Ahead of the start of the 2023/24 Premier League season, Alex Keble visited Brighton & Hove Albion to speak to CEO Paul Barber and club captain Lewis Dunk as they prepare for the most exciting campaign in the club's history.
Understandably optimistic
There is no feeling quiet like this: the excitement and the hopeless optimism stirred up by the start of a new Premier League season.
Anything seems possible when the league table is blank, when everything is defined by its limitless potential and any evidence of progress, however spurious such as a goal in a pre-season friendly or a YouTube compilation of a new signing, is reason enough to believe wholeheartedly that this will be your year.
Some clubs give their supporters a firmer grounding for that pre-season idealism than others, and there is arguably no club more keenly - or deservedly - excited for what 2023/24 has to offer than Brighton & Hove Albion.
At the turn of the century Brighton were in the fourth tier. As recently as 2011 they were in League One. Next month they will play their first European match after finishing sixth under the guidance of Roberto De Zerbi.
Suffice to say there is a buzz around the place, an anticipation you could feel at Brighton’s Elite Football Performance Centre, where their season launch event took place this week.
“There's always excitement, but there's probably a bit more this year because we're in a better position than we ever have been going into a Premier League season,” club captain Lewis Dunk said. “We've obviously made a good amount of signings, and signings that are going to improve us, so we're in a great position.”
It’s been another summer of change at Brighton, with Alexis Mac Allister departing for Liverpool and Moises Caicedo’s future up in the air, but unlike most clubs it’s all part of the wider strategy that has kept Brighton sustainable – and on the up.
That’s why Brighton CEO Paul Barber feels so contented this summer as he eagerly awaits the next chapter.
Looking forward to meeting the challenge of Europe
“I’m very excited,” Barber said. “It’s our first European campaign, and it’s the first time that we've been in four competitions, so the buzz around the club, around the city, and around the wider community is palpable.”
And the impact the club have on the city and surrounding area is not only on the mood.
A new report has found that Brighton & Hove Albion's exploits on the pitch during the 2022/23 season contributed £595million to the local economy, and European football is expected to add a further £80m.
See: 'Brighton show what a well-run club can achieve'
Barber did sound a note of caution after Brighton’s 1-1 friendly draw with Rayo Vallecano last weekend, a match he felt was instructive about the challenge ahead.
“One or two of our fans had their eyes opened as to how difficult European competition is going to be,” he said. “This club, not even in Europe, came to the Amex and gave a very good account of themselves.
“So we know it's going to be difficult but the excitement levels are at a real high, and going into a new season you can't ask for more than that.”
Certainly at this particular moment, supporters aren’t going to be worried about the quality of the opposition as they prepare to travel around Europe.
These are, after all, the uncomplicated times of pure anticipation and hope, which is shared by the players, according to club ambassador Bobby Zamora.
“You've done your preseason, you've done your six weeks of running and hard work, you're just keen to get the season going. The enjoyable part starts now,” said Zamora, clearly energised by the atmosphere at the training ground.
“It’s exciting, just the buzz around the training ground. Like today, these guys are in here - on their day off! – and they're excited, you can already tell, and it's great.
“The Premier League's getting bigger and better every single season. It's the place to be playing your football, and these guys get the opportunity to go out there and show exactly what they can do in the best league in the world.”
For Zamora, the sense of anticipation - as well as nervousness, given the need for a fast start - is so high this time of year that even a summer holiday becomes something to get through.
“It does get a little bit boring actually on holiday,” he said. “You’re itching to get back. You do miss the training plan. You do miss the hard work. You do miss your friends.
“You really want to hit the ground running with a good result, for yourselves, for your team-mates, for your fans.
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“But so much of it is mental as well. Getting those early wins are so important. It's a huge game for the club on the weekend - and it's a must win!”
Brighton’s seemingly constant upward trajectory makes them the poster boys for pre-season excitement, but even accounting for their first European excursion, arguably the biggest cause for optimism this week is the thought of what a full pre-season under De Zerbi may have produced.
The Italian is one of the brightest minds in the game and took Brighton to the next level in 2022/23 despite joining in September. A full summer absorbing his methods could inspire the team to even greater heights.
'De Zerbi fits the culture well'
“He works very, very hard every day to prepare for the next game and the next game after that,” Barber says of De Zerbi. “He's always looking to actually improve the players on the training pitch, which, from a club's point of view, is very important.
“As a character, he's intense, demanding, and has high standards. He fits very well with the culture of the club.”
See: A preview of Brighton's 2023/24 season
Dunk was similarly effusive in his praise for the manager and his unique tactical approach.
“He's got his way of working," the club captain says. "I wouldn't say it's different to everyone else, but I've never come across it.
“It tests different aspects of your concentration and different aspects of your defending. As you see, we're an aggressive side. We like to go. Most of the time on the pitch you'll see us man-for-man, all over it.
“And you're playing against top, quick strikers. You're 1v1 on the edge of the halfway line, and you've got a whole half of the pitch behind you! It can be scary at times and you've just got to go in there and believe in yourself and know you can do it.”
For Dunk and the rest of the players, there is daily insight into what De Zerbi wants from the team - and therefore what they can expect from the season ahead.
For everyone, players, fans, part of what makes early August such an exciting time is the leap of faith that is about to take place.
At Brighton’s training ground this week, it was Academy manager Ian Buckman who put it best: “It's a privilege to be part of it, and yes, there's definitely a buzz about the place… a little step into the unknown.
"But that's what we do as a football club.”
