It is early days, but Brighton & Hove Albion look eager to prove they can cope without Danny Welbeck’s goals after last season’s top goalscorer moved to next opponents Chelsea this month.

Fabian Hurzeler’s side followed up their 4-0 hammering of Aston Villa at the Amex Stadium in their opening 2026-27 Premier League fixture at the weekend by thumping Tromso there by the same scoreline last night (Thursday). The result meant they cruised into today’s league-phase draw for the UEFA Conference League in Monaco, following last week’s goalless first leg in Norway.

The exit of 35-year-old Welbeck — part of a summer cull of senior pros — felt, at the time, like a severe blow to the club’s domestic and European ambitions. After all, he scored 13 league goals in 2025-26, the best return of his career, to spearhead a second successive eighth-placed finish under Hurzeler.

While his former club were sending Tromso back to the Arctic Circle with the icy chill of a comprehensive defeat, Welbeck was quick off the mark on his Chelsea debut, scoring in a 2-0 win against Luton Town of League One in the Carabao Cup at Stamford Bridge. The decision not to grant his desire to double the length of his contract from one year to two may yet backfire but, for now, goals are flying in from all areas for Brighton.

Charalampos Kostoulas, one of the No 9 options for Hurzeler, made the breakthrough midway through the first half with a crisply-struck right-footed drive. Maxim De Cuyper, deployed again on the left flank, doubled the lead after 33 minutes and right-back Mats Wieffer added the third five minutes later; snail-like stuff by comparison to the four-goal rush to stun Villa in 31 minutes on Sunday.

Maxim De Cuyper, better known as a full-back, has scored in back-to-back games for Brighton (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Central defender Olivier Boscagli — playing at left-back again with Ferdi Kadioglu on the bench after a slight injury — joined the fun with four minutes of the 90 left. The Frenchman scored his first goal for the club since a free transfer move from PSV of the Netherlands last summer via a deflected shot.

Kostoulas’ impact has been a slow burn since the 19-year-old Greek prospect’s £30million move from Athens’ Olympiacos last summer. He seized his chance on his first start since February (and fifth overall for Brighton) with his third goal for the club. Most of his game time so far has been accumulated in 24 appearances off the bench.

What about Hurzeler’s other options to spearhead the attack?

Georginio Rutter was ruled out of last night’s match with an unspecified injury while Canada international Promise David was signed too late on loan from Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise — in a deal with a £22million obligation to buy at the end of the season — to be eligible for the tie.

“I hope he is an option for Sunday,” Hurzeler told The Athletic of the 25-year-old after the match. “He is training with us. He’s had a good training week. Unfortunately, he couldn’t play.”

Stefanos Tzimas and Evan Ferguson are both still recovering from long-term injuries.

Kostoulas’ countryman Tzimas has not played since rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee against Aston Villa last December; Ferguson is working his way back from ankle surgery which cut short the Republic of Ireland international’s loan to Roma in February.

“Stefanos is still a few weeks away,” said Hurzeler. “We have to be very patient with him. He won’t return in the next one or two months. We see progress with him, we see his development, but these injuries are always difficult to handle and manage. First of all, it’s very important that we don’t take any risks, because he has a long and successful career ahead of him.

“It’s quite similar with Evan. We see the progress, the development, but we have to be patient as well. He can be back faster than Stef, but let’s see how soon. I don’t want to give a clear schedule of when he can be ready to play.”

Hurzeler’s attacking choices have been further complicated by a thigh injury sustained in training on Wednesday by Jack Hinshelwood. His place in the No 10 role last night was taken by Matt O’Riley, who made his first start for the club in just over a year.

Hinshelwood, who scored twice against Villa, has been a revelation since Hurzeler pushed him further forward from midfield into the position of support striker in his 4-2-3-1 formation.

