Inigo Calderon believes he could secure a new deal in the Championship.

But he accepts he might have to gamble as he weighs up his options for next season and plays the poker game that is choosing his new club.

The hugely popular former Albion defender is back in pre-season training as he aims to secure a contract for next season. But it is pre-season training with a difference as he puts in fitness work on his own.

Calderon is tackling his first few days as a former Albion employee after his contract officially expired last Thursday. He will continue his playing career and is open to offers from pretty much anywhere - and has promised any prospective new employers he will be as fit as ever.

The Argus:

Calderon always trained hard with Albion. Picture by Paul Hazlewood

But making the right choice will not be easy after six-and-a-half years with the Seagulls.

He told The Argus: “I am training because the English clubs started last week. I have been trying to keep myself going as if I was there.

“It is not easy. There are clubs who want you and try to call you nearly every day. But the ones you want to go to don’t reply to your calls.

“My first option is to be in England but I can’t close the door to Spain and the rest of Europe. The timing is not the same. There are clubs in Spain who finished maybe two weeks ago and in England they finished some time ago.

“It’s not like you get all the options at the same time. It is not easy at all. Clubs in the Segunda B (Spanish third tier) play-offs only finished last week so they will not be back for at least three weeks and they didn’t even know what division they would be in until now.

“There are options. Maybe they are not the ones I would take quickly, which is why I am waiting. But they are still options and that is why I am positive.

“You have to risk sometimes because clubs might say you have one week to answer. Then you have to gamble or not. That is the bad part for a footballer.”

Calderon was speculatively linked to Charlton soon after the season ended. He has confirmed he has one offer from League One and is confident of another coming in from the Championship.

Meanwhile he is back in his home town of Vitoria in the Basque country while maintaining a base in Brighton.

He said: “My first idea is to stay in the Championship in England. If I can’t do that, I’d drop one division. But I’m talking with second tier clubs in Spain and clubs in other countries as well. I don’t mind trying a new country.

“I am in Vitoria but I still have my flat in Brighton. I would like to stay in Brighton and play somewhere close but there aren’t too many options.

“All my stuff is in Brighton which is something else that doesn’t help.”

At least Calderon has options. That has not always been the case with players let go by the Seagulls in recent seasons.

His compatriot Vicente never quite got the offer which persuaded him against thoughts of hanging up his boots in 2013. And, going back six years, Lee Hendrie famously fell on hard times when the proposal he was expecting, while he followed his own fitness programme in Dubai, never came.

Calderon admitted he had some concerns in the days after Albion let him go.

He said: “I’m not an idiot. I know I’m 34 and that clubs will see that and say I’m too old. I thought in the beginning, ‘Oooof’ - and in the first week I didn’t have anything at all.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, it’s going to be a difficult summer’. I have options now. I’m not saying I have millions of options and a great one, otherwise I would have taken it.

“But I keep waiting and waiting and I think something good is going to happen quite soon. If it doesn’t, it’s going to get crazy!

“I have an offer from League One and I am waiting on one from the Championship.

“I’m not worried about fitness because I love to train on my own. I think I train even harder than when I am with the team. Mentally it is harder but, if you cheat, you are cheating yourself.”

Calderon has also added a twist to his fitness work – but it is one his former colleagues are unlikely to copy in Tenerife this week.

“I’ve been surfing and kite-surfing in the Algarve so I’ve tried other things.

“During the season you can’t do that so I used the summer.”