With pre-season schedules drawing to a close, a new league campaign awaits once more. Supporters of clubs up and down the country are beginning to make their way back to stadiums, many of whom will be armed with new chants or replica shirts ready to grace the stands. However, above all the early excitement and anticipation of a new season, supporters up and down the country will be hoping that their clubs can go one better than the previous league campaign, a dream which, for some clubs, may prove to be a difficult feat to achieve.
Unfortunately for Brighton fans, it appears their club would be a strong example of this. The Seagulls finished in a record high position of ninth in the top flight last season, ending the campaign with a respectable 51 points. However, with the departure of midfield maestro Yves Bissouma, the south coast side face a tough test in trying to exceed their league finish of the previous season.
Despite Bissouma’s departure, it must be remembered that a ball is yet to be kicked in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, and with that is plenty of time for Graham Potter’s Brighton to exceed expectations once again. But just how successful will Brighton’s league campaign prove to be, and who will be the men to lead them through it? Below are predictions on how Brighton will fare in the upcoming league campaign, alongside the expected key figures for the Seagulls in 2022/23.
Team Prediction:
Brighton to secure top ten finish- but only just
The Woodwork’s Prediction: 10th
Despite the departure of Yves Bissouma, Brighton are not expected to finish too far away from their record high finish of the previous campaign. The Seagulls are still able to boast great midfield talent in the form of Enock Mwepu and Moisés Caicedo, meaning that the departure of Bissouma will not entirely disarm Brighton’s midfield.
Alongside this, the south coast club have welcomed back several players from loan deals, including a promising forward in the form of Denis Undav. Unfortunately for the Seagulls though, only one of Brighton’s two new signings has avoided being sent out on loan, with 18-year-old Paraguayan forward Julio Enciso signing a four-year deal in June.
Therefore, given Brighton’s severely small number of new signings, it appears that the Seagulls will just miss out on replicating their 9th placed finish of the last league campaign, instead earning themselves a respectable spot in 10th.