Albion have demonstrated in their first two games of the season they will be a force again in the Championship.

Their prospects of securing a top two spot, rather than relying on the lottery of the play-offs for a fourth time in five years, could be shaped by what happens in the next 16 days.

Not so much by who they sign as who they keep before the transfer window shuts.

They still need another centre-half, despite consecutive clean sheets with Bruno partnering Lewis Dunk in the 0-0 draw at Derby and Friday's 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest.

They still need another striker, or splitting hairs a No.10, even though they have scored seven goals in two games already in the League and League Cup against Colchester at the Amex.

What they need more is Anthony Knockaert and Dale Stephens to stay.

The move for the second goal from Glenn Murray, from one penalty box to the other, which completed the dismantling of Forest also demonstrated why Rotherham will be heading to the Amex tomorrow night with a degree of trepidation.

Stephens, only on the bench after missing the opening two matches through suspension and injury, started it in his end-of-game cameo.

A typical penetrating run from Knockaert turned defence into attack and an intelligent cut-back from Sam Baldock, another late substitute together with recent signing Ollie Norwood, was converted by Murray.

Albion remain more vulnerable to losing Bolton-born Stephens than Knockaert, as he is out of contract next summer. A move to Burnley would also take him up a division, at least for a season, and back up north.

News broke on Friday evening in Lancashire that Burnley had agreed a deal with Anderlecht for Belgian international midfielder Steven Defour. That is encouraging in terms of Stephens' future, although not necessarily decisive.

What of Knockaert and Newcastle's substantial bid, turned down flat by Albion in the same way that they have resisted multiple bids from Burnley for Stephens?

Enthusiasm for the Seagulls poured out of the dazzling Frenchman as he reflected on his emotional goal against Forest on his late brother's birthday and Newcastle's interest.

At the other end of the country, Toon chief Rafa Benitez spoke of the difficulties of making further additions to his squad prior to his side's second defeat in as many games at home to Huddersfield.

"It's not that we don't have targets, we have," he said. "Sometimes you can't get the players you want because of prices and people don't want to sell or the player is happy at their club and doesn't want to go."

A report from the North-East on Friday night suggested Knockaert is set to sign a new deal with Albion. According to a well-placed Argus insider that is untrue.

He still has three years left on the contract he signed when Albion brought the former Leicester winger back to English football from Belgian club Standard Liege in January.

That puts the Seagulls in a stronger position than they are in with Stephens. The biggest obstacle between now and August 31 may not be an improved bid from Newcastle for Knockaert so much as interest from the Premier League, although there is no evidence of that so far.

Knockaert, whose goal against Forest was his sixth in 12 appearances at the Amex, feels very much at home.

"It's a great move for me," he said. "Since I've been here I have never enjoyed my football like this. You can feel it on the pitch.

"I feel totally happy. I try to do everything for this team, because this is the best team spirit I've experienced. It's unbelievable."

A tight-knit dressing room can carry you a long way but Albion also have quality in all areas of the pitch to sustain another challenge.

Re-signing Murray (below) has added an extra dimension to the attack after the agony of going so close to promotion last season.

The Argus: Knockaert said: "He's a great player and we know he's a finisher, so he's going to help us so much. It's always good to have a big player like that in our team.

"It was very, very painful because we were so close. It's an extra motivation. Before the season we all talked together and said we need to move on and forget about it and do even better.

"We know what we have to do. I think we showed against Forest we are going to be a hard team to beat."

The worrying aspect for Newcastle, Aston Villa and the rest is the sense that Albion have only skimmed the surface of their potential.

They were not at their best against Forest. They took a while to get going and the performance was more controlled at Derby, yet they could have scored five or six in the end.

A division tougher than ever this season? Perhaps and it is still very early days but the signs are promising that they will be there or thereabouts again.

Knockaert said: "We don't care about the speculation or what people are saying (about the Championship). We just focus on ourselves, that is the most important thing. We just need to show on the pitch what we can do, that is the best answer to give people.

"We need to be ready to go again on Tuesday, because every game in the Championship is important. We saw that last year because we didn't go up by two goals.

"It's still early. It's a very long season, we just need to work, work, work, take it game by game and be fully focused on our football."

Sensible words from a scintillating Frenchman, brimming with joie de vivre.