Eintracht Frankfurt's 22-year-old Germany defender Nnamdi Collins is the subject of interest from Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle, Brighton and Brentford. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Brighton defender Warren Aspinall says fans were "astonished" by Fabian Hurzeler's team selection in Saturday's win over Brentford, but the players he picked "performed really well".
"The manager put his head on the block with the team he picked," Aspinall told the Albion Unlimited podcast.
"He knew if it backfired he would take the blame and the fans were ready to pounce on him.
"Even the fans on our phone-in said they were astonished when they heard the team news so he was under pressure straight away. But, he put out lads that he could trust and they performed really well.
"The people on the bench are on there for a reason. He played a left back at right wing and kept two players who can play right wing and cost £80m combined on the bench. Is that a wake up call about the two lads in [Yankuba] Minteh and [Georginio] Rutter?
"I asked for a bit of bite and a bit more running, working a bit harder, and I got that. As a fan that's all you can ask for.
"If we're going to beat teams we have to run more and if we can do that and outrun them by 10% it's like we're playing with an extra player.
"We controlled the game in the first-half especially. Playing [James] Milner and [Pascal] Gross, two aging midfielders, worked. [Karou] Mitoma showed a bit more bite and did well defensively.
"Week in and week out [Lewis] Dunk and [Jean Paul] Van Hecke perform to the highest level and kept Igor Thiago quiet."
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Brighton defender Guy Butters says Jack Hinshelwood is being afforded the opportunity to "play with more freedom" in his new attacking role under Fabian Hurzeler.
Having played in a predominantly defensive midfield role for the majority of the season, and deputising at right back on occasion, the 20-year-old played further forward in Saturday's 2-0 win at Brentford.
He came close with two fine efforts and saw his cross lead to the Seagulls' second goal.
"He's grown up around the football environment with his family," Butters told the Albion Unlimited podcast.
"His dad, uncles and granddad will have had a huge impact on him.
"He's come into the game naturally. It's not a surprise being around football players and around football stadiums.
"He's got a mature head on his shoulders. He's played very well this season.
"He can play in a number of positions, it's just trying to find out where he is best.
"He's played in central midfield and filled in at right back.
"For now, he is relishing playing in the number 10 role and having that leash off him to play with more freedom and go forward. "
Brighton excelled at Brentford and Jack Hinshelwood has his say.
That's just part of the Albion Unlimited podcast this week as former Seagull Warren Aspinall and BBC Radio Sussex's Johnny Cantor consider all the latest goings on at the club.
Explore all Brighton content on BBC Sounds
Listen to every Brighton game live on BBC Radio Sussex, with all the build-up and full commentary with Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall, and there is a full preview of all Seagulls' matches on Fridays at 18:00 in The Weekend Warm-up
Image source, GUINNESS WORLD RECORDSAs well as a Champions League title, three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and two Community Shields to James Milner's name, he now has three Guinness World Record titles.
After Milner overtook Gareth Barry's record of 653 Premier League appearances in Brighton's 2-0 victory over Brentford, Milner's overall top-flight appearances now sits at 654.
The 40-year-old has also set two other records, which now means he holds the longest gap between his first and last Premier League goals (22 years 248 days) and for the most consecutive Premier League seasons played (24).
Milner said: "When I was younger, I used to get the Guinness World Records book for Christmas every year. So this is pretty amazing."
Scott McCarthy
Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
An excellent social media post did the rounds on Saturday night after Brighton finally won a Premier League game of football.
Some bright spark clipped the post-match interview of Fabian Hurzeler so that when he was asked what the Albion did differently against Brentford, his response was simply "We scored goals."
And that did indeed happen at the Gtech Stadium. Two goals in fact. Ending a scoreless streak which had lasted the whole of February and preventing the superb prospect of Brighton having to cancel their goal of the month award because of there being zero contenders.
Goals though were not the only thing the Albion did differently. Hurzeler made several noticeable tactical adjustments. And given all the criticism he has come in for during a disappointing December, January and February, he deserves credit for that.
Brighton were much more direct than normal, getting balls forward quicker. This was vital given Hurzeler named his oldest starting XI of the season with so little pace that you could have dropped a 90-year-old great grandmother into the team and it would have increased the average speed.
The Albion also showed a greater willingness to shoot from distance rather than trying to pass the ball in. The benefits of such an approach were seen in the opening goal when Ferdi Kadioglu rattled the bar from 25 yards and Diego Gomez picked up the pieces.
