Spanish star Vicente has been hailed as a perfect fit for Albion.

The Seagulls are still trying to complete a deal to bring the former Valencia winger and Spain international to the South Coast on a free transfer.

They were locked in further negotiations with the player and his agent yesterday and Vicente remained in Brighton last night.

He would add an extra dimension to their Championship challenge according to Graham Hunter, Sky Sports’ Spanish football expert.

Hunter has followed Vicente’s career closely and believes Gus Poyet’s Albion are the right club at the right time to revive the 30-year-old Vicente’s fortunes.

Hunter told The Argus: “I think he deserves the English stage and it is ideal for him to be at a club with good, young, hungry, successful players with a very talented manager and a brilliant, visionary owner (Tony Bloom).

“That is where Vicente should be. He is far better off there than at, for example, a slightly bigger name like West Ham or Blackburn. Brighton is the place to be. It’s on the up.

“He will fit into the culture of the club. The thing that has to happen first is that he comes in, trains hard and understands what Gus wants. No way would I say Brighton have suddenly got a player who was world class and therefore everything has got to change.

“The key thing will be for Vicente to realise that he is part of a regime now which is ambitious and well run and it is for him to adapt, not the other way around.

“If he trains well and adapts then I think there is a success on the cards. How ever well Brighton have done recently, if he is fit there is a dash of quality there which they don’t have, even in their most prominent players.”

Vicente attracted interest from Celtic, Torino and oil-rich clubs in the Middle East but he is keen to play under Poyet after years of success at Valencia were later marred by injury problems and an uneasy relationship with the men in charge.