Albion chairman Tony Bloom is not demanding a top six finish from Sam Hyypia in his first season as manager.

But he is confident the Finn will have a budget for wages and the right recruitment back-up to give him a chance.

The Seagulls finished tenth and fourth in the Championship under Gus Poyet and sixth last season under Oscar Garcia.

Bloom told The Argus: “Similar to the last three seasons we have had in the Championship we believe we will have a competitive and good squad.

“Our aim is to reach the Premier League. To do that you need to finish in the top six. You can have good luck or bad luck with injuries and certain situations.

“We will not put any pressure to say if it is not top six it is no good. I am confident Sami will get the best out of the players and if all goes well we will have a realistic chance of finishing the top six and a realistic chance of getting promoted every season we are in the Championship. That is our goal.”

The budget for player salaries was a bone of contention for both Poyet and Oscar as Albion play catch-up at the Amex after their financial disadvantages during the Withdean era in a division half-full of former Premier League clubs.

Bloom said: “This season ten clubs have parachute payments. Financially you cannot compete with them. Last season it was eight. That doesn’t mean in player salary terms we are below them, we were above at least one of them last year.

“We will have a very healthy budget again this season. Regardless of what it was at Withdean we will stick to it, and get the very best we can from whatever budget there is.”

The recruitment set-up was another source of irritation for Oscar but Bloom is convinced the structure under head of football David Burke, revised recently by making head scout Mervyn Day redundant, will deliver the players to make Albion genuine contenders.

He said: “I am very confident. Sami will be a big part of the process and communication will be key between Dave and his team, Sami and myself. I am confident we will get the players in before the start of the season we need which will give us the squad Sami needs to give us a chance of promotion.”