at Brighton
- A 'Mats Wieffer toe injury' claim appeared in one aggregated snippet but is absent from Transfermarkt's live injury list - treated as unverified/likely stale
- Olivier Boscagli's arrival is reported by BBC Sport, Yahoo and wearebrighton but does not appear on Transfermarkt's 2026/27 arrivals list - source conflict
- Only one preseason friendly (4-1 vs Wycombe, 18 Jul, behind closed doors, heavily youth-blended) has been played and reported, so preseason lineup evidence is very thin. Strasbourg (1 Aug), Roma (8 Aug) and Bologna (15 Aug) still to come
Sources
- Brighton & Hove Albion 2026/27 transfers (Transfermarkt) — 2026-07-30
- Brighton injuries and suspensions (Transfermarkt, live) — 2026-07-30
- Danny Welbeck agrees Chelsea move from Brighton — 2026-07-29
- Brighton & Hove Albion eyeing summer move for Roony Bardghji — 2026-07-28
- Manager line-up complete for 2026/27 season — 2026-07-13
- 2026-27 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season — 2026-07
A point-in-time research snapshot compiled 30 July 2026, showing the six most recent of the sources the research drew on. It does not update in real time — line-ups, fitness and transfers can all move before the deadline, so always confirm against official team news. All 20 club guides are on team guides.
FPL is a free fantasy game — this is squad research, not betting advice.
Updated 13 August 2026, 07:21 UK · Source: Official FPL API