 In May 2016, Hughton signed a new four-year contract which will run until June 2020.By April 2017 with three games left to go, Hughton had guided Brighton to the top of the 2016–17 EFL Championship earning the club an automatic promotion back to the Premier League after a 2–1 win at home to Wigan.Brighton and Hughton lost their next two games to Norwich City and Bristol City.