Brighton & Hove Albion target historic best season

Brighton & Hove Albion target historic best season

Having reached the midway point of the 2021-22 Premier League season, Brighton & Hove Albion are finely poised to make history, jostling for position in the top half of the table and eager to surpass all previous boundaries. Almost discreetly placed in ninth position after nineteen games of the campaign, this is a club which has never before finished amongst the top ten of the English footballing elite.

The highest topflight position ever achieved by Brighton was in the old First Division, back when the team finished the 1981-82 campaign in thirteenth spot. While league form fell apart under Jimmy Melia and saw the team relegated, Albion did make their first and only FA Cup Final appearance, holding Manchester United before losing the replay. This would ultimately spark a decline lasting more than three decades, before eventually returning to the ‘Promised Land’ of the Premier League in 2017-18.


Brighton has already set a new club record for consecutive topflight seasons, given the current 2021-22 campaign is their fifth running in the Premier League, as the team led by Graham Potter heads into previously uncharted territory. Indeed, this could be a memorable season for the Seagulls and their fans at the Falmer Stadium, potentially marking a new and ambitious era for the club founded in 1901.

Push for Europe?

During each of the last four seasons in the Premier League, simply surviving and avoiding relegation has been the paramount concern. The team has never managed to push any higher than 15th in the final standings, while often treading water perilously close to the drop zone. Following a superb start to the 2021-22 campaign, Brighton fans were treated to an entirely new outlook, as the team won four of the opening five games.

Unfortunately, the winning form soon dwindled and after going eleven games without victory, drawing eight and losing three, the oddsmakers were once again placing Brighton amongst the relegation candidates. But as this guide to the best Arabic betting sites highlights, wagering safely and securely comes via comparing what bookmakers can offer, based upon reliable reviews and expert betting tips focusing on how circumstances can change in football.

Even though some sections of the Brighton support were turning on their manager, Potter was firmly convinced he could turn the form of his team around, while the players have also proven their determination and loyalty. The frustrating run of results eventually came to an end, concluding 2021 with a win against Brentford and a valiant point away at Chelsea, then making a positive start to 2022 by beating Everton away at Goodison Park.

Those recent results mean that Brighton are comfortably clear of the relegation battle, nicely nestled in the top half of the table and what’s more, within touching distance of qualifying for Europe and possibly even reaching the top six. Indeed, had the Seagulls been able to convert just two or three of their draws into wins, they would already be there. This brings hope that with the current group of players, quite literally anything is possible.

Retaining stellar talents

Since returning to the Premier League and enjoying the additional wealth that brings, Brighton has rarely struggled to attract exciting and talented players to the club, although retaining them is another matter entirely. Having caught the eye and also debuted with England, it was always a matter of time before someone lured away Ben White, who produced the club’s record sale when Arsenal paid £50 million for him last summer.

Brighton invested these funds well and strengthened the squad, which is underlined by the improved league position compared to previous campaigns. However, keeping this group intact faces a new challenge, now that Yves Bissouma is said to be attracting interest from an array of Premier League clubs. Currently away on international duty with Mali at the African Cup of Nations, the 25-year-old has excelled since arriving from Lille for £15 million in 2018.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 | Aston Villa are interested in signing Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma <a href="https://t.co/FMD5CyBrKj">pic.twitter.com/FMD5CyBrKj</a></p>&mdash; Football Daily (@footballdaily) <a href="https://twitter.com/footballdaily/status/1479475659881787395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“We want to keep all our best players,” explained Potter when asked about the future of Bissouma, albeit acknowledging that doing so will be difficult. Nevertheless, the Brighton boss knows it will be hard for the club to resist a blockbuster bid, yet he also remains defiantly confident that his team will remain strong.

Providing the Seagulls can replace any departing players with suitable reinforcements, there’s every reason to believe this could still be a season for the record books. Finishing anywhere in the Premier League top ten would be highly praiseworthy, although reaching even higher and maybe qualifying for European competition, that would be cause for delighted euphoria amongst the fans.

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