IT IS the news all Albion fans have been waiting for – the club today announced the signing of Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

The Seagulls have once again eclipsed their record transfer fee, paying Dutch side AZ Alkmaar £17 million for the Iranian star after a long-winded saga.

The news has kept supporters lively on social media, and kept many awake from the other side of the globe.

Albion’s Australian following, called Seagulls Down Under on Twitter, were following the news as the announcement was made at 6pm.

They are nine hours ahead of us, and tweeted: “So much for an early night.”

One fan in Canada, called Lloydy, replied: “I was hoping to wake up to good news here in Vancouver.”

With Tony Bloom spending big like last summer, fans believe it is a statement of intent from Albion that they are not just one-season wonders – they are here to stay in the Premier League.

They pipped top-flight rivals Leicester City to 24-year-old Jahanbakhsh’s signature.

The winger featured in all three of Iran’s World Cup matches at this year’s tournament.

He was unlucky not to progress through the group stage, with his side putting in noble displays against heavyweights Spain and Portugal but just falling short.

Seagulls supporter Max Huggett, 29, from Brighton, is delighted with Jahanbakhsh’s arrival.

He said: “What a signing. It’s another record breaker.

“I think it shows we’re establishing ourselves as a Premier League team.

“The fact we’ve managed to get hold of him ahead of other teams shows we’re here to stay.”

Last season manager Chris Hughton broke the club’s transfer record twice.

They bought fan favourite Jose Izquierdo for £13.5 million last summer, who certainly played his part in securing a second season in the Premier League with his goals. They then forked out more than £14 million for Jurgen Locadia, who also came from a Dutch team.

Despite the good track record for securing big signings, Max was not sure the Jahanbakhsh transfer would come off.

He said: “I didn’t know if we were going to do it. It had played out for so long, so you just don’t know what will happen.

“But now it’s finally happened it’s amazing for us fans and the club.”