MANAGER
Chris Hughton
STAR MAN
Anthony Knockaert
LAST SEASON
2nd (Championship)
TOP SCORER
Glenn Murray (23)
KEY INS
Davy Propper (PSV, £10m), Matthew Ryan (Valencia, £5m), Markus Suttner (Ingolstadt, £3.8m), Pascal Gross (Ingolstadt, £2.5m), Ales Mateju (Viktoria Plzen, £2.1m)
Matthew Ryan
KEY OUTS
David Stockdale (Birmingham, free), Oliver Norwood (Fulham, loan)
REASONS TO BE POSITIVE
Have retained all their core players, Hughton has fostered a fine team spirit and nearly all these players have never experienced the top-flight and will be hungry to impress.
REASON TO BE PESSIMISTIC
How they adapt to the step up in standards and consistency of the top-flight is a major challenge for a limited squad. At 33, journeyman Murray is their best source for goals.
ONE TO WATCH
Pascal Gross. A technically sound, silky but hard-working playmaker. Could prove a bargain.
Pascal Gross
EXPECTATION
Survival. The Seagulls have a long-term strategy of becoming a top-10 club, but for now 17th will do.
REALITY
It’ll be a long, hard and eventful experience but they need to find a way of scoring goals and turning the Amex Stadium into a fortress in order to avoid the drop.