Moore shied away from revealing the exact details of his new regime, although he was pictured being put through his paces in private off-season sessions – and says his young son has ensured he has been kept on his toes.

“I had some rest as well which is needed, but I’ve made sure I got myself in a great position,” he explained.

Parkinson will no doubt welcome that news, especially given Moore again looks like being his go-to man up top.

Before his first prolonged absence from the side last winter, Moore had played more minutes than any other out-and-out striker in the Championship.

And against Cardiff, his ability in the air (no player won more duels) plus a superb finish to start the season suggested he could be a key asset once more, even with Wrexham tipped to spend again before the transfer window closes.

Parkinson has acknowledged a side who dropped 24 points from winning positions need to show a more ruthless edge, though he was quick to point out that last season’s top scorer, Josh Windass, is due to return to action soon after injury.

With no fresh faces expected before Saturday’s visit of Watford (15:00 BST), Parkinson said: “Like any manager, everybody’s looking for that bit extra – but I feel we have a lot in the building to take those moments.”

An injury-free Moore might well prove Parkinson right.

“Spending time with him and speaking about football, this is so valuable because he’s that guy doing old-school things but still in a modern way,” says Fabian Hurzeler of a blossoming relationship with a perhaps unexpected new confidante.

Over the summer, the Brighton & Hove Albion head coach sat down and picked the brain of Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti. It was a crucial learning experience for the 33-year-old.

“The main bit he emphasises is the connection towards people, towards his players and his staff. The calmness he spreads. ‘I know what I’m doing, trust me’. I want to be connected with everyone. So, that was really interesting.”

Hurzeler is reflecting on two conversations in recent months with one of football’s most revered managers during an exclusive interview with The Athletic, as the German prepares for a third season working in the Premier League.

The first meeting with Ancelotti, on a Zoom call last season, was set up by the Italian’s son, Davide. Carlo Ancelotti was at home in Vancouver, smoking a cigarette, an image in keeping with the laid-back demeanour of the 67-year-old on the touchline during successful spells with many of the biggest names in Europe, including Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Ancelotti led Brazil to the last 16 of the World Cup, where they lost to Norway (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

“He was unbelievably open,” Hurzeler says. “He spent so much time with me. He asked me questions. We had a long chat and then he said, ‘If you are at the World Cup, come to our camp’.”

Logistical complications meant Hurzeler’s plans to watch some of Ancelotti’s training sessions with Brazil had to be abandoned. “We met in the hotel,” Hurzeler says. “The funny thing was, we watched England against Croatia together. We just talked about football. He shared a few stories. For example, Luka Modric was on the pitch. He shared some stories about Modric (who played under Ancelotti at Real Madrid), how he was, how he acted as a leader.”

Hurzeler had another valuable learning experience at the World Cup, working for UK radio station Talksport. He summarised during England’s 0-0 draw against Ghana, and provided post-match analysis for England games and after Spain’s win against Argentina in the final.

“It helps you as a coach in that you have to summarise things in a short and very easy way so that everyone understands,” Hurzeler explains. “Football might get more and more complex, but simplicity counts. Less is more. Expressing yourself in the media is also something every manager can benefit from, because you keep learning how you handle arguments, discussions with other experts. I enjoy these things because I see similarities to my job.”

Hurzeler had little involvement in the tournament with matches involving Germany, and he has deliberately immersed himself in the way of life in England during two years in charge of Brighton.

Our interview at Rockwater, a popular venue on the beach promenade in Hove, was interrupted by a mother requesting a photo of Hurzeler with her two sons. This happens frequently to Hurzeler, who has become an instantly recognisable figure during his reign in the coastal city he calls home.

“I really want to adapt to this culture here,” he says. “When I get criticised (by the media or fans), I get criticised in the right way. I always felt it was a respectful way. So, I want to give something back. I want to integrate into the culture here. I see myself now here, living in the UK. So I have to behave as if I’m from the UK, too.

“It has a lot to do with the city here, with the club. I feel very welcome. It has a sense of community, of being a family. I feel like I’m part of this journey. And that’s why I really can identify with it. That makes me feel more and more British.”

Hurzeler came under criticism in the middle of last season, as Brighton struggled for wins (Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)

It has not been all smooth sailing on the south coast for Hurzeler. He was berated by pockets of Brighton supporters at the Amex Stadium after a 1-0 defeat by bitter rivals Crystal Palace in February during a winter slump of one win in 13 league games. Some called for his sacking. An impressive turnaround in form — featuring Hurzeler’s brand of controlled intensity in and out of possession — ended in a second successive eighth-place finish and qualification for the Conference League. Brighton face Norwegian outfit Tromso in the play-off round over two legs either side of Sunday’s opening Premier League fixture at home to Aston Villa. 

