Albion manager Mark McGhee is ready to pledge his long-term future to the club so that he can lead the team into the new stadium at Falmer.

He wants to sit down immediately and renegotiate with chairman Dick Knight after signing a two-year contract in the summer.

The Seagulls finally received Government approval yesterday for a 23,000-seater stadium.

They hope to move in by August 2008 and McGhee, who celebrates two years in charge with Tuesday's home game against his old club Wolves, still wants to be in charge then.

"I've now got the rest of a two-year contract left, this season and the next," he said.

"When I signed it I discussed with the chairman the fact that, if and when the decision was made and it was a positive one, then I really do want to be the manager to take the club into the new stadium.

"Therefore I hope at some point to sit down with the chairman and discuss it. I want to talk to him about that now."

McGhee believes the long-awaited Yes verdict from Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott is "a life changing decision" for Albion.

"As a football person I've seen the result of this sort of thing at other clubs," he said.

"Probably the one closest to me is at Reading, where it has transformed their fortunes having a state-of-the-art stadium.

"It has put them into a position where they are challenging seriously to go into the Premiership.

"I think that has now got to be a realistic ambition of ours, maybe not this year or next year but certainly not beyond 2008-09 or 2010 when we are established in the stadium and competing at the right end of the division.

"What it means for me now is that I can sell the club better to players I'm trying to bring in, particularly to young players like Adam Virgo and Dan Harding who we lost as a result of not being able to really give them something to look forward to.

"I can now say to players like Jake Robinson, Paul Reid and Seb Carole to stick with us, work hard to stay in this division and in a couple of years time we will all be rolling into a fantastic new stadium which will give them the opportunity to go into the big time.

"That is just a fantastic thing for me as a manager to be able to sell."

Meanwhile, star striker Leon Knight has reiterated the pledge he made in The Argus earlier this month to commit his long-term future to the club.

Knight, whose one-year deal expires at the end of the season, revealed: "I'll be going to see the gaffer. I said a few weeks ago anyway that I want to sign. It's no different now we have got the stadium."

Albion have been further boosted by the return to training on Monday of Adam Hinshelwood.

The young centre half, out since suffering serious knee damage against Reading at Withdean in March, was not expected to play again until Christmas but could now be back in action next month.

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