Nathan Jones turned down a job offer from Oscar Garcia to stay at Albion.

Oscar wanted Jones, pictured above, to work with him again in his second stint with Champions League participants Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel after they joined forces in charge of the Seagulls last season.

But Jones decided to stay at the Amex under new boss Sami Hyypia.

The Welshman revealed: “I had the opportunity to go but the club wanted me (to stay). I spoke to the manager and I knew this was the place for me.

“I loved working with Oscar. He gave me a lot of responsibility and if I had another chance of working with him again I’d have no hesitation but I was really excited about what Sami said.

“The club made it quite clear that they believed in me and wanted me here. I’m very happy and very excited for the future.

“Last year we had a decent year and it is nice that two different managers trust me but hopefully it means I’m doing something right.

“I love the Albion and I love being here – it feels like my life’s complete.”

Oscar, who quit after steering Albion into the Championship play-offs, retains a soft spot for the Albion fans.

He tweeted pictures of a flag-waving full house at the Amex and Maccabi spectators and said: “I’ll always be grateful to Brighton and Maccabi supporters for the passion and love they continually show me.”