A reason to be excited or an underlying issue capable of derailing a season?

Danny Welbeck, Stefanos Tzimas, Charalampos Kostoulas, Evan Ferguson, Georgino Rutter.

Solly March, Brajan Gruda, Yabkuba Minteh, Karu Mitoma, Jeremey Sarmiento, Tom Watson

Andrew Moran, Julio Encisio, Facundo Buonanotte, Matt O’riley

Brighton have got 16 attacking players who are more than good enough to play in the Premier League. But the kicker is, they can only play 4 of them every game. For years, everyone has been hammering home the idea that Brigthon are the best run club in England. While I’m not exactly disputing this motion, I think it’s led to them being given a free pass in regards to some of the recent business they’ve been doing in the transfer window. 

They’ve spent a lot of money.

When it’s Chelsea or Man City stocking up on attacking talent, words such as ‘greed’ and ‘mess’ are thrown around, and yet when it’s Brighton… silence.

Let’s get it straight, Brighton’s talent identity is brilliant but that’s what’s led to this predicament. They have too many good players and aren’t going to be playing enough games in order for all of them to get the minutes they deserve. No Europe this season is a big blow and it absolutely can’t happen again given the amount of investment that’s been done recently. 

Now, Brighton may be planning to offload some of these players, either on loan or permanently - but I’m looking at this from a players point of view. Is this cluster of attacking players a good thing for them? Yes, it means there’s competition and no room for getting comfortable, but it also means that these young players won’t get the minutes they need to develop. Or, like Enciso or Buonanotte, they get loaned out to relegation teams fighting for their lives to stay in the Premier League - which comes at the expense of getting the best out of their better individual players. 

Brighton are a well-run club who always seem to make the right decisions, but right now I don’t see the thinking with loading up with so many young players who are ready to play right now, especially considering there’s no European football this season. Harvey Elliot links aren’t going away and again, he's a great player who should in theory be good there - but it’s coming at the expense of another forward who more than deserves those minutes.

It’s an odd predicament for a mid-table club to find themselves in, and you could argue that if anything, it's a good thing - but from the player side, I’d be slightly worried if they’ve got a concrete plan for developing every one to reach their potential, which is what got Brighton to the position they are in now. I’ve said it before, you need to give these guys exposure to get comfortable and make mistakes, is that still there?

Evan Ferguson was once seen as the future of English football, but after a bad 18 months - his future looks in doubt as Brighton have seemed to replace him with two new strikers. If the Seagulls now see themselves as a club looking to compete now for trophies, then that’s great for them and only signifies the growth of the club in the last decade, but it will mean less patience and time for youngsters who are still finding their feet.

Is it still the best club for developing talent, or are they becoming more cut-throat? I look forward to understanding the long-term plan as the season goes on…