Albion may be prepared to fork out for the right manager to spearhead their First Division challenge next season.

The hunt for Peter Taylor's successor includes the possibility of paying compensation to land somebody already in a job with another club.

The list of names mentioned so far has been headed by candidates currently out of work, such as former Wimbledon boss Terry Burton and ex-Portsmouth chief Graham Rix.

The Seagulls are willing to widen the search to land the right man, irrespective of his circumstances.

Chief executive Martin Perry revealed: "Absolutely nothing is being ruled out. At this stage we want to choose our man and then worry about how available he is after that.

"If that person happens to be in a job then obviously we have to approach his club first."

Chairman Dick Knight pinpointed the qualities he was looking for when Micky Adams left for Leicester and Taylor took charge seven months ago.

He wanted someone experienced and successful who was willing to maintain the status quo and develop young players.

Perry said: "It's going to be all the same things. We've got a team we want to build on, but even more so now than ever before clubs are going to have to bring youngsters through.

"Clearly the person coming in will have to have very good credentials in that respect.

"We won the Second Division championship with exceptional team spirit. That is attributable to the team that is there and we want to keep it."

The players, coaching staff and directors returned yesterday from a short break in Marbella, Spain. The first team squad report back for pre-season training in the first week of July and the new manager will not have a chance to assess them until then.

"It's going to be a difficult time," Perry added. "It's not ideal, but that is just one of those things. In an ideal world we would like to make a decision fairly quickly, because we need to get on with planning pre-season and team strengthening."

Read all about Peter Taylor's resignation at thisisthealbion.co.uk