Brighton & Hove Albion’s biggest win of the season was, without question, the 3-0 triumph over defending Premier League champions Arsenal last month. It just so happened they won with the fourth youngest starting XI in the 2026/27 top-flight match.
With an average age of just 25, the youthful Seagulls stifled the Gunners. Pascal Gross put Brighton ahead on the half-hour mark. Fabian Hurzeler’s side went in at the break two goals to the good as Charalampos Kostoulas, provider of the first goal, turned scorer. Chema Andres completed a fine day at the office for Hurzeler and his men. Or should that be boys?
Yes, Hurzeler has forged a functional team, expertly blending both youth and experience. The combination sit third in England’s top tier after the opening seven matches, having claimed five wins. Gross and captain Lewis Dunk are the seasoned heads in key positions. Hurzeler has deployed a number of young stars in support of the mid-30s pair.
And leading the charge is Kostoulas. The Greek teenager joined from Olympiacos last summer, but had to settle for a spot on the bench in his debut campaign at the Amex Stadium. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. A 19-year-old in their first season abroad, they need a chance to adjust to a change in scenery.
Playing second fiddle to Danny Welbeck, it wasn’t a shock that Kostoulas was restricted to just two league starts. Even so, he made a further 19 appearances off the bench. In that time, he struck twice and provided one assist. One of those goals was a stunning 90th-minute overhead kick in a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth back in January. Few would have expected that the hit was a sign of things to come in terms of output.
Admittedly, the teenager is yet to replicate the sensational hit against the Cherries. Yet the confidence to attempt such an effort when the pressure was on perhaps convinced Hurzeler that it was time to shift Welbeck on. Out with the old, in with the new. Welbeck moved to Chelsea, and Kostoulas found one less hurdle to overcome in order to establish himself as first-choice Brighton frontman.
There was a stroke of fortune over his promotion to leading striker, of course. Georginio Rutter played the full 90 in the opening weekend 4-0 win over Aston Villa. The Frenchman suffered an ill-timed foot injury that presented Kostoulas with the chance to nail down a starting spot. It’s one he’s grabbed, and one won’t be relinquishing anytime soon.
Of the 23 league goals Brighton have scored this season, Kostoulas has been directly involved in five, netting three times in the process. Those goals came at crucial moments, too. The opener in an eventual 5-0 win at Coventry. The second in the aforementioned victory over Arsenal on the stroke of half-time to change the complexion of the clash. Four minutes after the restart in the M23 Derby 5-0 triumph over Crystal Palace to extinguish any chances of a fightback.
Elsewhere, he netted shortly before half-time in the 3-2 Carabao Cup comeback win over Manchester United last month and the first in a 4-0 Conference League playoff success over Tromso. Key moments that set, or maintained, Brighton’s path to victory. A player his age shouldn’t be coming in clutch the way Kostoulas does.
There is more beyond the goals and assists that stand out, however. Granted, a striker’s primary objective is to put the ball in the back of the net. Kostoulas, though, offers more than just goals to his energetic Brighton side.
It’s no secret that Hurzeler’s Brighton likes to press high and aggressively. One of their key routes to goal is to force opposition turnovers in dangerous positions. They rank top for possession won in the attacking third (51) in the Premier League this season, and it’s not even close. Bournemouth are their closest competitors. The Cherries have done so 37 times.
And leading the pressing charge is none other than Kostoulas himself, the Greece international having done so 12 times. There’s buying into Hurzeler’s gameplan, and there’s essentially proving the - almost - perfect forward for the system. Standing at 6ft1in, he’s the right size and stature to provide the focal point in a favoured 4-2-3-1 setup.
That’s not to say there are no shortcomings to his game. Kostoulas is guilty of rushing his shot selection. Four big chances missed ranks among the top 10 players in the division. The decision-making has also been pulled up. Of the 23 attempted dribbles, only nine have been successful, resulting in a 39.1 per cent dribble success rate. He’s been dispossessed 10 times and made 15 unsuccessful first touches resulting in a turnover in possession.
At 19 years of age, however, these rough edges are to be expected. They are areas that will be smoothed out over time.
As the Seagulls continue to soar, so too does the youthful Greek frontman, who has taken the rapid progression to first-choice striker for an in-form Premier League team in his stride. There’s an argument to be made that Kostoulas is the division’s best young player. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who disagrees with that sentiment.
