The costly Brighton transfer question Graham Potter and Tony Bloom will soon be forced to answer

I imagine Brighton fans, players and management alike will be glad of the international break after a painful run of six straight defeats.

Albion's season has faltered badly of late and they have slipped to 13th in the Premier League and scored just once during their poor run.

There has been little to refresh a jaded looking squad and the £13m January departure of Dan Burn to Newcastle also disrupted a defence that has now leaked 13 from their last six.

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Albion's transfer policy has been to bring in young talent and allow Graham Potter to develop and swiftly bring them up the Premier League scratch as soon as possible.

It's no easy task but it has worked for the most part and after some worrying moments in the previous two seasons, Potter has found a way to keep Brighton in the top flight and play some decent football in the process.

This campaign started very well and Brighton finally looked an established Premier League team and on track to achieve their aim of a top 10 finish. How quickly fortunes can change.

For the young players to thrive you need your experienced professionals to lead on the pitch.

At the start of the season Adam Lallana and Lewis Dunk were playing regularly, Yves Bissouma was a powerhouse and Belgium international Leo Trossard was at his creative best.

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Those four are Albion's best players and provide the platform for the likes of Rob Sanchez, Tariq Lamptey, Marc Cucurella and Jakub Moder to shine and gain experience in equal measure - Moder is probably the one Albion midfielder that has taken significant strides forward this season.

The injuries to Enock Mwepu - a £10m summer arrival from RB Salzburg - have also been unfortunate.

The major problem lately though has been getting Dunk and Lallana on the pitch. Dunk injured his knee at West Ham in December and missed a large chunk of the season, while Lallana's fitness can no longer be relied upon for extended periods.

Bissouma's form has dipped since the Afcon but he is also at his best when he has Dunk playing behind him and Lallana alongside him. That is a powerful and skilful trio capable of performing in the Premier League.

The constant transfer speculation on Bissouma - who will have 12 months remaining on his contract this summer - has also impacted him. The 25-year-old looks certain to leave at the end of this season.

The current form of Trossard has also been mysterious. Brighton immediately look a better attacking unit when he is on the ball.

The Belgian has suffered with injuries and illness of late and has had little impact in recent games. There are small signs he is starting to improve but he really needs a strong end to the current season.

The squad needs a refresh and what has frustrated fans is the signing attacking talents such as Deniz Undav, Kacper Kozlowski, Kaoru Mitoma and Abdallah Sima and then immediately loaning them out.

Long term it could prove the right decision but Brighton and Potter need some back-up for the here and now or their season is serious danger of fizzling out.

It's an admirably policy to operate in the Premier League using academy players and untested youngsters with potential from across the globe but they do need fit and experienced players alongside them in order to fully integrate.

Unfortunately for Brighton, Dunk, Adam Webster, Lallana and Danny Welbeck have not been able to do that.

Next season Brighton will have to reinvest some of that Ben White, Burn (and probably Bissouma) money to address that balance.

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