Pundits and fans alike have accused Brighton under Hurzeler as having a lack of clear identity or style this season. Was this win the first sign of that changing?
Only time will tell. One swallow does not a summer make and all that. But based on what we saw at Brentford, these new tactics suit this squad and can ensure the Albion do not get sucked into the relegation battle.
More of the same against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, please.
Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external
James Milner is "the ultimate Premier League figure", says journalist Rory Smith.
The 40-year-old now holds the record for the most appearances in the competition, surpassing Gareth Barry to reach 654 appearances.
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton paid tribute to the "mental strength" Milner must possess.
"I think most fans respect James Milner," said Smith, the Observer's football correspondent. "He is pretty universally admired and extraordinarily well liked by the standards of football."
Watch Monday Night Club on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds
Brighton hope to get a deal for Cologne's 19-year-old German winger Said El Mala over the line by also signing his older brother, 20-year-old striker Malek. (Times - subscription required), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
Mark Scott
Final Score reporter
Image source, PA MediaOf course Fabian Hurzeler desperately needed that result against Brentford, but the fact it was a very good performance away to a very good team is also a welcome relief for the Brighton boss. Especially given the negativity he had faced from some sections of the fanbase.
One of the gripes has been that the Seagulls lack identity on the pitch, but that was far from the case on Saturday, as they looked sharp from the word go with a clearly defined plan of attack.
One of their standout performers was record-breaker James Milner, so Hurzeler also deserves credit for deciding to start him in a call that surprised a few in the press room.
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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brentford and Brighton.
Here are some of your comments:
Brentford fans
Sam: Classic Brentford, that's all I can say. Beat Aston Villa away with 10 men, beat Newcastle brilliantly, draw deservedly against the league leaders Arsenal, then produce a hopeless, tame and tired performance to deservedly get beaten by a Brighton side that hadn't won in six beforehand. A game to forget and move on from, and I hope for a reaction against Burnley next week.
Ian: Worst Brentford of the season. Poor all round, individual errors, lack of a plan B. Brighton had a clear plan and played their hearts out.
Rob: A very disappointing display from Bees. We were second best to Brighton at everything and they deserved their win. I wish the Bees would send on Romelle Donovan much earlier and also Kaye Furo when the forward line is not clicking. Congratulations to James Milner - a great pro.
Tim: Lacklustre from the off, allowing Brighton to dictate the game and emerge worthy winners. Tactics were plainly wrong; ignoring the midfield in favour of aimless wing play and Nathan Collins' error just put the cherry on the cake. At least Yehor Yarmolyuk and Mikkel Damsgaard added a bit of industry and invention but this was a poor, poor showing.
Brighton fans
ArrJay: This was a much better display by the Seagulls than we've seen for ages. Can the manager sustain it? He hasn't been able to in the past but we can live in hope that the club has turned a corner that has been oh so elusive.
Mick: A competent, composed and mature display. We looked balanced with a plan, which has been missing over the past weeks. All the players knew their role. More performances like this and Europe is not beyond us.
Pedro: Before the match, I feared a loss, expected a draw and hoped for a win. We should be celebrating three points, but in reality, we're just relieved to halt the decline.
Darren: As a lifelong Brighton fan, it's been a tough few months. However, what a performance - very proud of the boys and the whole team. Let's hope a bit of confidence will push the team on to a great end to the season.
Pundits Wayne Rooney and Micah Richards join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.
And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:
Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesOnly Burnley and Wolves had picked up fewer points than Brighton in their last 13 league games prior to this weekend, with the Seagulls' only league win in that period coming against the Clarets on 3 January.
However, for a team that has appeared increasingly goal-shy in recent weeks, Fabian Hurzeler's side did not appear to be lacking confidence in the final third against Brentford – far from it.
With the game still goalless, Jack Hinshelwood had a venomous shot unconvincingly parried wide by goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who then did well to deny Kaoru Mitoma in a one-v-one as Brighton dominated the early stages.
Ferdi Kadioglu almost broke the deadlock with a magnificent long-range strike but it was Diego Gomez who ended up opening the scoring from the rebound, showing great composure to steer the ball into the bottom corner.
The visitors' second goal – which came after Nathan Collins attempted to clear Hinshelwood's cross towards Danny Welbeck with an elaborate flick – may have been a gift, but the 2-0 half-time scoreline was an accurate reflection of the visitors' superiority.