Hurzeler signed a new three-year contract in May, but did he ever have any doubts about putting pen to paper? “If I said not at all, I would lie,” he says. “There are always doubts. But more regarding the results. I’m still so convinced of my style of play, so convinced of how I’m leading, so convinced about big belief in my players. Big belief that my style of play fits perfectly to the players. And that they can fulfil their whole potential within this style. So, regarding this, I never had doubts. But of course, when you don’t get the results, you think about how to get the results.

“And two things are important in these kinds of phases. Never let these doubts or fear or insecurity impact your behaviour or your belief. It’s very important that you always stand in front of the group and express this belief.

“And the second thing is: don’t change my deep philosophy. The change would be, ‘Now we go to a low block and we only make transitions’. And that’s the worst thing you can do. Of course, you need to adjust and adapt small things. You can make changes regarding the starting 11, how you speak to the team, set up training. But not fundamental changes.

“Don’t change, because then the players think, ‘One week we play like this, the other week we play like this’. I’m so convinced of my style of playing, my philosophy, I won’t change it. I will adapt and adjust to certain elements. But this deep foundation will always be with me.”

Hurzeler was high on Bayer Leverkusen’s wanted list when uncertainty shrouded his future. He has never managed in the top Bundesliga division, but steered St Pauli to promotion from the second tier before succeeding Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton in the summer of 2024. Having been in Bayern Munich’s academy and reserves as a central midfielder — “clever but not the fastest” — before retiring in his mid-twenties to concentrate on coaching, what if his boyhood club came calling?

At 33, Hurzeler is the youngest manager in the Premier League (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

“You never know how the future goes,” says Hurzeler. “Of course, there are some paths I had in my playing career and some connections towards (Bayern). I didn’t have one talk with any club. Because I’m fully committed to Brighton. I feel a lot of trust from Tony (Bloom, Brighton’s owner-chairman), from Paul (Barber, chief executive). They really believe in me and the things I’m doing. And I’m still having this feeling when I go to bed that this team is not done yet.

“We are playing good in phases, but we are not playing consistently how I want to see my team playing. You need consistency in how you build connections, because building connections with the players is key. And you need time to build this. This club has everything to achieve one day. Big things that stay really in the mind.

“I want to be part of it. And I can’t promise it will happen this season. But I can promise that we will keep working hard, keep doing the right things, keep staying humble — which is very important. And understand that it’s about relationships, about connections. Then we can do great things, definitely.”

The pursuit of further progress has driven a summer rebuild of the Brighton squad, giving it a younger, fresher look. A core group of players in their thirties and forties has been eroded, most notably by the retirement of James Milner and the departure of Danny Welbeck to Chelsea.

The six signings can be split into two categories: players in their mid-to-late twenties, led by central defender Pascal Struijk from Leeds United and Tuesday’s loan signing of Canada international Promise David, and young talents, spearheaded by 19-year-old centre-back Luka Vuskovic from Tottenham Hotspur. The Croatia international cost a club record £46million ($61.5m), which is £6m less than the fee received for Jan Paul van Hecke’s move in the opposite direction.

Vuskovic and Nigerian winger Zadok Yohanna — bought for £21.8m from Swedish side AIK — are the types of young players Brighton have become renowned for developing before selling on for big profits. Recruitment is based on Bloom’s global data bank, but Hurzeler is heavily involved in the process. “That’s also a big part of why I extended my contract,” he says. “Because of the good collaboration, the good communication with Tony about these things. He’s very open. He gives me a lot of freedom, a lot of power.

“Of course it’s in a frame. What I mean by a frame is: when you need a centre-back, the numbers say we have these four or five choices. Then we sit together. How is his character? Does he fit the style of play? Does he fit into the locker room? And injuries in the past. All these kinds of things, the soft factors. But then it’s always a decision we make together. So, this frame comes from Tony. But within this frame, we have a very transparent and very honest collaboration. I see I can create something together with Tony.”

Brighton broke their transfer record to sign Luka Vuskovic from Tottenham (Steve Bardens/Getty Images)

Hurzeler has already risen to fifth on the list of longest-serving managers in the Premier League. There are nine newcomers this season and six of last season’s top 12 finishers have new managers in charge, complicating the challenges that lie ahead. “We have now a big change of coaches you need to get used to, analyse different styles of play, great coaches,” Huzeler says. “I expect again a league that is unpredictable, that is so competitive, a league where again — I hope that it’s getting less — but set pieces still get a very important role.”