Kaoru Mitoma is another big player missing as the Japan left-winger recovers from hamstring surgery which kept him out of the recent World Cup. De Cuyper, better known as a left-back, is masking Mitoma’s absence. The Belgium international has made a strong start to the campaign after representing his country at the finals in North America.

He scored against Villa, and also provided the cross which led to the first of Hinshelwood’s goals. And on Thursday, De Cuyper’s pressing to turn over possession created the opportunity that Kostoulas converted. He was sharp again with the pressing intensity Hurzeler demands from his players, robbing centre-back Leon Hien inside the Tromso penalty area to slot home his second goal in as many games.

“He understands the game so well,” Hurzeler said of the 25-year-old. “And if you understand and you are quick in your head, then you might anticipate some actions and can anticipate some movement from the opponent. On top of that, he can accelerate two or three metres in front of the opponent, which is very useful, and he can finish well with his right or left foot. He showed at the World Cup that he is able to attack the box well in different positions.

“Hopefully, regarding the whole team, we can maintain these standards, this intensity, because Sunday is a big challenge for us. We have to play with a lot of courage and intensity to manage the game well.”

The test against Chelsea on Sunday will be on a different level to what Hurzeler’s side have faced so far, but eight goals scored in two home games across all departments of the team so far is an encouraging response to losing Welbeck.

Harry Kane discusses his potential Ballon d’Or hopes after becoming the first Englishman to win Germany’s footballer of the year award for the 2025-26 season.

The Bayern Munich striker scored 61 goals for his club in all competitions last season as the side completed a league and cup double and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

WATCH: Bayern Munich v Stuttgart

Watch Harry Kane in action for Bayern Munich as they take on Stuttgart live on BBC iPlayer, website and app Friday, 28 August from 19:30 BST.

Moses Itauma stands on the brink of history.

Aged 21, he is preparing to fight 34-year-old Croatian Filip Hrgovic for the IBF world heavyweight title. Victory would make him the youngest heavyweight to claim a world belt since Mike Tyson.

So, presumably, this is the dream?

“I know how Frank would want me to answer this,” Itauma says, smiling.

Frank Warren, Itauma’s wily promoter, is listening intently.

“But if I’m completely honest, for me, the journey is the destination. I just like being a boxer. I like the discipline it gives you. I like routine. There are so many upsides to being a boxer and I just like that.

“It just happens that I’m getting good and I’m getting to the title. Would I say it’s my dream? I don’t know. I just know that I like being a boxer.”

It is a typically understated response from a young man on the cusp of an extraordinary feat.

Itauma faces Hrgovic on Saturday night at London’s O2 Arena — also live on DAZN pay-per-view — with an opportunity to become the second youngest world heavyweight champion ever. Itauma might not be motivated by making history, but his talent has propelled him rapidly towards it.

While the rest of boxing seems in a hurry to herald Itauma as the new face of the heavyweight division — one which is in need of new blood — the fighter himself is focused purely on his craft.

Unsurprisingly, Warren is more comfortable placing the fight in context.

“This is a significant fight for British boxing, for British sport and, more importantly, for Moses,” he tells The Athletic.

The match with Hrgovic was initially made without a championship attached. Warren saw the Croatian as precisely the sort of opponent Itauma needed at this stage in his career: experienced, accomplished and capable of asking questions previous opponents had not. It would be, he says, “a tough fight, a learning fight.”

Moses Itauma faces up to Filip Hrgovic, with Frank Warren watching on (James Fearn/Getty Images)

But when Oleksandr Usyk’s abdication created the chance to turn this into a world-title contest, Warren and his promotions company Queensberry jumped at the opportunity.

“We’ve done that for a reason, because we believe in Moses. And I know he believes in himself.”

When the world title was added to the mix, Itauma was typically unflustered.

“The hunger to beat Hrgovic was there before it was even announced as a world-title fight,” he says. “I’m just as hungry as I was before. The world title is a bonus.”

This fight comes at an intriguing moment for heavyweight boxing. The names that once dominated the division — the likes Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder — are in the twilight of their careers. A younger generation is poised to take over.