Hurzeler's team had less of the ball after the restart but were rarely troubled by an uncharacteristically toothless Brentford, whose only effort on target after half-time came from Mikkel Damsgaard's attempted lob in the 87th minute.
On a memorable afternoon for Brighton, 40-year-old midfielder James Milner made his 654th Premier League outing in west London to break Gareth Barry's long-standing top-flight appearance record.
Milner's afternoon was ended by an apparent injury near the end of the game, but the former England international received a rapturous ovation from the away supporters as he made his way off the pitch.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, speaking to Sky Sports: "It is a better feeling. I'm proud of the team, very happy for the supporters. They waited for the win so I am happy for them. In the second half we had to defend a lot but overall we deserved this win."
On what changed today: "We scored goals and were there in the right moments. The key detail was we scored and defended the key moments in the right way."
On if it was hard to stay positive: "They always had positivity, they always stick together. Just have to put these kind of energy on the pitch. I always know what we are capable of. It was not a big issue for me, I am a positive guy and try to give positivity to the group."
On why he started James Milner: "He was the leader, he communicated, he has a good understanding of the game, he knows his game, he is reliable. He waited long for this moment and we are happy for him. Not only experience but also quality. He was one of the best in training and I keep saying if you train well and keep pushing you will get the chance.
"He always puts the team first, always puts the club first. He is not only a role model on the pitch but beside the pitch. On the pitch he gives everything, I can never remember a day he didn't give 100% effort. He is a role model."
Brighton midfielder James Milner on reaching 654 Premier League appearances: "It's the drive and hunger, you want to be the best every day whether it's game or training. I'm surrounded by a lot of young lads, I want to contribute to their careers, push them and help them get to the highest level as quick as possible.
"That's what I'm here to do. I feel like I can still contribute minutes. I've been a bit frustrated this year, maybe not getting the minutes, but it's a fine balance because of course we have to develop players as well and we want to win.
"Hopefully I've proved the last few games that I can still contribute on the pitch. I'm delighted to be part of it and the dressing room, it's full of incredible characters and very good players, and a good up and coming manager."
How much longer will you continue playing?
"Who knows, things change quickly in football. When you get older things can change quickly. With the injury I had last season I couldn't lift my foot for six months. I'll keep pushing, let's see where that takes us."
Did you know?
James Milner has faced 43 different sides in the Premier League remaining unbeaten against seven teams, with one of those being Brentford, ending on the winning side in all four of his appearances against the Bees.
You can listen to James Milner and Pascal Gross speaking after the game on BBC Sounds
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Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.
Have your say on Brentford's performance
What did you make of Brighton's display?
Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies
Image source, PA MediaBrighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day before kick-off at Brentford about his decision to start top-flight appearances record-breaker James Milner: "James Milner showed a really good performance against [Aston] Villa when he came on the pitch. He has a lot of experience. He is a role model for everyone on the pitch. He can communicate with everyone on the pitch and I think it's very important for today."
On Milner breaking the record for most appearances in the league today: "I think it's difficult to sum him up with one word or a sentence. He's a role model on the pitch and beside the pitch.
"There's no surprise why he's there where he is at the moment because he has such a great discipline. He has such a great effort every day and he is never satisfied. He keeps going and it's a great opportunity for him.
"It's a great day for him to show us again why he is the record-holder regarding the Premier League games. Therefore, we are all looking forward to seeing him playing today."
Image source, BBC SportBrentford manager Keith Andrews makes two changes to the Bees side that started the 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal nine days ago.
Aaron Hickey and Jordan Henderson come into the side. Yehor Yarmoliuk drops to the bench, while Michael Kayode misses out altogether.
Brentford XI: Kelleher, Hickey, Ajer, Van den Berg, Henry, Henderson, Yanelt, Ouattara, Jensen, Lewis-Potter, Thiago
Subs: Valdimarson, Pinnock, Schade, Nelson, Yarmoliuk, Collins, Damsgaard, Donovan, Furo
James Milner makes his 654th Premier League appearance as Brighton make two alterations to the team that started the 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa in their last league game.
Milner is joined in the starting XI by Mats Wieffer, with Carlos Baleba and Joel Veltman named on the bench.
Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu, Gross, Milner, Hinshelwood, Gomez, Welbeck, Mitoma
Subs: Steele, Rutter, Minteh, Baleba, Kastoulas, Boscagli, De Buyper, Veltman, Howell
Image source, BBC Sport
There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.
