'They're in trouble' - Chris Sutton delivers worrying verdict on 'toothless' Brighton

The Seagulls have impressed at times in the opening stages of the campaign, but haven’t always been able to secure the points to reflect on their promise.

Graham Potter’s men were soundly beaten by Leicester City on Sunday, with the Foxes scoring all three of their goals in the first half.

Albion have won just one of their last five matches in the top flight, and find themselves just two points outside of the bottom three.

Brighton’s next two matches are against fellow struggles Fulham and Sheffield United, and Sutton as argued that they need to start backing up their stylish approach with more substance if they are to pull themselves clear of a fight for survival in the coming months.

Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live’s 606 Football Phone-In, the pundit said: “They're in a bit of trouble Brighton, aren’t they? I think they are.

"They’re losing confidence. I don’t think they’ll go down, and I quite like watching them play, but they seem to be a bit toothless, don’t they?

"They’re conceding goals.

"They play a nice brand of football, but is it enough? We know the Graham Potter argument, why he was brought in, to try and improve the playing style, but is it working? Is this what you want?”

Potter has won 14 of his 56 games in charge on the south coast, a win percentage of 25%. Overall, the 45-year-old has averaged a points per game tally of 1.07 since taking over in May of last year.