When Fabian Hurzeler was asked about Brighton’s possible participation in the title race, he tended to invoke Getafe in his answer. And if a club from Madrid are not exactly an opponent in the Premier League, this was Hurzeler’s version of an old cliché. He is taking it one game at a time, and Brighton & Hove Albion’s next game is against Getafe in the Europa Conference League.

More pertinently, though, their last one was away at Manchester City. They defeated the league leaders. Brighton’s last week has served as a barometer of their status against the established powers. They played well against Liverpool at Anfield, but lost 2-0. They twice led against City in the Carabao Cup, but went out on penalties. They beat them in the Premier League. For a club with plenty of high-profile scalps in recent years, the Etihad Stadium was the final frontier. They had won everywhere else of note. Now Hurzeler could maintain the pretence that the only thing on his mind was Getafe.

The unlikely challengers can deflect attention by citing the concerns they would have in other seasons. Eleven years ago, as Leicester City were an unexpected presence near the top of the table, Claudio Ranieri used to talk about targeting 40 points, even when it was clear Leicester would reach the usual barrier for safety with months to spare. Now Brighton are already halfway to the other mythical number, 38. Ranieri’s rhetoric was such that he could switch to meaningless but entertaining catchphrases; Hurzeler’s is less likely to spend spring saying “dilly ding, dilly dong”.

But the subject of a title tilt could become inescapable if Brighton extend their superb start. That seems possible: they have played the rest of the current top five and do not face any again until the return game with City in January. They don’t see Chelsea again until April, Liverpool or Arsenal until the final two games.

Is there a title decider there? History would suggest not. Brighton have never finished in the top five of the top flight. They often start seasons well – they had 21 points after 12 games in 2024-25, 13 after six in 2022-23, 12 after five in 2021-22 – but have a past of winless spells, too: under Hurzeler, they twice went six league matches without victory last season.

History suggests, too, that if Brighton are to upset the odds, it does not just depend upon their results. When Leicester were champions in 2016, it was facilitated by the failures of others, as no one else secured more than 71 points. Ranieri’s team earned 81. Now some of the supposed superpowers, Manchester United in particular, seem to be taking themselves out of contention. A sizeable punishment could rule City out. It is altogether harder to see Arsenal, in particular, from ending up with under 80 points.

Some elements indicate that Brighton should be taken seriously. One, oddly, lies in a couple of defeats: by losing their final two games of last season, they missed out on a Europa League spot. But the lighter load of the Conference League – both in its fixture list and lesser opponents – could equip them better for the Premier League.

Another lies in the firepower of Hurzeler’s team. Brighton are the top scorers in the division. They are expert at sharing the goals around: 16 players have found the net in all competitions, 11 of them in the Premier League. It is all the more remarkable as they have been without last season’s first-choice front three, with Danny Welbeck gone to Chelsea and Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma yet to play in the top flight this season. With Minteh fit again and the prospect of Mitoma being back next month, Brighton could have more devastating wingers.

They have impressed defensively. They conceded four times to Chelsea, but only three other goals. Shutting City out gave them a sixth clean sheet of the season already, while they have only been breached once at home.

Luka Vuskovic has been outstanding, submitting an early application for the title of signing of the season. But a test for players being introduced to such a physical and demanding division as the Croatian defender and the 21-year-old midfielder Chema Andres is whether they can sustain that form for a whole campaign. The same question can be applied to the team as a whole and to veterans like Pascal Gross and Lewis Dunk.

There are alternatives to each. The seeming strength of Brighton’s squad counts in their favour, even if it depends on Hurzeler continuing to pick the right option at the right time.

But certainly, with Brighton already five points clear of sixth place and seven ahead of seventh, they are unlikely to get a better chance to qualify for the Champions League. Yet as they continue to be an indictment of the elite, selling their best players at premium prices, replacing them, and continuing to prosper, they are indulging in a unique experiment. Can a selling club win the world’s richest league? We may find out in May.