Hurzeler was outspoken about Arsenal’s time-wasting and reliance on set pieces before and after an ugly 1-0 defeat to the eventual champions at the Amex in March. He accepts that “set pieces are game-changers and match-winners”, but fears they will disrupt attempts to make Premier League matches quicker via a range of new laws, rolled out initially at this summer’s World Cup.

They include five-second countdowns by referees for goal kicks and throw-ins (although not for long throws), and the loss of a nominated outfield player for one minute when a goalkeeper asks for treatment, in an attempt to eradicate tactical timeouts. Hurzeler singled out David Raya for criticism over time-wasting when the Arsenal goalkeeper went down for treatment in the second half of that March encounter.

“When we introduce this natural time, when we try to make the game faster, every set piece will interrupt the game,” Hurzeler says. “So, it’s very important to keep the rhythm. Football is a game that attracts people, an event people pay so much money for to see their team playing in an exciting style, so they can go home and say, ‘Wow, I was entertained’.

“As a coach, I get judged by the result. That means I know how important set pieces will be to win games. But on the other side, we want to develop young players and have a clear style of play, and set pieces are not the biggest part of our identity.

“For every trend, there will be a counter-trend, so let’s see how long this trend will be with set pieces, but we have to be ready for the counter-trend. That’s why it’s very important to not lose your identity, to not lose your philosophy.”

Hurzeler refers quite often to “challenging the establishment”, by which he means the elite clubs. The next step for Brighton is to disprove the norm that league form for clubs of their size suffers with the distraction of Europe — they dropped from sixth to 11th when reaching the last 16 of the Europa League under De Zerbi in 2023-24.

“I read the statistics and I’m not a big fan of statistics,” Hurzeler says. “This will be our challenge this season: to be consistent throughout the season, and if we are consistent, we can prove this statistic wrong.”

Happy new season. Or perhaps that should be hopey new season! The Premier League is back and, traipsing in its wake — bleary, unshaven, forever perplexed — comes The Athletic’s annual, non-scientific gauge of supporter mood.

Each year, we ask our subscribers a simple question about how they are feeling about the big kick-off. Then, our data boffins crunch the numbers and produce a table that muggins here is asked (forced) to interpret as an exercise in gentle mockery and…

Whoa, wait. Why is everybody grinning?

But first, the headlines. Leeds United have the most hopeful fans in the land, with a whopping 99 per cent of our respondents expressing optimism about the prospects for Daniel Farke and his team. Followers of Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur lead the chasing pack, while Liverpool are our least upbeat supporters. Their chief rivals in the misery stakes are Fulham, Everton and Newcastle United.

We will get into the whys and wherefores and the what-the-f***s is going on at Elland Road shortly, but there is also a bigger picture here. Something peculiar is afoot. Granted, this is August, granted everybody should be feeling a little bit bullish, and granted the sun has been shining, but the consequence of all that sunshine is the entire country literally being on fire and England’s green and pleasant land being left scorched and brown and barren.

My goodness, look at how happily hopeful you all are! Fans of the top-15 clubs in our table are 82 per cent optimistic or above, which is uncharted territory for this little survey of ours. By contrast, take a look at the results from a year ago, when everybody was far more sombre and sensible.

Retreat 12 months into the past and only nine sets of fans counted themselves 80 per cent optimistic or above, while the other end of the table was a bleak, dark wasteland. After the contentious departure of Alexander Isak to Liverpool, Newcastle were bottom with only 19 per cent of their supporters describing themselves as optimistic. Wolverhampton Wanderers were on 32 per cent and West Ham United 39.

Hats off, by the way, to all three, and b****r off to a pair of them. Newcastle’s league season was a slog and they finished 12th. Wolves and West Ham were relegated. Here, therefore, was a valuable lesson: pessimism pays. If you suspect that things will turn out to be s*** and they do, indeed, turn out to be s***, then at least you can’t be disappointed when s*** happens. And if, by some starry miracle, things go better, then hooray! How nice!

But even this year’s gloomiest, most disconsolate depressives are positively Panglossian compared to previous instalments. Every single set of supporters is more optimistic than pessimistic, which just feels wrong. Three years ago, only eight per cent of West Ham fans had a positive mindset, Sheffield United were on 17 per cent and Everton 26. The season before, Bournemouth were bottom with 27 per cent. Genuine, substantive despair.

