Dario Vidošić’s departure from Brighton & Hove Albion left many football fans shocked. Vidošić left the Albion to pursue a new opportunity and has since been heavily linked with a move to NWSL side Angel City FC.
Vidošić joined Brighton in 2024, leading the squad to new heights with Brighton’s highest-ever WSL finish and a trip to Wembley last season. Brighton fans were loving the Vidošić era, and his departure immediately raised questions over who would be the right replacement to lead the team into the new season.
Leaving a week before the start of a new season puts his replacement, Arturo Ruiz, in a difficult situation to understand team dynamics and implement his style of football on the players.
The 29-year-old Ruiz has already proved himself in the women’s game, having managed both Atlético Madrid and Real Sociedad. Last season, he guided Sociedad to a third-place finish in Liga F, winning 20 of their 30 league games.
After what has been an exciting year for Brighton, the club now enters a period of transition as the Seagulls look towards their next chapter in the WSL and beyond.
Ruiz himself describes his style of football as possession-based but flexible. Sociedad typically started in a 4-4-2, with the option to shift into a 3-5-2 with deeper-lying wing-backs. The principles are similar to Vidošić’s, even if the structure is slightly different, which should make the transition easier for the players with the new season so close.
Given the window Brighton have had, many fans would have expected big things from the Albion this season. Experience in Gabby George and Lia Wälti, alongside young prospects Nadia Krezyman and Eleanor Heeps, has strengthened Brighton’s squad ahead of the new campaign.
Brighton fans will be forever grateful for the work Vidošić did to get the club to where they are now, alongside the contribution of his late father, Rado Vidošić, who was part of the team at Brighton as Head of Women’s and Girls’ Coaching.
However, it is now time to enter a new era under another experienced manager in Ruiz and build on the success of the 2025/26 season.
