Brighton’s move for Pascal Struijk should not be read as a simple attempt to replace Jan Paul van Hecke in one stroke.
It looks more like the first visible proof of Fabian Hurzeler’s summer brief: add reliability, change the balance of the back line and make sure Europe does not expose a squad built too tightly around last season’s core.
Sky Sports has reported that Brighton have verbally agreed a deal with Leeds United for Struijk, with the fee understood to be around £20m. That matters because the profile is specific.
Struijk is left-footed, Premier League-tested and comfortable enough on the ball to fit a side that still wants to build from pressure rather than simply survive it.
The interesting part is what he does not solve on his own.
Not A Like-For-Like Van Hecke Replacement
Van Hecke’s move left Brighton short of a dominant right-sided centre-back who could defend forward, win duels and carry authority in a high line.
Struijk is different. He brings left-sided balance, aerial presence and the ability to cover more than one defensive role, but he does not automatically recreate Van Hecke’s aggression across the same zones.
That should shape expectations. Brighton are not buying a clone.
They are buying a piece that helps Hurzeler restack the unit after a summer of movement around Adam Webster, Joel Veltman, Igor Julio and Diego Coppola.
Read Brighton has already assessed why Joel Veltman’s situation gives Hurzeler another defensive insurance test, and Struijk fits neatly into that wider conversation.
The value is in control. At around £20m, Struijk gives Brighton a defender in his mid-20s, with a body of English football behind him and enough tactical flexibility to play as a left centre-back in a pair or as part of a three.
For a side heading into Conference League qualifiers, that matters as much as pure ceiling.
Why The Costinha Context Matters
This is where the Costinha deal becomes important.
Brighton confirmed earlier this month that the Portuguese right-back had joined from Olympiacos on a contract through 2031, with Hurzeler praising his defensive capabilities, intensity and comfort in possession.
Read Brighton’s Costinha signing analysis underlined why right-back security had become part of the same rebuild.
Put Costinha and Struijk together and a clearer pattern appears. Brighton are not only chasing upside. They are adding players who can help Hurzeler make the team less stretched when the schedule tightens and the game state turns awkward.
That is the grown-up version of Brighton recruitment. The club will still hunt for younger, high-growth profiles, but this window is increasingly about protecting the manager from avoidable chaos.
Read Brighton’s earlier Struijk analysis framed the deal as a smarter defensive reset. The follow-up question is how quickly Hurzeler can turn those pieces into a coherent unit.
The Real Test Is Balance, Not Volume
The danger is assuming bodies equal security.
Struijk’s arrival, if completed, should give Brighton more left-sided insurance, but Hurzeler still needs pace, communication and rest-defence structure around him. A high defensive line with European travel attached is unforgiving.
That is why this deal feels like a platform rather than a final answer. Brighton needed to move early after Van Hecke’s exit, and the club appear to have done that.
The next step is making sure the new defensive group actually complements itself.
Struijk gives Hurzeler something Brighton badly needed: a dependable starting-calibre defender who can reduce the weekly strain on Lewis Dunk and make the squad less fragile.
The real judgment will come when the rebuild is viewed as a unit. If Brighton add speed and right-sided authority around him, this could look like a sharp piece of business rather than a reactive signing.
