Latest news with #Brighton&HoveAlbion
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Brighton target Evann Guessand amid Joao Pedro exit links
Brighton & Hove Albion are showing strong interest in signing OGC Nice attacker Evann Guessand this summer, according to Sky Sport Switzerland journalist Sacha Tavolieri. The Seagulls are seeking fresh attacking talent as interest in Joao Pedro intensifies. Several top clubs, including Chelsea, are monitoring the Brazilian forward ahead of the transfer window. Manager Fabian Hurzeler led Brighton to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League this season. The club aims to enhance their squad and push higher next term. Guessand is seen as a player who could add quality and energy to their attacking options. The 22-year-old bagged 13 goals and 10 assists across all competitions this season. His consistent performances have drawn interest from several European clubs, including in the Bundesliga. Known for his movement, the Ivorian often operates in the right half-space and makes clever runs behind defenders. He uses his pace and clever positioning to create chances and exploit weaknesses in the opposition's backline. Guessand perfectly matches Brighton's player profile, and they have used their advanced scouting data to highlight his value and potential impact at the club. Nice reportedly value the forward at around €25 million, and the Seagulls view him as one of the most efficient and productive young forwards available. If Pedro leaves this summer, Brighton may need to act fast to secure Guessand's services.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Barcelona make enquiry for Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen
According to a report from Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna, FC Barcelona have made an enquiry for Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen (22). The Catalan side have asked for the conditions of a potential deal with the Sussex club. The 22-year-old Netherlands national team goalkeeper are reportedly looking for a long-term successor to Marc-Andre ter Stegen – who tore his ACL earlier this season. Verbruggen is high on the list for the goalkeeper position along with Joan García from Espanyol, reports Aouna. Verbruggen the Seagulls from Anderlecht in July 2023 and has established himself as Brighton's first-choice keeper after rotating with Jason Steele under current Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi in the 2023-2024 season. Last season the Dutchman was an undisputed starter under Fabian Hurzeler, making 36 Premier League appearances this season. He is currently under contract with the Albion until 2028, but has missed out on the latest Netherlands squad after he was reportedly 'struggling with physical complaints and needed time for the recovery process.' GFFN | George Boxall
New York Times
6 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
James Milner on his injury nightmare: ‘There was a chance I wouldn't come back'
James Milner feared he might never walk properly again, let alone continue a long playing career, after complications arising from knee surgery earlier this season. Now he is set to agree a new contract with Brighton & Hove Albion which will take him past the age of 40 and possibly see him break the record for most appearances in the Premier League. Advertisement That is held by Gareth Barry, who played 653 times in the competition. Milner closed to within 16 of the record with his surprise 638th appearance as a 93rd-minute substitute in the 4-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday's final fixture of the campaign. Milner's fleeting first outing since August, granted by Fabian Hurzeler as a reward for the support he has given the 32-year-old German in his first season as Brighton's head coach, camouflaged circumstances which have challenged even a hardened veteran renowned in the game for his fitness levels and determination. Milner thought he had experienced pretty much everything in a career that started with boyhood club Leeds United as a 16-year-old in 2002, continued through spells with Newcastle, Aston Villa and Manchester City, plus 61 caps for England, before joining Brighton on a free transfer in summer 2023 following eight trophy-laden years at Liverpool. Nothing could prepare him, however, for the ramifications of a knee operation that came after he'd started the first two games of this season in midfield for Hurzeler's side in wins away to Everton and at home to Manchester United. Milner was in the starting line-up again for Brighton's third league match, but lasted only 17 minutes of that 1-1 draw at Arsenal. 'I had a contact injury in training before the Arsenal game where I hurt my knee,' says Milner, talking after the Tottenham match for the first time about the problems he has faced this season. 'They (medical staff) went into that and it was stable, but we knew it would be painful. I gave it a go. My hamstring reacted, so it looked like it came off my hamstring, but there was nothing wrong with my hamstring. 'I had a knee operation, which was fine. I would have been back at the start of December (but) in the operation, a nerve got damaged. I came out of the operation and couldn't lift my foot or my toes. The first time I saw any flicker of life was the 31st of December, and it (the foot) still didn't move. Advertisement 'So, it has been a long, tough one, probably one that drove me. I don't think many people would have come back from it. The medical staff have been incredible. I would have been back from my knee injury early December, did all the work in the gym, the knee has been brilliant, my fitness work has been good. 'We pushed it as hard as we could with the foot and did everything we could, but I was in a brace for four or five months, so I couldn't lift my toes. In terms of my physical condition, I have been on the pitch for a good few months now and I have just got to be careful with contact, waiting for full strength to come back, which is pretty much there now. 'So, I just ran out of time (to play more this season). I would have been fit and involved from now on if the season had been longer. It has not been an age-related injury or anything like that, it's a one in however many thousand (chance). I don't think many people have seen it in football before. It was just bad luck, really, after starting the first few games of the season and feeling good.' Hurzeler brought Milner on in added time at Spurs in place of Yankuba Minteh to say thank you for his support 'because he was always there for me, always there for the team'. That included travelling to away games — Milner was in the stands with goalkeeper coach Jack Stern for the 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers two weeks ago in the penultimate away game of the season. 'It's been frustrating,' Milner admits. 'For the manager to say that is obviously nice. I've tried to help as much as I can off the field, help him and help the boys. It's a lot easier on the pitch, when you can bark at them from a lot closer, instead of being in the stands. 