Brighton & Hove Albion

Depending on what happens in this international break, the curious case of Deniz Undav and his brief-yet-enjoyable one season association with Brighton might be getting some extended interest.

Disclaimer before we continue: I liked Undav. Not due to him coming good towards the end of 2022-23 with five goals in eight matches having struggled through the initial 30 games of the campaign.

Rather, because he gave a wonderfully honest interview in which he moaned about the standard of kebabs and sausage in Brighton compared to back in Germany.

Undav is a rare example of a professional footballer who understands the more important things in life. Like kebabs and sausages.

Anyway, despite Undav belatedly getting to grips with the Premier League, he was sent on loan in the summer to Stuttgart.

Fifteen goals, seven assists and 25 appearances later, Undav has received his first call-up to the Germany squad for games against France and the Netherlands.

With a paucity of other striking options, there is every chance Undav could find himself leading the attack for his country in a home European Championship this summer.

On the one hand, the idea of a player loaned out by Brighton playing centre-forward for Germany is obscene. On the other, it is another sign of just how far the Albion have come compared to when only non-league outfits wanted Albion strikers on loan.

It will also raise the question of why the Albion let him go? That is something nobody really knows. Homesickness? Being behind Evan Ferguson and Danny Welbeck in the pecking order? Roberto de Zerbi not rating him? All reasons that have been put forward.

Whatever the story, it seems unlikely we will see Undav in a Brighton shirt again. Stuttgart are rumoured to have an option to buy, something they will surely take up after his goal-laden campaign.

A shame for the Albion. And a shame for Undav that he never got to experience my favourite kebab shop on the Costa del Southwick.

Scott McCarthy can be found on We Are Brighton, external

Brighton are keeping tabs on Arsenal's English winger Reiss Nelson, 24, before a potential summer move. (Football Insider, external)

Brighton also maintain an interest in Leicester City's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall after failing with a January bid for the English midfielder, 25. (Talksport, external)

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Danny Welbeck says Brighton "paid the price with the first leg" defeat but they "have to be proud" of what they've achieved in their debut European season.

The Seagulls forwards told TNT Sports: "The lads gave 100%, but it's difficult obviously with the first leg.

"It's very difficult to take that defeat. We paid the price with the first leg. We knew we could get a result in front of the fans tonight but it was too much to do.

"We've got a lot of very good players that are out [injured] as well. With the squad, we have to be proud of ourselves and we did the best that we can do.

We want to keep improving and progressing as a team and as a club. There's a great culture at the club. We're going to do our best to get back to playing in these competitions.

"Brighton [being in the Europa League] is historical. It's their first time in Europe, so bringing European football to Brighton was massive in itself, but there are some steps we need to take to keep bring European football to Brighton."

• Brighton are unbeaten in 14 home games in all competitions (won eight, drawn six).

• The Seagulls have registered consecutive clean sheets in all competitions (also keeping one against Nottingham Forest at the weekend) for the first time since May 2023.

• Danny Welbeck netted his first goal for the club in a European competition and his 13th overall, with him last finding the net in Europe for Arsenal against Sporting CP in October 2018 in the UEFA Europa League.

Brighton's Europa League adventure ended at the last-16 stage despite a victory over Roma at the Amex.

Roberto de Zerbi's side fought hard throughout and had their chances, but a 4-0 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico in the first leg meant this task was beyond them.

Were you at the match or did you follow it from elsewhere?

How did you rate the side's performance, Brighton fans?

Follow all of the reaction here

There are four Premier League sides in European action on Thursday, and we will bring you every moment.

West Ham host Freiburg in the second leg of their last-16 tie, trailing 1-0 from last week's game in Germany. Liverpool take a healthy 5-1 lead into their match against Sparta Prague at Anfield. However, Brighton have a huge task on their hands to progress having lost 4-0 to Roma in Italy.

Aston Villa welcome Dutch giants Ajax to Villa Park in the Europa Conference League, with that last-16 encounter evenly poised after a goalless first leg.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Brighton's rise from almost falling out of the Football League and nearly losing their ground to competing with European heavyweights on the continent in the Europa League could be described as a fairytale.

The Football News Show have been looking back over that journey as Roberto de Zerbi and his side take on Roma in the last-16.

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton forward Danny Welbeck says he has tried to pass on his experience to his team-mates before their Europa League game against Roma on Thursday.

Welbeck is one of the Seagulls' most experienced players in continental football and his knowhow will be crucial as they attempt the daunting challenge of overturning the 4-0 deficit from the first leg.

"To play in these games is a massive learning curve," said Welbeck. "When you have the experience of playing in these games and passing it on to others and giving advice, you get a feeling for it and it becomes normal, like every other game.

"It's important to play the game and not the occasion. It's easy to just say that - when you're on the pitch it's more difficult. For me, I just want to get out there. It's a difficult task ahead but it's one we're really looking forward to."

Fellow forward Julio Enciso has recently been integrated back into the team after a lengthy spell on the sidelines and Welbeck believes he has a big future.

