Milner, Mitoma, Van Hecke - Brighton's contract situation and what happens next

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The sight of Milner in a foot race with Florian Wirtz, outmuscling the German to clear the ball into touch during the recent 2-1 home win against Liverpool was a reminder that he still has a lot to offer at the age of 40. Milner has started five of the last six matches, a run that included overhauling Gareth Barry’s Premier League appearances record with his 654th outing in the 2-0 win at Brentford in February. He is a steadying influence in the middle of the park. The question is how much longer can he go on? That call will be left up to him. Milner is currently still undecided about his future. He told The Athletic after breaking the record: “I think it’s a tough question to know when’s the right time, because I feel like I still can do it now, but do you go to the point where you can’t? Is that too long?” The club should do everything they can to persuade Milner to stay for another year. Even if he does not play much, his knowledge is priceless, especially if they squeeze into Europe again. The former Dutch international defender has been an exceptional servant, one of the club’s best value-for-money buys. The 34-year-old has been a model of consistency and professionalism since a clause in his contract was exploited to sign him from boyhood club Ajax for £900,000 in 2020. Veltman’s grip on the right-back position has been eased by the successful conversion of compatriot Mats Wieffer from a defensive midfielder by Hurzeler. Veltman has only started two of the last 10 league games. Hurzeler likes his full-backs to get up and down the pitch. Although still defensively dependable, Veltman does not offer as much going forward as Wieffer. Signing an energetic right-back should be a summer priority, given Wieffer’s stated preference to play in midfield. That could signal the end of an era for Veltman. The day after the victory over Liverpool, March had 45 minutes in the second half of a 5-0 home win over Everton for the under-21s. Getting back on the pitch has been a long haul for the versatile 31-year-old after two serious knee injuries restricted him to 20 appearances across two and a half seasons. March suffered a slight setback after making his comeback as a late substitute in the 2-1 home victory over Nottingham Forest just under six weeks ago. It has been a devastating period for the long-serving former England under-21 international. He was in the best form of his career under former head coach Roberto De Zerbi, with 10 goals and 10 assists in 40 league appearances, when he ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament at Manchester City in October 2023 and was ruled out for 14 months. The acid test will come when March puts a run of minutes together and how his body stands up. His ability to play in several positions strengthens the case to stretch his stay to a 15th season playing for the club at senior level. There are parallels to March’s woes for Webster, the club’s then-record signing when he arrived from second-tier Bristol City for £20million in 2019. The central defender was in contention for an England call-up two years later during Gareth Southgate’s reign when he suffered an injury setback. Webster has gone from an average of nearly 30 league appearances in each of his first four seasons to fewer than 30 in total over the course of three seasons. The current campaign was been a wipeout due to anterior cruciate knee ligament damage sustained during the pre-season training camp in Spain. Webster, 31, wants to see out his career at Brighton. That might be a stretch, but Hurzeler has kept him involved on matchdays and a new short-term deal is plausible in an area of the pitch that is potentially in a state of flux. The ambitious Dutch international’s possible exit this summer would have a bearing on Hurzeler’s options at the heart of the back four. Van Hecke is one of the most improved defenders in the Premier League in the last three seasons, combining committed defending with crisp passing through the lines and ball-carrying. He turns 26 in June, shortly before the Netherlands play their first fixture at the World Cup in group F against Japan. Van Hecke has so far not demonstrated any desire to sign a new contract. A strong showing at the tournament in the U.S., Canada and Mexico in the summer would enhance the chances of a big-money move. That would leave Hurzeler with 34-year-old captain Lewis Dunk, last summer’s signings Olivier Boscagli and Diego Coppola, plus Webster. Coppola joined Paris FC on loan in January for the rest of the season to get more game time in the hope of forcing his way into Italy’s senior squad. Coppola was called up by his country for the recent Europe play-offs, but he was not part of the matchday squad as Italy’s defeat on penalties by Bosnia and Herzegovina wrecked the 22-year-old’s hopes of experiencing a World Cup. The left-winger’s brilliant goal in Japan’s 1-0 friendly win against England at Wembley last week was a reminder of his star quality in a season blighted by injury problems. Mitoma, operating more centrally for his country, started the move by dispossessing Cole Palmer and finished it in style. JAPAN TAKE THE LEAD AT WEMBLEY! Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma puts his side 1-0 up v England #ITVFootball | @JapaneseFbl pic.twitter.com/ueA4FCTFAS — ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 31, 2026 It was only Mitoma’s third goal in a combined 24 outings for club and country this season, numbers indicating a campaign disrupted by ankle issues. He looked sharper in a second-half substitute appearance against Liverpool, which augurs well for an influential conclusion to the season. Meaningful talks regarding a new contract have yet to take place. It could be a case of now or never for Mitoma, who turns 29 in May, to make a move to a bigger club playing in Europe next season. A late push by Hurzeler’s side to finish high enough in the table to qualify themselves after four wins out of five, which have lifted them back up to tenth, would improve the prospects of fending off potential suitors. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Andy Naylor worked for 32.5 years on the sports desk of The Argus, Brighton’s daily newspaper. For the last 25 of those years he was chief sports reporter, primarily responsible for coverage of Brighton and Hove Albion FC. Follow Andy on Twitter @AndyNaylorBHAFC