Brighton Week in Review, Monday 26th October: Man Utd Circle Hurzeler, but Albion Boss Says He's Staying Put After Palace Thrashing and Anfield Defeat
It's been one of the biggest weeks of the season off the pitch, with Fabian Hurzeler's name firmly linked to the vacant-in-all-but-name Manchester United job amid growing pressure on Michael Carrick. TeamTalk, Football365 and Sports Mole all reported that Brighton have reacted to United's interest, with sources suggesting the club are relaxed about the speculation (TeamTalk) (Football365) (TeamTalk) (TeamTalk). The Sun went big on Hurzeler's rise, from a failed modelling career to being tipped for Old Trafford (The Sun), while Fabrizio Romano reported that United do admire the German but that he remains focused on Brighton rather than itching for a move (Football365). TalkSPORT and Sports Mole both stated plainly that Hurzeler is not interested in the United job (talkSPORT) (Sports Mole), and The Sun added that Brighton are confident of keeping him, pointing out he has no release clause (The Sun). SussexWorld carried his own words on the matter under the headline "I know" (SussexWorld), while BBC Sport quoted him saying he is "fully focused" on his role at Brighton (BBC Sport).
On the pitch, the week began in style as Brighton thrashed local rivals Crystal Palace 5-0 at the Amex, with Diego Gomez's halfway-line strike the pick of the goals and even being replayed in close-up by the club's own media team (SussexWorld) (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com) (SussexWorld). Wayne Rooney gave his verdict on Gomez's wonder strike (SussexWorld), Ian Hart of SussexWorld felt the scoreline could easily have been more emphatic (SussexWorld), and the result even raised questions about Palace boss Pierre Sage's future according to Sports Mole (Sports Mole). The Guardian's Football Weekly pondered whether the pain of the derby defeat might ease the noise around Carrick at Old Trafford (The Guardian), while pundits and statisticians got carried away with Brighton's prospects - Opta's model was cited projecting where Brighton, Palace and Leeds might finish (SussexWorld), The Guardian dubbed Brighton "the apex B club" with eyes on a Champions League place (The Guardian), and Football365 wondered whether Hurzeler's side can match great neutrals' favourites like Kevin Keegan's Newcastle (Football365). Paul Merson told Sky Sports that two wins from the next two games would put Brighton firmly in the title conversation (Sky Sports), and The Sun even compared their goal tally favourably to Real Madrid and Bayern Munich (The Sun), though SussexWorld noted a note of caution from one former Premier League player unconvinced by the title talk (SussexWorld).
Attention then turned to Europe, with Brighton travelling to the Czech Republic to face FK Jablonec in the Conference League. Hurzeler warned there could be no excuses or dip in standards as his side looked to avoid an upset (The Argus), and Michael Owen backed Brighton to get the job done (SussexWorld). Jiri Skalak offered local insight on the opposition for the club's own channels (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com), and around 1,003 travelling fans were set to fill the away end, as The Argus reported (The Argus). In the end it finished goalless, with Hurzeler explaining post-match that Jablonec had surprised his side by sitting very deep, while praising their pedigree after having beaten Rangers (The Argus) (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com). BBC Sport spoke to a buoyant Brighton fan who remained upbeat about the Conference League campaign despite the draw (BBC Sport).
The club returned to Premier League action away at Liverpool, with the game briefly placed in doubt by a Met Office weather warning before going ahead as planned (GiveMeSport) (Sports Mole). Pre-match coverage included team news with Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma and Mats Wieffer all on the injury list (SussexWorld) (Sports Mole), and pundit Chris Sutton predicted a tight, high-scoring game (SussexWorld). Billed by some as fifth against third, or in other previews third against fourth, the match ended in a 2-0 defeat for Brighton, Alexander Isak scoring to continue his good scoring streak and Pascal Gross turning a Florian Wirtz effort into his own net, with Wirtz later having the goal taken off him (Sky Sports) (The Guardian) (talkSPORT). The Guardian noted it brought an end to Brighton's winning run (The Guardian), while the Mirror reported Hurzeler aimed a thinly-veiled dig at Liverpool afterwards (Mirror). SussexWorld's player ratings made for tough reading in a torrid first half (SussexWorld), and Hurzeler gave his reaction to the club's own media and BBC Sport, admitting his frustration at Anfield (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com) (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com) (BBC Sport). Despite the loss, BBC Sport found a Brighton fan still remaining upbeat, continuing to believe in the "quadruple" dream (BBC Sport).
On the transfer front, BBC Sport's gossip column linked Chelsea with a move for midfielder Yasin Ayari (BBC Sport), while TeamTalk reported Brighton have decided to stand firm against interest from Atletico Madrid and AC Milan for Diego Gomez in January (TeamTalk), a stance also referenced in BBC Sport's gossip round-up (BBC Sport).
Elsewhere, there was good news from the academy as Brighton's under-21s won 4-2 at Fulham despite three of the squad having only just landed from a late-night flight back from the Jablonec trip, with Miah Oriola scoring twice (The Argus). The club's channels also carried features on Joao Costinha's journey to the Premier League (SussexWorld), Pascal Gross on the pressure of returning to Brighton (SussexWorld), Georginio in a big interview (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com), Luka Vuskovic settling in (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com), Chema's development under Hurzeler (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com) and Matt O'Riley saying the squad are "in a really good place" (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com). Away from the first team, Brighton's rugby side beat Dartfordians 69-12 at Waterhall (The Argus), and BBC Sport reported on a group of Brighton and Portsmouth fans setting off on a 23-mile charity walk through Normandy for veterans (BBC Sport).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.