This season, I think I’ve lost count of the amount of times someone has come up to me and said, “Brighton are in the title race, aren’t they?” Whether they’ve been joking or not, the fact they’ve included the club in the conversation is bonkers. We’ve enjoyed the adulation – it was deserved after an impressive run of results to start the season.

Brighton have begun the campaign as entertainers. Fabian Hurzeler has them free-scoring, upsetting the Premier League champions and playing an attacking brand of football that’s fun to watch.

Most Albion fans have been realistic that mounting a title challenge is one step too far. What does feel possible though, and it still feels crazy that I’m even writing this, is that there’s probably never been a better opportunity to challenge for a Champions League place – madness for a club that only experienced European football for the first time in its history in 2023.

On top of the Seagulls’ great start, some of the usual contenders for the Champions League places didn’t really get going early on. Manchester United and Spurs both struggled, Liverpool and Chelsea were still settling under new managers, and Manchester City have been at risk of being hit with sanctions this term. If ever there was a season where a disruptor could break into those qualification spots, it’s this one. Brighton will be one of the favourites to do it.

I’ll be honest and admit that before a ball was even kicked, I was nervous about this season. As fans, we’re used to losing key players and coping pretty well, but to lose the spine of Jan Paul van Hecke, Carlos Baleba and Danny Welbeck all in the same window was a big blow. Joao Pedro was sold the summer before, and losing both the Brazilian and Welbeck in successive summers without an experienced replacement felt risky.

Scoring goals was a huge concern, but I’ve been proven completely wrong. Again. The club have shown once more that they’re not just one step ahead of everyone else, but two. They had their best ever start to a top-flight season, and over the first seven league games of the campaign, only Barcelona and Bayern Munich had scored more among Europe’s top five leagues.

Brighton consistently find hidden gems. It’s a testament to their recruitment policy and they appear to have done it again with a number of players. The club don’t mind marketing themselves as one that helps a player progress and allows them to leave if a big offer arises, and their culture provides young talent a platform to thrive without too much pressure.

Greek teenage striker Charalampos Kostoulas looks like one of the best young players in the league and is key to Hurzeler’s aggressive press. Also just 19 years old, no-one expected Luka Vuskovic to replace Van Hecke so well. They are two young players who are flourishing in a team that also has plenty of experience in captain Lewis Dunk and Pascal Gross to give it the right balance.

Brighton’s stand-out performer has been 35-year-old Gross, who returned to the club in a genius January move after a season-and-a-half at Borussia Dortmund. His workrate, and goal and assist output had already given him legendary status at the Amex, but he’s been on another level and is clearly enjoying his football more than ever.

There have already been a handful of memorable results, including the comeback win at Old Trafford, a 3-0 victory at home to Arsenal and a 5-0 thrashing of rivals Crystal Palace, which included that halfway line goal from Diego Gomez. It will go down as one of the all-time great Premier League strikes and summed up the confidence Brighton are playing with.

The challenge now is to compete consistently and stay in this crazy conversation as long as possible. As fans, we always expect a bad run just around the corner, but this season could be special. The club are Conference League favourites, and supporters are desperate to see a first major trophy.

Football is there to make us believe and Brighton fans will continue to dream after the start we’ve seen. There may never be a better opportunity to break into the Champions League than now, but lifting that first piece of silverware surely has to be a priority.