Albion boss Chris Hughton believes Beram Kayal could turn out to be a bargain.

Celtic midfielder Kayal has become the first permanent signing of Hughton’s reign.

The Seagulls are believed to have paid £325,000 for the Israeli international, with another £100,000 payable if they are promoted during his two-and-a-half-year contract.

Albion recently announced a near-£5 million slashing of their losses last season, but they were still more than £10 million in the red.

Hughton, interested in Kayal two years ago when he was Norwich manager, told The Argus: “I am very conscious that anyone we bring in now has got to be in the financial parameters of what we can do. I think that is important.

“I think probably at the time (at Norwich), because he was a little bit more of a regular, it would have been a bigger investment to get him. I certainly think at the moment we’ve got him at a good time.”

Hughton thinks buying Kayal during the notoriously awkward January transfer window is an indication of Albion’s ambition and their faith in him fitting into the English game.

“It’s a statement by myself and the club that he is a player we like and, if there is a player that we like, that we are prepared to make that commitment,” Hughton said.

“He is somebody who has been involved in Champions League football. I think the fact he has been playing up in Scotland for the last few years helps as well.

“Although it’s not the same as the league here, some of the traits and the competitiveness of the division are similar.”

Albion received international clearance from the FA yesterday, so Kayal is available for today's game at Blackpool.