Chema Andrés gives Brighton an early midfield boost as Fabian Hürzeler praises his rapid progress

Chema Andrés has surprised Fabian Hürzeler with the speed of his adaptation at Brighton, earning a midfield place within weeks of arriving from Stuttgart.

Hürzeler described the 21-year-old as “a natural leader and a competitor” in comments published by Brighton on Wednesday.

The head coach highlighted his appetite for improvement and efforts to settle into the dressing room.

Brighton signed Andrés on a five-year contract on deadline day, following a season in the Bundesliga. A Real Madrid academy background gave him a strong grounding, but he also arrived with senior experience to draw on.

That distinction matters. Brighton have bought a young midfielder with room to develop who is already making a contribution to the first team.

Chema Andrés’ Palace performance in numbers

Diego Gómez’s halfway-line goal supplied the outstanding moment in Brighton’s 5-0 win over Crystal Palace, while Charalampos Kostoulas also featured prominently in our player ratings.

Andrés’ involvement was less spectacular, but substantial.

According to RotoWire’s match data, he recorded more tackles than any other player in the derby and completed 38 of his 46 passes.

Andrés against Crystal Palace, 18 October	Total
Completed passes	38 from 46 attempts
Tackles	5
Tackles recorded as won	2

He also played more than 80 minutes for the third successive Premier League match. Those sustained appearances offer a clearer indication of Hürzeler’s early trust than any single highlight.

Building on his goal against Arsenal

Andrés had already made a more visible impression in September, heading in Pascal Gross’s corner during Brighton’s 3-0 victory over Arsenal.

It was his first goal for the club, adding a threat at attacking set pieces to his midfield work.

Brighton subsequently won 2-0 at Sunderland despite being reduced to 10 men before overwhelming Palace. Andrés has therefore gained experience of protecting a lead under pressure as well as playing in comfortable victories.

Hürzeler nevertheless wants patience with his development. The challenge now is to sustain that promising start, with support when performances become less consistent.