Being happy is more pleasant than being sad, of course, except the effect here is akin to that movie Smile, in which Laura, the protagonist, believes she is being hounded by something that nobody else can see that inhabits the form of disturbing, smiling people and everybody thinks she’s crazy until the moment when, to quote Wikipedia, the “Entity corners her and rips its skin off to reveal its true form: a skinless, semi-humanoid monstrosity with multiple sets of smiling jaws”.

Don’t know about you, but I really hate it when that happens.

So what gives with all the gleaming gnashers? Is it connected to the shock of the new and the fact that nine clubs begin this season with new permanent managers, a record for the division, so even where there is a frisson of uncertainty, it is balanced by freshness? Is it collective madness?

We asked The Athletic’s crack team of editors and writers to choose any five words to sum up where things stand for the clubs they cover. We also forgot to switch off comments when readers completed their surveys — a mistake I shall not be repeating on this piece, don’t you worry! — so here is a pithy, amusing, insightful or most-liked comment for each club, too, enhanced with a light sprinkling of snarkiness, split into sections corresponding to an actual Premier League table.

Leeds United

Beren Cross: Prove second-season syndrome’s a myth.

Anonymous: Feeling very optimistic. Extended Ethan Ampadu. Picked up Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemovic and James Trafford. Need a few more pieces, especially for depth/cover, but the foundation is getting strong!

Some popular stereotypes about Yorkshire and its people: northern, dour, straight-talking, no-nonsense, stingy. Stereotypes are often misleading: Leeds have just spent £40million ($54m) on a goalkeeper, and everybody’s giddy. This is end-of-days stuff.

Aston Villa

Jacob Tanswell: We need you, Unai Emery

Emery celebrates winning the Europa League last season (Photo: Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)

Matt E: What’s the point in feeling anything other than optimistic?!

Two answers, Matt. 1. Because nothing good ever happens, ever. 2. Squad cost ratio (SCR).

Nottingham Forest

Paul Taylor: Another new era? Cautious optimism.

Urs A: We’ll struggle badly… and only win the league by five points instead of by March. You bloody Reds.

If you are going to do hope, then at least do it properly like Urs, with absolute swivel-eyed delusion.

Brentford

Jay Harris: Cup run and Europe, please.

Jacob S. I’m feeling like there will be about five articles centred on Brentford this season.

I’m feeling like this certainly isn’t one of them.

Chelsea

Liam Twomey: Vamos, Xabi Alonso, or else.

Payden M: Feeling great! We are going to score a ton of goals between Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer, and Morgan Rogers. The only question is how many we are going to let in!

Is it just me, or is this slightly menacing from Liam, or Mr Twomey, as we should probably refer to him from now on?

Tottenham Hotspur

Jay Harris: Can (Roberto) De Zerbi’s record signings deliver?

Anonymous: Feeling confident that we’ll stay up.

Thank you, Anonymous. That’s much more like it.

Roberto De Zerbi kept Tottenham up last season (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

Sunderland

Philip Buckingham: Bring on Europa League fun.

Cmjmarshall: The most important thing is that we have held on to every important member of the squad. If that remains the case, we should be in good shape.

The ultimate trend-buckers. Promoted last year, Sunderland comprehensively refigured their squad and didn’t just stay up — they thrived, qualifying for Europe for only the second time in their history and beating Newcastle twice along the way. Safe to say, their optimism is merited, and we’re all absolutely delighted for them, obviously. Yes. Delighted. Truly delighted. Yes.

Bournemouth

Jacob Tanswell: (Andoni) Iraola gone, but Europe beckons.

Coach C: Up the Cherries!

Being well-run and successful and cheerful and consistently over-achieving really doesn’t help this kind of article. Up yours, Cherries, more like.

Arsenal

Art de Roche: Can you finally retain it?

Sickson E: Nigerian CUSTOMS has LAUNCHED an online auction of SEIZED ITEMS, giving everyone in AFRICA / NIGERIANS the CHANCE to own ANY ITEMS at an affordable price.
 INTERESTED buyers should: CONTACT the state auctioneer.

Hmm. Is this a kind of code? Is it something to do with set pieces?

Manchester United

Carl Anka: Top four and a trophy.

Stuart L: Can’t answer a binary question when the situation is more nuanced. Survey needs a third option at least. I would wager my mortgage that the majority of fans would pick the middle option — “depends on transfers over the next two weeks”

Wow, sorry for breathing, Stuart! It’s not as if I spend my time going to other people’s places of work and telling them how useless they are… oh wait, that’s exactly what I do! Apologies.

