Lead Brighton to European glory in FM25. Discover key transfers, tactics, and strategies to achieve success in Football Manager 2025.
Guiding Brighton & Hove Albion to European Glory in FM25: Tactics, Transfers, and Triumphs
The release date for Football Manager (FM) 2025 will be one of the most eagerly anticipated in the history of the iconic management simulation franchise.
Fans of the popular management simulation franchise are eager to explore the innovative updates and embark on a new set of challenges.
With that in mind, we have set our sights on a task which will provide endless hours of fun on FM25 – guiding Brighton & Hove Albion to European qualification.
The Seagulls booked a spot in the 2023/24 Europa League, but they were unable to replicate the feat for next season after finishing 11th in the Premier League.
With a few tweaks, we will try to guide them back to the promised land. One of the most important jobs is to restore confidence in an underperforming striker.
Fixing Ferguson
Brighton have plenty of talented players in their squad capable of causing problems for the top teams in FM25 including Republic of Ireland international Evan Ferguson.
The striker impressed during his first season with the club, but suffered a massive dip in form last term. He needs to step things up if Brighton are to have any chance of qualifying for Europe.
Online sportsbooks have tipped Brighton as potential dark horses for European qualification next season and the Irishman will be integral to their hopes.
The best betting sites in Ireland will be inundated with wagers on Brighton if Ferguson starts the season well, with punters in his homeland eager to cash in on his goalscoring talent.
We will be looking to adopt a similar approach in FM25 by cajoling Ferguson back to his best with some intense one-to-one work during pre-season.
The young Irish star has the ability to be a superstar in the Premier League and we’ll need him to hit the ground running if we are to achieve our goal of securing European football.
Squad Rebuild
Brighton will have plenty of cash to fund a revamp in FM25, and every penny will be crucial in our quest for a European berth.
They had the largest transfer budget in the Premier League in FM24, thanks to their mind-boggling £115 million sale of Moises Caicedo to Chelsea.
While Brighton haven't made similar record sales this summer, they will still have a sizeable war chest which makes our European quest an achievable target.
Brighton also have several players we could sell to raise additional funds, including Joel Veltman, Adam Webster, Pascal Gross, Solly March, Jakub Moder and Danny Welbeck.
Using the transfer budget wisely could be the key to building a squad capable of competing for the European places, so the focus will be on signing young players who fit the club's long-term vision.
Shrewd purchases such as Karim Konate, Kenan Yildiz, Matias Soule and Ferdi Kadioglu will be on our radar to strengthen key areas of the squad.
Konate is one of the best young strikers in the game and he could still be a bargain in FM25, while Juventus talents Yildiz and Soule can add depth to our attacking ranks.
We already have Valentino Barco providing cover for the more experienced Pervis Estupinan at left back, so Kadioglu will compete with Tariq Lamptey for a starting berth on the opposite flank.
Jan Paul van Hecke was a standout defensive performer for Brighton last season, so he should get significant upgrades in his attributes in FM25.
He will be a direct replacement for Adam Webster and partner Igor Julio at the heart of the defence, with the experienced Lewis Dunk providing cover.
Tactical Tweaks
Former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi favoured a 4-2-3-1 attacking system, so we will stick with the structure to ensure continuity and build on his solid foundations.
Rather than adopting an attacking mentality, a more nuanced approach will be the way forward, allowing the team to attack in numbers but not at the cost of defensive solidity.
The emphasis will be on width in attack. Players will be encouraged to look for runners by passing into space and utilising the full-backs' offensive capabilities through overlapping runs.
We will use shorter passing but a very high tempo while focusing play down the flanks, allowing the wingers to run at opposition defences and create danger.
Counter-pressing will be key to winning the ball back at the earliest opportunity while capitalising on any disorganisation in the opposition ranks by playing on the counter.
A high press will be employed defensively to limit the opposition's ability to play out from the back. We will also maintain a standard defensive line to avoid being exposed by long balls seeking to bypass the press.
We’ll need to be aggressive in our tackles and ensure we win individual duels to disrupt the opposition's rhythm play and establish a foothold in the game.
With Ferguson firing on all cylinders, new players in the squad and revamped tactics, we should have an excellent chance of guiding Brighton back into the upper echelons of the Premier League.
