Boss Chris Hughton reckons Albion are not big spenders in Premier League terms.

The Seagulls broke their transfer record again this summer with the £17 million signing of Iran winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.

It has crept up regularly since the Seagulls were promoted to the top flight with the signings of Mathew Ryan, Davy Propper (below) and Jurgen Locadia.

The Argus: But it is still dwarfed by the figures splashed out by many of their rivals, including Tuesday's Amex visitors Crystal Palace. They forked out £27.5 million for Christian Benteke.

Hughton told The Argus: "It's not (big money). When we signed Alireza our thinking at the time was, for this club, it's a lot of money because it's our biggest transfer fee.

"But probably by the end of the season that won't be deemed as big, big money.

"Similar type players to Alireza will probably be going perhaps for double to other clubs.

"For us we still have to say it's big, because of our spending in the past, but we are going into an era where the money keeps going up and up.

"At some stage that will level out but at the moment it's not."

Albion are also low down in the table in terms of wages, according to this year's Global Sports Salaries Survey.

The average annual salary of the squad is just under £1.7 million, more than £1 million per player less than Palace and higher only than promoted Cardiff, Newcastle and the next two away opponents, Huddersfield and Burnley.

Wolves and Fulham, the other promoted clubs, both pay more.

Albion are without Jahanbakhsh (hamstring) for the games against Huddersfield today, Palace and Burnley next Saturday.

Securing a third season in the Premier League remains the biggest goal for Hughton.

"It is the most important thing," he said. "At the start of the season people ask me the aspirations, where do I see us?

"The two answers would always be to make sure we are in the Premier League come next season and to see some development.

"That development might be the position or we have a feel we have a better squad, that perhaps we don't have to buy so much in the different windows coming up and we've developed the club."