What Brighton fans should look out for this summer
Brighton are staying up – so now what? With mission accomplished in the Premier League, fans will be turning their attention to a packed summer of football intrigue – whether it’s watching the best players in the world do battle at the World Cup, or keeping tabs on who Brighton are signing for their second season in the top flight.
Here’s the ultimate guide of what every Brighton fan should be looking out for between now and August.
The Champions League final
This is the final game of the club football season before players pack their bags and head on their summer holidays – and this year it’s a good one. For the first time in six years, there’s an English team in the big game, but Liverpool face perhaps the toughest challenge possible; Real Madrid, the masters of the tournament, who are going for their third consecutive Champions League. Liverpool were excellent when they visited the Amex, so it will be interesting to see if they carry that form to Kiev and they’re 21/10 in the Champions League betting to bring the trophy back to England. Fans rooting for England in the World Cup will also be hoping that Liverpool’s English contingent get through the game unscathed and are ready for Russia.
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. – Jonathan Rolande via Flickr
The World Cup
The best month in a football fan’s calendar, without a doubt – the World Cup finally returns this summer. The tournament will be hotly contested, with Germany, Brazil, France and Spain amongst the favourites again. Of course, England aren’t too far off the elite pack – and a promising group draw raises hopes that this could be the year the Lions bring it home (or at least get to the quarter-finals). Panama and Tunisia are the first opponents and provide hope of a six-point start. A final group stage game against Belgium is where things get more complicated. There are a few Brighton players to keep an eye out for, too. Maty Ryan hopes he can help Australia to an unlikely second-round berth, while Jose Izquierdo will be starring for a competitive Colombia team, which also includes James Rodriguez.
Fifa world cup 2018 – Коля Саныч via Flickr
The transfer window
As soon as the World Cup ends, the rumour-mongering will begin. So keep an eye out for potential targets in Russia, and then see if your wishes are granted by the Brighton management. The team have been linked with a number of European targets, including Werder Bremen midfielder Thomas Delaney and CSKA Moscow star Aleksandr Golovin. Having only scored 34 goals in the league this year, a few new attacking options could be in order – but who will Chris Hughton set his sights on? The summer transfer window is always a frenzy for fans, so be prepared to be glued to your phones as rumours trickle through.
