Monday 1 August 2016 11:07, UK
All the transfer news, fan opinion, predictions and odds ahead of Brighton's 2016/17 Sky Bet Championship campaign.
Last year's finish: 3rd
Manager: Chris Hughton
Title odds: 14/1 with Sky Bet
First five games: Derby County (A), Nottingham Forest (H), Rotherham (H), Reading (A), Newcastle (A)
Players In: Ben Hall (Motherwell, free), Steve Sidwell (Brighton, free), Glenn Murray (Bournemouth, loan)
Players Out: Chris O'Grady (Burton Albion, loan), Inigo Calderon (Famagusta, free), Bobby Zamora (released), Gordon Greer (released), Andrew Crofts (Charlton, free).
Fan's view - Simeon Gholam, sports journalist
Expectation: While a top-two finish would be fantastic, the calibre of clubs coming down from the Premier League probably make the play-offs a more realistic goal. Anything in the top six would be excellent again as the Sky Bet Championship gets tougher every year. A little less heartbreak than last season would also be nice.
Most important player: Anthony Knockaert oozes quality and if he can show the kind of form all season that he displayed since January then he could be the difference for us this year.
Who will win the league? Newcastle
Dark horse? Sheffield Wednesday
One Championship player you'd want to sign? Tommy Elphick
I think Brighton will use the disappointment of last season to their advantage and get automatic promotion. They have a solid defensive unit, but also can attack you from all angles. It's a great mix. The relationship between the manager and the board also is very stable while their recruitment policy is spot on. It's only a matter of time until they reach the Premier League. This could be their year.
Sky Bet odds
Brighton are 4/1 to bounce back from their play-off disappointment by securing promotion this season, with EFL sponsor Sky Bet making them 14/1 joint fifth favourites for the title. Another top-six finish is, however, odds against at 13/8, but they are certainly not expected to struggle at the other end of the table at 28/1 to face relegation.
The Seagulls will be up against the odds to make a flying start at 5/2 to win at Derby on the opening weekend, while they're 9/1 to win their first three games in Sky Bet's Brighton Specials.
