NEW signing Adam Lallana has compared Albion’s “development process” with that of his former club Liverpool.

The midfielder said he was excited to be a part of the Seagulls’ ongoing progress and was full of praise for the club’s footballing philosophy.

The Premier League and UEFA Champions League winner said: “In terms of a way of playing, they want to handle the ball, control play and dominate possession – they are some of my strengths.

“It excites me to play like that, but you can’t just rely on it. You have to be prepared to win tackles and win the ball back as well.

“If you get the right mix by being successful both with and without the ball then that’s a formula to do well.

“If you play well more often than you don’t, you’ll win matches by doing the right things.

The Argus:

“It’s a project and it takes time to build. I saw it at Liverpool where we won the league in [Jurgen Klopp’s] fifth year, it’s a phase-by-phase development process.

“You might not get results overnight, but if you stick to it then you’ll be working towards something and that’s what I can sense we’re going to do here at Brighton.”

Lallana signed a three-year deal with the Seagulls last week and said head coach Graham Potter was one of the main motivating factors in his decision to return to the south coast - with the 32-year-old having started his playing career with Southampton.

“I’m sure there’s so much more I can learn under the head coach, which is the same for all the players here,” he said.

“You’re never too old to learn - that’s the beauty of football, you can always improve.

The Argus:

“Everyone else is trying to do the same thing so it’s important that as a team we keep showing signs of progress.

“That doesn’t happen overnight, which is why the head coach has done such a fantastic job in terms of making that change to the playing philosophy and keeping Brighton in the league.”

But, while he understands that avoiding relegation might be at the forefront of some fans’ minds at the start of next season, Lallana said he is not joining Albion to help them steer clear of the bottom three.

He said he was impressed by the club’s goal of breaking into the Premier League’s top half, and said the Seagulls can follow the example set by his former club Southampton, who he helped to an eighth place finish in 2016/17 under Mauricio Pochettino.

He said: “t’s going to be difficult because the league is so competitive but Brighton have got top players.

“I’ve made that transition early in my career where we went through League One and the Championship, like Brighton did.

“We went from loitering around relegation and then Mauricio coming in and just tweaking the mentality and the belief.

“We finished eighth and I think that is definitely possible at Brighton. All the signs are right.

The Argus:

“The template is in place and it is about implementing that and working with Graham (Potter), learning new things, improving myself, improving the team and there is no reason why we can’t do that.”

Fans were delighted at the news that Lallana would be playing at the Amex next season, with some saying the signing represented a “real show of intent” from Albion.

Vicky Rees said the signing felt like a “next level” move by Albion.

She said: “It’s a risky signing on paper given the cost and his injury record over the years. But Lallana is somebody who can fill the creative void in midfield, whose presence will inspire others, and whose signing might just attract other potential new recruits this (short) summer. It could just be a masterstroke.”

Lallana spent six years on Merseyside, making 128 appearances and netting 18 goals in that time. He has also been capped 34 times for England, with his debut coming in 2013. He has scored three times for the Three Lions, including a crucial late winner against Slovakia in 2016 as part of England’s World Cup qualifying campaign.