Brighton & Hove Albion

Joe Sayers
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

They say in life you should never go back, that returning to something from your past rarely lives up to the memory. But after the joy of Pascal Gross returning at the turn of the new year, I am starting to seriously doubt that notion. Some things, it seems, are simply meant to be revisited.

The return of the club legend was announced at almost the perfect moment. With a run of poor performances beginning to drain belief and patience from sections of the Albion fanbase, the news felt like a much-needed lift. It was a reminder of better times, of consistency and leadership in a player who truly understands what this club represents.

It is funny how quickly your mood in football can change, and how one man can completely turn around the emotions of an entire supporter group. One announcement, one familiar face, and suddenly optimism starts to creep back in. That is the power Pascal Gross has always had at Brighton.

Something just feels right again having him back. The excitement of getting to my seat on Saturday felt like being a kid at Christmas. I could not wait to see him back out on that pitch, wearing the badge proudly once again, as if he had never left.

There is no doubt in my mind that this will be a successful return. Yes, he was introduced while we were already 2–0 up against a struggling Burnley side, but his presence was immediate. You could almost feel it, the voice, the calm, the authority. He lifted those around him by just being there.

Quite simply, it was the perfect way to begin our January business. Now, with renewed belief and a familiar leader back among us, let's kick on in the second half of the season and dare to chase our dreams once again.

Find more from Joe Sayers at Albion Obsessed, external

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Brighton's Pascal Gross said he feels "so at home" after returning to the Premier League with a 2-0 win against strugglers Burnley.

The 34-year-old midfielder rejoined the Seagulls after he departed for boyhood club Borussia Dortmund 18 months ago.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sussex, Gross said he "always missed" playing at the Amex Stadium.

"I always felt like one day I hopefully will be and can be back. I am delighted to be back," added Gross.

The German midfielder helped guide Brighton to their highest league finish when they finished the 2022-23 campaign in sixth and secured a place in Europe.

Gross has played in 16 games for Dortmund this season and confirmed he is "fit and ready to go" on his return to Albion, where he made 262 appearances over seven years.

"I want to make a big impact for the group," he told BBC Radio Sussex. "Try to make everyone a bit better in terms of giving them the ball in the right positions, making them shine, and making the forwards score."

He has signed a 18-month contract at Brighton, and will look to add to his 85 total goal contributions in the Premier League.

"I loved playing for the club, and I am loving it again," he added. "I am really looking forward to the daily basic work and helping the club go as far as possible."

Listen to the full interview

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brighton and Burnley.

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

Thomas: Much-needed three points! Lovely to see Gross back and he showed a touch of class when he came on. Kostoulas' performance and a clean sheet were also bonuses.

Fran: Very comfortable win. Burnley were poor. Thought we would have gone for more goals but seemed content with the two. Good that we won but I really do think we are a boring team to watch. There were similar comments from fans as we walked down the concourse after the game.

Jane: Very pleasing to finally get three points! It was fun to see the reaction to Gross. However, the performance was still ponderous and, to be frank, a bit boring at times. The exception was Kadioglu, who was quick and always moved forwards.

Burnley fans

Steven: Worst performance of the season. Absolutely no positives. We're six points from safety, which is unbelievable. Time for a change of manager and have a swing at staying up because we are going with a whimper at the moment!

Alan: Scott Parker's motive would appear to be if something's not working, don't do anything about it. Yet again, a defensive set-up breached with early goal - game over. How much longer do we have to endure this naivety? At least go down fighting so the fans can get behind the team.

Bob: Every travelling fan deserves a team that at least tries to win the game. No desire, no guts, no fighting spirit . Hang your heads in shame. People travelled for hours to support you and that's the effort you put into it.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Jermain Defo join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brighton 2-0 Burnley

• Wolves 3-0 West Ham

• Bournemouth 2-3 Arsenal

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

After failing to record a win during a frustrating December period, a home fixture against a toiling Burnley side proved to be a perfect new year tonic for Brighton.

Fabian Hurzeler's side were in full control throughout, underlined by the 599 passes they attempted - their highest in a top-flight game this term – as they enjoyed more than 60% possession.

That ensured Burnley were unable to gain any sort of foothold in the game and by the time Georginio Rutter scored only his second goal of the campaign, the hosts had already created several half chances.