Hull City

Philip Buckingham: No-hopers daring to dream. Again.

Ben A: Personally treating it as a holiday.

Good idea, Ben. Welcome to your one-star hotel in that bit of Spain surrounded by wildfires and where the locals are protesting against the influx of tourists. Enjoy your stay!

Coventry City

Tom Burrows: 25 years later, we’re back

Paul R: I’m optimistically terrified! Could stay up, probably will go down. We just need to embrace it and enjoy the ride!

I adore the notion of being optimistically terrified and have been desperately trying to think of a real-life example where it might apply.

PILOT: “We are about to crash-land, please adopt the brace position.”

PASSENGER: “Wooooo, this is just like a roller-coasterAAAAAAAAAAARGH!”

Ipswich Town

Ali Rampling: Realistic. Simply survival would do.

Rpet13: Ipswich will NOT be relegated after this season.

Could be relegated during this season though, couldn’t they, Rpet? Eh? Eh?

Manchester City

Sam Lee: Uncertain, hopeful, fearful, exciting, fearsome.

Neil G: As post-best-ever-manager vibes go, really pretty positive.

Yeah, fascinating. City’s less noisy neighbours could spin a yarn or two about how the end of an empire can be a traumatic business.

Will Enzo Maresca be battling Mikel Arteta for the title? (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Crystal Palace

Max Matthews: Twice-in-a-lifetime European tour; cautiously optimistic.

Roger G: Last year, I said that having watched Palace for 62 years before finally triumphing at Wembley, I didn’t care what happened. To end the season with another fabulous trophy (and a wonderful trip to Leipzig with sons and grandsons) was beyond my wildest expectations. So again I say, “I don’t care how this season goes, I am still in wonderland!”

Roger, this is beautiful. Curse you.

But Max is really pushing the five-word limit here, the journalistic equivalent of selling a hotel to yourself or offloading your women’s team to somebody else to ensure financial compliance. We see you, Max. Still, you’ve got away with it, haven’t you? Everybody else does.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Andy Naylor: New for old. Will it work?

Anonymous F: Another season with a squad list that is unrecognisable.

This is six words, Andy. Yellow card.

Brighton are the original shiny, happy, skinless, semi-humanoid monstrosity people. Whatever they do, whatever is done to them, they find a way of being absolutely fine and smiley. So sinister.

Newcastle United

Eddie Howe has gone, so what will Newcastle 2.0 achieve? (Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images)

Chris Waugh: Newcastle 2.0: Into the unknown.

Graeme L: We’re winning the lot. Howay the lads.

O A: We look s*** and won’t finish higher than 15th.

I’m pretty sure Graeme is not entirely serious, but I’m flouting convention with two reader comments instead of one because they were next to one another and made me laugh and accurately sum up the emotional extremities of Tyneside. Newcastle have lost most of their touchstones, although their touchstone only got them to 12th last season. Will they be good, will they be bad, will they be bonkers, or will it be all three?

Everton

Patrick Boyland: Can (David) Moyes earn new deal?

Tom C: Someone got lost visiting my friend in Maine back in the day. They pulled over and asked a local how to get there. “No f****** clue, guy.” That’s how I’m feeling. Most seasons.

Love this. I’m going to start calling people “guy” more. So cool. Unless they’re called Guy, because that would be confusing.

Fulham

John Stanton: Spanish, gamble, young, potential, rebuild.

Simon L: Lots of unknowns. New manager and his fledglings are unknown quantities to the Premier League. If it all works out, then we could be pushing for Europe. If it doesn’t, I don’t know if they have the mentality to fight a relegation scrap.

Simon is unwittingly paraphrasing Donald Rumsfeld, the late former United States defence secretary, who famously said the following: “There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

Was Rumsfeld somehow peering into the future and effectively previewing Fulham’s season? Who knows. But probably not.

Liverpool

Andrew Jones: New coach, same squad issues

Patrik H. Optimistic about Iraola, but the glaring gaps in an unbalanced squad make my overall feeling pessimistic. We’re not competing for the title with this squad, and that should be the aim.

Liverpool were second in our hope-o-meter last season and are bottom now. On the one hand, this should inform us all about the futility of hope, but on the other, their fans are still more optimistic than not.

I don’t get it, it’s an unknown unknown and I don’t understand it. It’s the hope that kills you, so they say, and here it comes now, ripping off its skin, this smiling monstrosity with multiple sets of smiling jaws. Good luck to you. I’m out.