The Seagulls are sixth in the Premier League with five wins, two loses and a draw from their first eight fixtures. Roberto De Zerbi’s team have impressed at the sharp end with a league-high of 21 goals, as they have outscored the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle. But shipping goals at the other end has become a problem as they are yet to keep a clean sheet this term and have conceded 16 – with only the bottom three teams Burnley, Sheffield United and Bournemouth leaking more. De Zerbi’s men have also had to juggle the demands of Europa League football alongside their league campaign. They suffered a disappointing 3-2 home loss to AEK Athens in their first Group B fixture and then fought back from 2-0 in Marseille to gain their first European point with a 2-2 draw. The start of the season also saw Brighton exit the Carabao Cup at the first attempt as new signings Bart Verbruggen, Carlos Baleba, Igor Julio and Ansu Fati all featured in the 1-0 loss at Stamford Bridge.
Eight new players arrived in total in the previous transfer window and here’s how they have rated so far for De Zerbi’s team...
9. Joao Pedro - 7
The £30m signing from Watford has impressed so far and has the potential to be a huge player for Brighton this term. Has five goals from 11 appearances and has shown he is ice-cool under-pressure from the penalty spot. Played well against Liverpool - perhaps his best display in an Albion shirt - despite missing a golden chance to win the game late on. Impressive and much more to come Photo: Mike Hewitt