Aston Villa v Leeds - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Brentford v Brighton
Chelsea v Burnley - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2
West Ham v Bournemouth (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live
Manchester City v Newcastle (20:00)
Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated
Follow all of the action and reaction here
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to Aston Villa v Leeds" or "ask BBC Sounds to play West Ham v Bournemouth", for instance.
Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds
Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist
In-form Brentford continue their unexpected push for European qualification on Saturday (15:00 GMT) when they host a Brighton side sliding down the league table.
Current Premier League pacesetters
Two points off the top six and into the FA Cup fifth round for only the second time in 20 seasons, Brentford are making a mockery of last summer's widespread predictions of struggle.
A deserved draw against league leaders Arsenal in their most recent top-flight fixture means Brentford have earned 20 points from their past 10 matches – the most of any side, with the Gunners and both Manchester clubs a point behind.
In doing so, Brentford have doubled their tally for the season to 40 points. That's just one adrift of their highest figure after 26 Premier League games, set in 2022-23 when they ended the campaign with a club record of 59 points.
This season's form has been underpinned by having the division's sixth-best home record. In fact, last April's 4-2 victory over Brighton started a run of 31 points from their past 16 league matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Goal-shy Albion
In contrast to Saturday's hosts, Brighton are out of the FA Cup and horribly out of form. Their only win in 13 Premier League games since December came against Burnley, with no side managing fewer victories during that period.
Last weekend's FA Cup exit against Liverpool was a third straight defeat without scoring. Brighton failed to take their chances during that tie, with Diego Gomez and Lewis Dunk both spurning good opportunities to equalise at Anfield.
Albion are too often struggling to mount an attacking threat. In Premier League games this season, they are averaging 13 shots, four shots on target and 27 touches in the opposition penalty area – all their lowest averages since 2021-22.
Milner time?
On a more welcome note, 40-year-old James Milner could make an outright record 654th Premier League appearance, surpassing Gareth Barry's mark. Milner's top-flight debut in November 2002 came a day after Brentford lost away to Crewe in the third tier.
If he plays, Milner might finally face the only person with at least 100 Premier League appearances during the past 24 seasons who he has never played with or against – Brentford defender Nathan Collins.
I covered Brentford in the FA Cup tie at Macclesfield on Monday and they were completely underwhelming.
I know they were on a plastic pitch but they couldn't really find their flow and needed an own goal to progress.
Still, the Bees have been in much better form in the Premier League - in stark contrast to Brighton.
Fabian Hurzeler's side have won only one of their past 13 league games in a poor run going back to the start of December, and it is not impossible they could get dragged into the relegation scrap.
I can see this one being close but Brentford will have Kevin Schade back from suspension, while Igor Thiago will also return after being rested against Macclesfield - and those two should make the difference.
Sutton's prediction: 1-0
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brentford at Gtech Community Stadium (15:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Solly March could be in the matchday squad for the first time since April 2025 after participating in full team training this week and "making a good impression".
Yasin Ayari will not be available for the trip to Brentford, but will return to training next week after a shoulder problem and "should be available for the next game".
More on March: "He's been out a long time, it's about small steps for him. It's very important to be patient and for him to feel his body and adapt to the intensity. Before his injury he was one of the best players in the Premier League and the goal is to get him back to that level."
On the Seagulls' tough recent run: "We have to see the table as it is, that's the reality. We are in the middle of the table. The most important is to look at the next game and what we can influence and control. If we can get on a positive run things can change really quickly in the table, this season is really tight. I'm a positive person and always thinking positive and I'm not afraid of anything."
Hurzeler was asked about reports this week he is being backed by the club's hierarchy: "I really feel the support, the belief, and the togetherness. The club has gone through much worse times than where we are at the moment and they know how to deal with these situations The results aren't great but we focus on the process, the things we can influence, and being a great unit together. We all have to believe we can get out of this situation even stronger and that is what the board have shown."
On only naming an unchanged team once in the league this season: "At the moment we try to find the team that is the most stable, reliable and resilient in this situation. These are attitudes that are very important at the moment for our team."
On the challenge posed by the Bees: "I think they have played a great season. They look very stable, are great in transition, and have an outstanding striker in Igor [Thiago]. They are very good in set-pieces very intense in pressing and are very man orientated. Definitely impressed with what Keith has done. He has shown his capabilities and shown their progress week for week. He is doing a brilliant job."
Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Also hear from midfielder Pascal Gross by pressing play below or listening on BBC Sounds here
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