Kaoru Mitoma was excellent on the left, while Charalampos Kostoulasdelivered a promising performance and was unfortunate to set off on a first-half run just a fraction too early as he found the back of the net only to be flagged offside.

The flow of the second period also allowed Pascal Gross to be eased back into action and receive a hero's welcome, having not even trained with his team-mates since his return to a club where the German spent seven seasons before leaving in 2024.

And the feel-good feeling around the stadium continued when James Milner - 40 on Sunday - moved just four appearances shy of Gareth Barry's all-time Premier League record of 653 as he entered the fray with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Fabian Hurzeler spoke to Sky Sports after Brighton's victory against Burnley: "We played a good game. It was not a great game but a good performance. We scored goals, kept a clean sheet, worked quire well against the ball, and made some more chances, so overall we are pleased with the performance today. We all know that there are still things we can improve so we have to keep on pushing."

On the reception for Gross: "We realised that the fans love him. I was happy for him because that mans that he proved some great things in the past. Now we have to focus on the present and keep pushing everyone."

On Minteh's fitness: "I wouldn't say a setback but w was just not 100% fit. We had to make a decision there so unfortunately he was not able to play.

On January deals: "[Gross] was the first part but I don't know if some other parts will follow. The January window in general is very complicated. I always emphasise that in my exchanges with Tony [Bloom] Mike and Paul and we will make the right decisions. If the player, the position and the character is the right one then we might do something, but overall I emphasise that we are happy with the players that we have."

Pascal Gross spoke to Sky Sports after his second debut for the club: "The last two days have been incredibly emotional for me. I haven't trained yet with the squad.!

Did you know?

James Milner's appearance means that he has now played a Premier League game in each of the last 25 calendar years since 2002, the longest such run. Only two other players have played in more than 20 separate years in the competition (Ryan Giggs – 24, Gareth Barry – 21).

Listen to Hurzeler's chat with BBC Radio Sussex here

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brighton's performance

What did you make of Burnley's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Germany international Pascal Gross has returned to Brighton from Borussia Dortmund and is on the bench for the Seagulls.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Kadioglu, Dunk, Veltman, van Hecke, Gruda, Rutter, Mitoma, Ayari, Gomez, Kostoulas.

Subs: Steele, De Cuyper, Boscagli, Coppola, Gross, Hinshelwood, Milner, watson, Welbeck

Scott Parker has made three changes to the starting XI that lost 3-1 to Newcastle last time out – Bashir Humphreys, Jacob Bruun Larsen and Jaidon Anthony come in today. Maxime Estève is injured, Loum Tchaouna and Marcus Edwards drop out.

Burnley XI: Dubravka, Humphreys, Ekdal, Laurent, Pires, Walker; Anthony, Florentino, Ugochukwu; Bruun Larsen, Broja.

Subs: Edwards, Weiss, Tchaouna, Sonne, Banel, Barnes, Brierley, Agyei, Pimlott.

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest (12:30)

• Brighton v Burnley - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Wolves v West Ham - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Bournemouth v Arsenal (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live

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 play Brighton v Burnley" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Bournemouth v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

I keep backing Brighton to win and keep a clean sheet, which is part of the reason my predictions have been going so badly - they are on a six-game winless run.

Burnley's wait for a victory has gone on a lot longer and they have taken only two points from their past 10 games.

I keep saying the Clarets have been competitive, but that is not going to keep them up. Their points tally is what matters and that means they are bang in trouble.

Despite their poor run, I still see the Seagulls as being able to cause anyone problems.

They pushed Arsenal close last week and I always think they have a goal in them but, more importantly in terms of how this game will go, they are usually pretty reliable at home.

Aston Villa are the only team to have won at the Amex Stadium this season, and I don't see Scott Parker's side getting anything at all on the south coast.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

Two sides in need of a victory meet on the south coast on Saturday as Brighton host Burnley. BBC Sport focuses on some of the key statistics going into this game.

Brighton fans will be more delighted than most to welcome in the new year and put a dreary December firmly behind them. The Seagulls failed to win a game in the festive month, with a return of three points from a possible 18 (D3, L3).

They last had a longer barren spell at the same stage of the previous season, going eight games without a victory between November 2024 and January 2025 and head coach Fabian Hurzeler is yet to mastermind a win in December, a run which now totals 12 matches.