Warren believes Itauma can be the best of that new generation.

“If he comes through this fight, as I hope and believe he will, then he will be,” he says. “There are some other youngsters around there. There are some really good fighters. But anybody I speak to in boxing — and I speak to a lot of people around the world — Moses is the name on their lips.”

Itauma fights under a British flag, but his father is Nigerian and his mother Slovakian (he was born in the town of Kezmarok in eastern Slovakia). He is not yet a household name. Beat Hrgovic, and that could change.

Becoming a champion is one thing. Becoming the face of heavyweight boxing is another. It requires not only winning fights but accepting everything that comes with them: attention, scrutiny, expectation and fame.

“I think that’s one thing where I’m still learning on the job,” says Itauma. “I’ve been boxing since I was nine years old, so I know a thing or two about boxing, but everything outside the ring is still new to me.”

Itauma acknowledges that facing Hrgovic constitutes a step up. As an amateur, Hrgovic was a bronze medallist in the 2016 Olympics and won gold at the 2015 European Championships. His professional record includes wins over Zhilei Zhang and Eric Molina.

“He’s had a very successful career, he’s achieved what he’s achieved,” says Itauma. “Of course he’s the toughest (opponent) to date. But I have confidence in my ability.”

In the build-up to the fight, Hrgovic has been aggrieved at the suggestion he is simply there to facilitate the continued ascent of British boxing’s latest heavyweight hope.

“I feel like he is a bit of an excuse-maker,” retorts Itauma. “He’s not been brought in to lose. He’s been brought in to fight me. I’ll do my job and knock him out. I just hope when I do beat him, I get some props.”

Itauma might not be moved by history, but he does seem to want wider recognition for his abilities. Warren believes Saturday can provide it.

“My job is about timing,” Warren says. “The best punches are the best-timed punches and the best matchmaker is the best-timed matchmaker. We hope we’ve got it right, but Moses wanted this fight and his team wanted this fight. This wasn’t a hard sell from us. He said: ‘That’s what I want.’”

Moses Itauma lands a punch on Jermaine Franklin Jr in March (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

If Itauma can get beyond Hrgovic, the possibilities multiply. Warren points to the depth of British heavyweight boxing and potential future fights pitting Itauma against fellow Queensbury fighters Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley.

“Who’s going to come out at the end of it carrying the banner?” Warren asks. “Who’s going to be the guy with the four belts? We’ll see in time.

“But I believe this young man will stake his claim on Saturday night to be right up there. He’s a bloody good fighter, he’s a good person and boxing is a tough business. I really, really want this to work for him.”

Both Itauma and Warren are Arsenal supporters. Asked about the possibility of becoming heavyweight champion in the same year Arsenal have already won the Premier League, Itauma cracks a smile.

“Ah, man,” he grins. “Now that sounds like a dream.”

Then there is the Emirates Stadium. For Warren, staging a major fight at Arsenal’s home, where he has an executive box, is a lifelong ambition that remains unfulfilled.

“For me, it is a dream,” he says. “I’m an old geezer. I’ve done all the important stadiums. I was at Highbury (Arsenal’s former stadium) as a kid when Muhammad Ali fought Henry Cooper. I’ve never put a fight on there and that’s a dream for me. Moses can make my dream come true.”

Itauma laughs.

“Frank Warren’s making me sound like I’m a genie. I’m going to grant his wishes.”

On Saturday, Warren hopes Itauma will become world champion. Beyond that lies the possibility of becoming the defining heavyweight of his generation — and, perhaps one day, walking out in front of tens of thousands at the home of the football club they both adore.

“I am determined it’s going to happen,” insists Warren. “I want Moses to follow in Ali’s footsteps and fight at The Arsenal.”

The promoter can’t help but dream of the future. Itauma, for now, seems content simply being a boxer.

Win on Saturday night, and it may become considerably harder to remain just that.