"It's really good to have him back," Welbeck added. "He's been through a difficult spell with his injury. We all know the qualities he brings to the team.

"Being out for that amount of time, getting back into the team and the rhythm takes some time. He's a jewel. He's got match-winning qualities and that's what we look forward to him bringing the team.

"Everyone's excited when he's involved because he brings so much quality."

• Watch: The Football News Show - the road to Roma

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham play the second legs of their Europa League last-16 games on Thursday evening, with the draw for the quarter-finals set for Friday at 12:00 GMT in Nyon, Switzerland.

The draw for the semi-final round will take place at the same time.

The Hammers are 1-0 down from the first leg againt Freiburg in Germany, they kick off at 17:45 GMT.

The Seagulls have their work cut out to make it to the last eight, their game kicks off at 20.00 GMT. They are 4-0 down from the first leg which took place at Roma's Stadio Olimpico.

No such trouble for Liverpool however as they entertain Sparta Prague with a healthy 5-1 advantage from the first leg.

The Europa League final takes place on Wednesday, 22 May at Dublin's Aviva Stadium.

Roberto de Zerbi's demanding nature and preference for straight talking has triggered another round of rumours about whether the Italian will still be at Brighton next season.

Although there have been suggestions Brighton's hierarchy are concerned the Italian might leave the club at the end of the season, that would be a most un-Brighton like position to take given the club prides itself on its future planning.

If De Zerbi did leave, there would definitely be a contingency in place and they would roll with it, like they have done when anyone else has left over the past couple of years.

But they also do not feel De Zerbi's answer in Wednesday's news conference when asked specifically about his future raised any significant issues.

"I have a contract," he said. "I have a good relationship with the club. I get on well with the chairman. The fact that we are playing in Europe or not doesn't change anything for me… other things are more important."

Image source, Reuters

Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen says "stranger things have happened" than overturning their 4-0 first-leg deficit against Roma in the Europa League last 16.

The Seagulls welcome Danielle de Rossi's team to Amex Stadium knowing only a historic night will extend the club's first European campaign.

"Everyone in the team wants clean sheets," Verbruggen told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast.

"It's no secret we haven't had as many as we would have hoped for this season, but we're still working on our defensive bits.

"I think the game [against Nottingham Forest] will help us for sure get more confidence.

"I don't think we really needed the confidence boost. We all know how good we are and how good we can be.

"Yeah you're down 4-0 but there's still 90 minutes to be played and stranger things have happened in football.

"We all believe that we will beat them 5-0. That's the mantra we will go into the game with.

"We're all looking forward to it."

Verbruggen did not feature in the first leg, with manager Roberto de Zerbi frequently rotating between him and Jason Steele, but he believes the Italian is the perfect figure to inspire a response.

"He's always inspiring us before every game and this game is going to be a little bit more special because we know what's on the line," he added.

"We've got nothing to lose so we can go all out and give it a shot, believe we're going to do it - and come away with a 5-0 win hopefully."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Author and Brighton fan Sally Freedman believes the Seagulls should attack their final 10 Premier League games of the season "thinking we can get into Europe again".

Roberto de Zerbi's side sit in eighth, a point behind West Ham in the final European qualification place.

"There's no reason why not. I think we should definitely dream and aim for that," she told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast.

"We've had a little bit of a wobble recently but players will start to come back from injury. I thought [Carlos] Baleba in the middle on Saturday was excellent - it was great to see such creative play.

"There's positive snippets to look forward to. We're not the only team depleted by injuries, everyone else is also suffering.

"I don't think we should cry victim. I think we should be positive and go in thinking we can get into Europe again.

"We're playing teams who are around us, around the same points, so therefore on paper it's a 50-50 and there's no reason we can't go in believing.

"Often I think Brighton play best when we play teams a little bit better than us - it brings out our best football.

"I don't think we should be scared when we face the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal. There's no reason we can't take points of them as well."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi has encouraged his players to take matters into their own hands to help improve themselves and the team.

The Italian coach is looking to overturn a 4-0 deficit against fifth-placed Serie A side Roma at Amex Stadium on Thursday.

"I believe this team has a lot of room for improvement." De Zerbi said in his pre-match news conference. "When you work through difficulties in life, you can always improve from those difficult moments.

"I'm very happy with my players. I want my players to follow me. They do follow me, very much so. In fact, perhaps I could say [they follow me] too much sometimes.

"I'd perhaps like them to take their own initiative and maybe do a little bit more by themselves sometimes. They must follow the coach but be free to express themselves on the pitch."

Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi has been speaking to the media before his side's Europa League last-16 second leg against Roma on Thursday, with Albion trailing 4-0 after the first leg.

Here are the main lines from his news conference:

• On his side's lack of goals: "In the last five games, we haven't scored too many goals but we created a lot of chances to score. My job is to help players create the chance, not to score. The players are on the pitch, [scoring] is the players' work."

• On Thursday's opponents: "It's a tough game because Roma are an important team in a good condition. I watched their game against Fiorentina, and their past four Serie A games, and they deserve what they are doing."

