Brighton have confirmed the signing of Pascal Struijk from Leeds United, giving Fabian Hurzeler another Premier League-ready centre-back before pre-season pressure hardens.
The club announced that Struijk has joined for undisclosed terms on a five-year contract after making 196 appearances for Leeds. Albion’s official line also underlined why the move matters now: Hurzeler praised the 26-year-old’s Premier League experience, leadership and comfort on the ball after a season in which Leeds stayed up and reached the FA Cup semi-finals.
Brighton had already been working through a defensive reset, with Adam Webster’s exit confirmed and earlier interest in Struijk framed as a balance call for Hurzeler’s back line. This confirmation turns that planning into a concrete squad move.
Fabian Hurzeler Gets Peak-Age Defensive Cover
Struijk is not a speculative teenager being parked for later. He arrives in the age band Brighton have needed to strengthen: experienced enough to absorb Premier League and European minutes immediately, young enough to retain resale value and tactical development room.
That matters with Albion returning to Europe and still managing moving parts around the centre-back group. Struijk’s left-sided profile gives Hurzeler more flexibility in a back four or back three, while his history of wearing the Leeds armband adds a senior voice to a dressing room that has lost established figures.
For Brighton, the value is straightforward: this is a deal built around reliability, not glamour. If Struijk settles quickly, Hurzeler has gained a defender who can narrow one of the squad’s clearest summer gaps before the European calendar starts to bite.