Start as you mean to go on…

The much-used idiom certainly applies to 2026 for Brighton and they often kick off a new year in confident fashion. The Sussex club have registered a positive result in 15 of their past 16 league matches at the start of a calendar year, with eight wins and seven draws. Their only loss came at home to Wolves in the second tier in 2016.

Defeats at the Amex have been scarce this season and Brighton have suffered just one in nine Premier League home games (W4, D4). That was to Aston Villa in December, of course, but it is almost three years since their last home reverse to a promoted side – a 1-0 loss to Fulham in February 2023 – and they are unbeaten in eight encounters with such opponents since (W2, D6).

Model pro Milner

The evergreen James Milner is set to celebrate his 40th birthday on Sunday but despite his age is showing little sign of slowing down. The Yorkshireman played 71 minutes of the midweek draw with West Ham and is now only six games away from usurping Gareth Barry's record of 653 Premier League appearances.

While it is unlikely that he will start two games in the space of four days, Milner should still be involved this weekend and will no doubt relish facing his former Newcastle and England team-mate Scott Parker, 45, in the opposing dugout.

Burnley on the slide

Burnley's midweek defeat by Newcastle was an eighth loss in 10 Premier League games (D2) and the Lancashire club sit six points adrift of safety at the halfway stage.

While that gap is not insurmountable, Parker's men have collected just two points from their past 10 games and have conceded at least twice in seven of those matches.

The club's last Premier League triumph was back in October, although that 3-2 victory over bottom side Wolves did come on the road. Dutch forward Zian Flemming found the net twice that day and although he has gone three games without a goal, a remarkable 14 of his 17 league strikes for the club have come away from home.

Clarets to coast on the south coast?

Burnley have savoured their trips to the Sussex seaside in recent seasons and they have never lost a Premier League fixture at Amex Stadium, winning two and drawing four of their six visits. They are unbeaten in seven if you include a 2-2 Championship draw in 2016.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Pascal Gross returning to the club from Borussia Dortmund after 18 months in Germany.

Here are some of your comments:

William: I am delighted to have Pascal Gross back at the Amex. His experience and quality of reading the game and delivering accurate well-planned passes will make up for any speed loss.

Karen: We have never been the same since he left. Best late Christmas present ever!

Jake: I don't think you'll find an Albion fan with a bad word for Pascal Gross. This is by no means a criticism of the player, but it does rather reek of a desperate move by club management to quickly shoehorn into the team the experience they lack, which has been so prevalently illustrated the past month or so (and arguably throughout FH's tenure). But the expectations here are rather high, that his presence and inclusion in the team will by osmosis make the whole team experienced. And it's rather papering over some cracks in the recruitment model which have started to appear.

Graham: Great for fans, thought he would be back as backroom staff, so bonus! Great footballing mind, may lack pace BUT other attributes compensate. Welcome home, Brighton legend.

Kevin: Pascal was a great servant to our club. I would like to know what led him to leave us in the first place and why his German club is letting him go so soon.

Tony: I'm really pleased with this. The man is an Albion legend. His set-pieces, creativity and goals will really help us.

David: A brilliant player we were very sad to lose. If he is still as good as he was, an inspired signing of a player who knows where the opponent's goal is, something we are missing. Welcome home Pascal.

Ant: Pascal returns at a pivotal moment, his presence and enthusiasm will jumpstart a fightback after a rather uninspiring few weeks where little progress has been achieved. Bring it on Pascal!

Daniel: Great to have him back! He still delivers and supports the group. Shame on BVB that they made no proper use of his quality, but good for us!

Richard: It's great to have him back. He'll bring some much-needed experience into what is a young, talented team. Still need a couple of players with a bit more Premier League knowledge, but it's a good start.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton have confirmed the re-signing of Pascal Gross from Borussia Dortmund on a contract until June 2027.

Gross left Brighton in the summer of 2024 to join the Bundesliga side for a fee in the region of £8m, and made 66 appearances for the club.

The Germany international previously spent seven seasons with the Seagulls between 2017 and 2024, making more than 250 appearances.

"We are really pleased to have Pascal back with us," said Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler.

"He's a fantastic player, someone I know well and was looking forward to working with when I first came to the club.

"Brighton fans know his attributes, but he brings great leadership qualities to the group.

"Those qualities, along with his experience and ability, will be a huge asset in the second half of the season."

So, how do you feel about Gross' return? And where does he fit into this season's Brighton team?

Get in touch with your views here