Brighton and Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton has told talkSPORT the club is ready for their first ever Premier League season, both on and off the pitch.
The Seagulls’ promotion from the Championship was confirmed on Monday, after their 2-1 win over Wigan was followed by rivals Huddersfield Town dropping points in a 1-1 draw with Derby County.
There was a party atmosphere at the Amex Stadium following the news, with fans flooding onto the pitch to celebrate with their players.
And Hughton, who has worked wonders since taking charge midway through the 2014/15 season, insists everything at the club is geared for top flight football.
“This club has Premier League facilities – the stadium and the training ground are exceptional,” the Seagulls boss told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on Tuesday morning.
“But of course, it’s ok having the facilities, you’ve got to be a Premier League team.That’s the hardest bit, but it’s something we’ve achieved now.
“Brighton is a wonderful place for people to come and the support base has been exceptional this season – we’ve seen crowds grow, we’ve probably had more full houses this season than any other season, and that’s testament to what the players have done and to what the supporters have enjoyed.
“The Premier League is where you want to be.The aim was to put ourselves within an opportunity to get promotion, and we’ve managed to do that earlier than what we thought.
“Now we’ve got to refocus again.We’ve got a very big game on Friday and an opportunity in these three games to do what we’d like to do, which is to win the league.That’s our focus now.”
Many are anticipating a busy summer for Brighton, whose chairman Tony Bloom has invested heavily in a new stadium and top of the range training ground.
But Hughton insists there will be no wholesale changes to his squad.
“We’ve got a very competitive squad who will all want an opportunity to play in the Premier League,” he added.
“We’re not able to make wholesale changes because we know what has got us there, and what has got us there is spirit and the quality we have in the team.”
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