The expensive Brighton transfer question Graham Potter and Tony Bloom will soon be forced to answer

I imagine Brighton fans, players and management alike are delighted with the international break after a painful run of six straight defeats.

Albion’s season went badly late and they slipped to 13th in the Premier League and only shot once during their poor run.

There was little to refresh a missing squad and Dan Burn’s £ 13m January departure to Newcastle has also disrupted a defense that has now run 13 of the last six.

Albion’s transfer policy was to bring in young talents and allow Graham Potter to develop and get into the Premier League as quickly as possible.

It is not an easy task, but it has worked for the most part and after some troubling moments in the last two seasons, Potter has found a way to keep Brighton in the lead and play decent football in the process.

This campaign started very well and Brighton finally looked like an established Premier League team and were on track to reach their goal of a top 10 finish. How quickly assets can change.

To thrive the young players need your experienced professionals to lead the field.

At the start of the season, Adam Lallana and Lewis Dunk played regularly, Yves Bissouma was a powerhouse and Belgian international Leo Trossard was at his creative best.

All four are Albion’s best players and provide the platform for Rob Sanchez, Tariq Lamptey, Marc Cucurella and Jakub to shine and gain experience in equal measure – Mother is possibly the Albion midfielder who is taking significant steps forward this season made.

Injuries to Enock Mwepu – a £ 23m summer arrival from RB Salzburg – were also unfortunate.

The big problem lately was getting Dunk and Lallana on the field. Dunk injured his knee at West Ham in December and missed much of the season, while Lallana could no longer trust his fitness.

Bissouma’s form has declined since Afcon, but he’s also at his best when he plays the dunk behind him and Lallana next to him. This is a powerful and competent trio that is capable of performing in the Premier League.

The constant transfer speculation about Bissouma – who will remain on his contract for another 12 months this summer – has also affected him. The 25-year-old seems to be leaving safely at the end of this season.

The current form of Trossard was also mysterious. Brighton immediately looks like a better attacking unit when he’s on the ball.

The Belgian has recently suffered injuries and illnesses and has had little impact in recent games. There are small signs that he is starting to improve, but he really needs a strong end to the current season.

The team needs a refresher and what has frustrated the fans is the signing of attacking talents like Deniz Undav, Kacper Kozlowski, Kaoru Mitoma and Abdallah Sima and then immediate loan.

In the long run, it might prove to be the right decision, but Brighton and Potter need a little backup for here and now or their season is a serious threat to eradicate.

It’s an admirable policy to work in the Premier League with academy players and untested youngsters with potential from all over the world, but they need fit and experienced players alongside them to fully integrate.

Unfortunately for Brighton, Dunk, Adam Webster, Lallana and Danny Welbeck could not do that.

Next season, Brighton will have to reinvest some of that Ben White, Burn (and probably Bissouma) money to tackle this balance.