• On the outside expectations of Brighton: "Our expectations are high - but sometimes the expectations you [the media] create aren't realistic. This is the first time we played in Europe, we are trying our best to compete. We are trying to compete in the Premier League at the same time. When you play in Europe for the first time, it's normal to pay the price for that in the league. And we have. We do need results, but my job is to improve the team and the club."

• On his approach for the second leg: "I don't know if we'll play with a freer state of mind. I hope that's the case. I hope we can play better physically and more freely mentally."

• When asked if getting or not getting European football next year will affect his future: "I have a contract here. I have a good relationship with everyone at the club. The fact of playing in Europe doesn't change anything - other things are more important for me."

Want to see all the best football content from BBC Sport in one place? Now you can with the new BBC Football channel on WhatsApp.

The feed that is available alongside new BBC Sport and BBC Cricket channels gives you another way to stay up to date with our coverage of your favourite sports.

To go directly to the new channel you can click here, external or you can find it via WhatsApp by following the instructions on this page.

On the latest episode of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast, Seagulls boss Roberto de Zerbi reflects on a "crucial" win against Forest as well as discussing Carlos Baleba and Jakub Moder.

Also on the show, goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen chats about clean sheets and Roma while author and fan Sally Freedman offers her perspective on the Europa League and the state of play with 10 Premier League matches to go.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

According to Opta's 'Supercomputer,' Brighton are likely to miss out on a European spot this season and will finish 10th on 55 points.

We asked you for your thoughts on this prediction - here are some of your responses:

Jake: Really can't see where those extra 13 points come from. The remaining games are challenging at home, and on current form I can't see us getting much away even though on paper they are less challenging. I'd be surprised if we got much past 48 points. Meeting our 2021-22 tally of 51 would be a very good achievement from here.

Eddie: We have averaged 1.5 points per game in a season of playing in Europe and in the FA Cup while managing injuries to key players. Now our players are coming back and we will likely exit Europe, 15 points from our last 10 games is achievable. Playing Arsenal and Manchester City at home and Liverpool away could impact who will be champions. Seventh place is my best hope and deserved.

Steve: After such incredible progress, who on earth would now accept mid-table mediocrity? With a couple of astute signings, experience over youth, we can consolidate top-seven finishes and the resulting wonderful European experience. Let's go, Seagulls.

David: Tenth seems a fair prediction given our current form. Lots of draws, the odd recent win and when we get beat, we get trounced. All that said, forms can change and maybe young Ferguson can start scoring again. We have a very young team, I think that will put us in a strong position next season and hopefully we will have some more injured players back.

Arsenal's 24-year-old English winger Reiss Nelson has emerged as a top summer target for Brighton. (Teamtalk, external)

Finally, Albion's Scottish midfielder Marc Leonard, 22, is wanted by Preston, Plymouth and Swansea. (Fabrizio Romano, external)

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

To say it has been an interesting two weeks on planet Brighton & Hove Albion would be something of an understatement.

The Seagulls hopes of reaching Wembley in the FA Cup again came to an end at the hands of Wolves.

Roberto de Zerbi then heavily rotated his starting XI for the trip to Fulham, with one eye very much on the Europa League last-16 tie against Roma. The result was a 3-0 thrashing against the west Londoners followed by a 4-0 hammering at the hands of the Italian giants.

Out of the FA Cup, practically out of Europe and a sequence of five wins in 20 Premier League matches leaving many to conclude Brighton were also out of the race for a top-seven finish.

Just to add the drama, De Zerbi used his post-match interview in Rome to not-so-subtly criticise Tony Bloom for what the head coach feels is a lack of backing over the past two transfer windows.

It never tends to end well when a manager questions the Brighton board. Just ask Gus Poyet, whose hugely successful three-and-a-half-season spell ended in acrimony. His name has barely been spoken since by anyone connected with the club, as if he is Lord Voldermort rather than the man who started the Albion's revolution on the pitch.

What Brighton badly needed after all that excitement was a dull, routine and professional victory to steady the ship and get the campaign back on track.

That is exactly what they delivered in beating Nottingham Forest 1-0. Not 90 minutes of football anyone is likely to remember, but perhaps the most important result of the season so far.

With 10 Premier League games left to play, several more victories like these can yet push Brighton back into European contention.

And if De Zerbi were to deliver another top-seven finish given all the injuries and the extra workload the Seagulls have been forced to cope with, it would eclipse even last year's achievements.

Scott McCarthy can be found at We are Brighton, external

Image source, Opta

As the Premier League heads into the business end of the season, statisticians Opta have been putting the remaining fixtures through their 'supercomputer' to predict who will finish where in the table at the end of the campaign.

Brighton, who currently sit eighth, are among a number of teams fighting for a European place next season. They kept themselves in that race with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday but have key matches against fellow European football chasers to come.

According to Opta, the Seagulls are likely to miss out on a European spot with a tenth place finish on 54.61 points.

But what do you think Albion fans? Do you agree with the prediction or have you got faith Roberto de Zerbi and the team can beat the 'supercomputer' and get into the top seven?

Have your say here