ALBION are eager to improve on their record Premier League points tally from last season, the club’s former captain says.

The Seagulls cemented their position in the top flight with a game to spare, finishing in 15th position with 41 points.

But they will not be resting on their laurels.

The squad will return to training just three weeks after the conclusion of last season, giving them almost a month to prepare for the start of the new campaign on September 12.

This is just another sign of how far the club has come since their promotion to the Premier League in 2017, and the major steps taken following the arrival of head coach Graham Potter 15 months ago.

The Argus:

Former defensive stalwart Bruno has seen this progression first hand, having just completed his first season as part of Albion’s coaching staff.

The 39-year-old said: “I feel we are in a better position at the start of this season than last and that is really important.

“With a new manager the philosophy changed last season and the players have to adapt, even when we are playing games during the season.

“We asked them lots of questions on and off the pitch to change their game and the way they have adapted to the challenge has been really good.

“They deserve credit for the way they adapted, I admire how they dealt with it.”

The Argus:

The team endured a disappointing ten-game winless run in the period leading up to lockdown, but Bruno praised the players for never abandoning the principles instilled in them by Potter.

“We encouraged players to play the best they can without worrying too much about the result,” he said.

“It is about finding the right balance. Winning games keeps you away from danger but if you don’t do the right things sooner or later you are going to get into trouble. We didn’t win a game for a period but drew a lot of matches and played some good football.”

And the result soon followed.

The Argus:

When football made its long-awaited following the easing of lockdown restrictions, Albion enjoyed a glorious run in which they took points from the likes of Newcastle, Burnley, Southampton, Leicester and recorded an impressive win against Arsenal.

The end result - Premier League safety.

“We had the belief that if stuck to our philosophy we would be rewarded and it finished with a record points of 41 for the club,” Bruno said.

But, it is hoped, avoiding relegation will not be the extent of Albion’s pre-season targets for future seasons. Bruno said the club stands in better stead than they have done in previous years and, as a consequence of this, players and staff alike are “dreaming high”.

The Argus:

He said: “I think we will start the new season with stronger foundations. We have worked together as players and staff now for a year and so the next challenge is working out our goal for the new season.

“Our aim is to keep improving as a club, it’s something we’re always doing. We can’t stop.

“We are dreaming high. We know what we want to do and how we want to achieve it.”

And the club legend is also keen to progress his own career as a coach after a successful first season.

The Argus:

The Spaniard hung up his boots at the end of last season having made 235 appearances since joining the Seagulls from Valencia in 2012.

He was offered a place in Potter’s coaching team and played an integral part, alongside the head coach and his assistants Bjorn Hamberg and Billy Reid in last season’s success.

He said: “It has been amazing and I have learned so much from Graham, Bjorn and Billy. I feel really grateful for how smoothly my transition from a player to a member of the coaching staff has been.

“I am in a privileged position because they put their trust in a person they had not met before. That shows the type of people they are.”