'There was a chance I wouldn't come back at all, for sure. My first mindset was to try to get the knee as strong as possible, which we did as much as we could with exercises without being able to lift your toes or your foot. The physio, Sean Duggan, was incredible, and the rest of the medical team. 'It wasn't an ideal scenario. I didn't know if I could walk normally again, never mind play football, but thankfully we worked hard and the hard work has paid off. To get on the field with the boys and see them turn it around in the second half (having trailed 1-0 at the break) was special.' Minteh, 20, and 21-year-old midfielder Carlos Baleba lifted a reluctant Milner onto their shoulders to join in the celebrations in front of the away fans at Tottenham as Brighton clinched eighth position, the second-highest finish in the club's 124-year history. Unfortunately, they narrowly missed out on qualification for Europe. Advertisement 'I would have tried to fight them off, but they are both very strong and I don't think the physio would have been too happy with that,' Milner says. 'It's an incredible group, and that's my role here. It's frustrating that I haven't been able to do it on the field since three games in. 'Everything you do off the field, whether it's conversations with the boys, video stuff or speaking to them in the changing room, it's 10 times easier if you are on the pitch with them and they will improve 10 times quicker, but you see how much potential is out there, the young players we have, the ability. They are a great bunch of lads. I am just going to help them improve as much as possible.' The scenes at the end of the match could easily have been mistaken for Milner saying farewell to Brighton, but The Athletic revealed earlier this month that he is in discussions with his representatives and the club to extend his stay beyond a contract which expires in June. Those talks are progressing towards an agreement. 'I feel good and I would like to keep playing,' Milner says. 'I think I have definitely got another year in me, at least. We are in talks with the club and we're quite close, so hopefully it would be nice to be here again and be part of the team and help the boys. 'Nobody (medical experts) said, 'Quit the game'. There were obviously doubts from people that I'd get back. Nobody said quit, because they didn't know what was going to happen with my age and what I had. Not many people have had it, so I think it was highly unlikely that I got back, but that was some of the things that drove me on. 'I have been back training with the team this week. I thought after that amount of time I'd feel a bit rusty and achy, but the amount of work I have done in the last seven months in the gym and working on everything else, I feel really good. It's good that the work has paid off and I feel as though I have got more in me. 'The quality is there (in the squad). The more games they get, the better they'll get. The manager as well has come in and done a fantastic job. After a season under his belt, knowing the players and what the Premier League is about, it's exciting for next season.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bloom set for £10m Hearts stake after vote approval
Tony Bloom is set to take up a 29% stake in Hearts after the club's majority shareholder group voted in favour of the Brighton & Hove Albion owner's £10m investment offer. The Foundation of Hearts say from a total of 6,208 votes - which represented a 70% turnout - 6,112 voted in favour and 96 voted against. Bloom needed approval of more than 50% for his offer to be accepted. "Clearly it is a huge majority in favour and this demonstrates - once again - the passion the foundation members have for the club and their determination to see it move forward and reap the benefits of the financial investment," the group said in a statement. Brighton owner Bloom bids for 29% stake in Hearts Visit our Hearts page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views Get Hearts news notifications in the BBC Sport app "Tony Bloom's decision to invest in Hearts was very much founded on the many benefits he saw at Tynecastle through the club being in fan ownership, not least its financial security through the level of our pledging." Bloom will be purchasing non-voting rights shares, which would not impact the 75.1% voting rights held by the Foundation of Hearts but he will be entitled to one place on the board and is expected to appoint a representative rather than take up the position himself. FoH had said Bloom believes Hearts can "disrupt Scottish football" and that he wants to be a part of a "glorious chapter" in the Edinburgh club's history. Hearts finished season 2024-25 seventh in the Scottish Premiership and have appointed Derek McInnes as their new manager. The club has a formal relationship with Bloom's company Jamestown Analytics for recruitment.
The Star
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Dutch first choice goalkeeper Verbruggen out of World Cup qualifiers
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - May 4, 2025 Brighton & Hove Albion's Bart Verbruggen reacts Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Uncapped goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen was included in the Netherlands squad on Monday as first choice Bart Verbruggen dropped out of World Cup qualifiers next month. Scherpen, who won the Austrian Bundesliga title with Sturm Graz this month, has previously been called up as injury cover, although he has yet to play for the Dutch. Verbruggen played on Sunday for Brighton & Hove Albion as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 away in their last Premier League game of the season but Monday's announcement of the 23-man squad by the Dutch football association said he was 'struggling with physical complaints and needed time for the recovery process'. Also missing is Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber after surgery on his ankle. The Dutch begin their bid to qualify for next year's World Cup finals against Finland away in Helsinki on June 7 and then home to Malta in Groningen on June 10. Squad Goalkeepers: Mark Flekken (Brentford), Nick Olij (Sparta Rotterdam), Kjell Scherpen (Sturm Graz) Defenders: Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Stefan de Vrij, Denzel Dumfries (both Inter Milan), Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen), Lutsharel Geertruida (RB Leipzig), Jorrel Hato (Ajax Amsterdam), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton & Hove Albion) Midfielders: Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth), Noa Lang (PSV Eindhoven), Tijjani Reijnders (AC Milan), Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig), Mats Wieffer (Brighton & Hove Albion) Forwards: Memphis Depay (Corinthians), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Donyell Malen (Aston Villa), Wout Weghorst (Ajax Amsterdam). (Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
