Yves Bissouma, player and person - by best mate at Brighton

And that is likely to be music to the ears of the outgoing Albion midfielder.

Bissouma called Gaetan Bong his “big brother” as the left-back guided him through life in the Premier League.

They had trodden similar paths to England, from African origins via stints in neighbouring towns in the very north of France.

Bong gave Bissouma the support he believes some players from abroad lack during tough early times.

Now he reckons the time is just right to move on – but it will have been a wrench for Bissouma all the same.

Bong told The Argus: “We still talk a lot. When something happens, he calls me.

“He is like my young brother.

“I was here doing my thing and Chris Hughton called me and he was looking for a midfielder and he was interested in this young boy Bissouma so he asked a couple of questions.

“I said I had heard a bit about him but I would go and get more information.

“I know how England is, it can be hard, so I wanted to be sure.

“There were rumours he was hard work but I called my friend who was working at Lille.

“I spoke with him and I spoke a little with Yves as well and I could feel he had this motivation.

“I went back and said, ‘He’s a good guy’.

“When he came, he wasn’t starting but I was honest with him and said it’s normal.

“If you don’t start immediately in England, sometimes it can be a good thing. People don’t know you.

“They have expectations but don’t understand how hard it is for someone coming from another country.

“They don’t know and they don’t really care about it.

“They just want you to perform.

“I told him to just take his time and be ready because England is very physical and it’s not the same rhythm between the games.

“The first time I think he realised that was when we played Southampton away.

“After 35 or 40 minutes, he came to me and said, ‘Bongy, I can’t anymore. I’m tired. I think I’m going to go off’.

“We were laughing about it after the game because he didn’t realise his football wasn’t ready yet and he was giving all his energy in the wrong moments.

“He could dribble past five players but he would not run back to follow his player.

“After this game I said, ‘Do your job, if I can help you, I will be there. But do the maximum you can because you have to get through this’.

“He’s an amazing player and I think he can do even more.”

Bong believes a shift of focus, to be more of a team player and less concerned about his own highlights, has been the making of Bissouma, even though it can be a hard adjustment at times.

He said: “Last season he called me after a game and said, ‘Bongy, I don’t understand. When I came here, I think I was better than I am now. I could dribble, I could do everything’.

“But I said to him he is so talented and technically one of the best midfielders I’ve ever seen. Just do the hard work.

“If you do that, at one point any time in the game you can show your talent.

“But the hard work is what makes you start all the games and be like the No.1 in the manager’s head.

“In the last two years that is what he has been doing.

“You could see he was technically so good. But he was doing the hard jobs.

“Running back, tackles, playing hard, playing stronger.

“When he came, he couldn’t tackle.

“He showed what he can do but he wasn’t this player you see now.

“He needed to adapt his football.

“These young boys have to make mistakes.

“I keep saying he’s my brother.

“He helped the club stay in the Premier League and improve their position, and that is worth a lot of money.

“The club have had time to prepare for selling him and they will make more money now.

“I think in the end everyone is happy: “Biss is happy. He loves Brighton like me. Brighton is part of us.

“But we know he deserves to play at a higher level.”

Bissouma helped Albion finish ninth in the Premier League last season.

But Bong is convinced battles in the bottom half have also given him the tough edge he will need.

He said: “Biss now knows how hard you have to work.

“You have players who come directly from, say, France to big clubs and they fail because England is hard.

“You have to adapt and sometimes you have no one around you who can help because every player thinks about himself.

“The hard thing in England is they spend money on you, so everyone is expecting something.

“After Africa, France is a step towards England but it’s still completely different.

“The mentality is completely different.

“In France, young players enjoy themselves before the game, they are relaxed.

“You can see the owner of the club every day.

“In England it’s more like a business.

“Not in a bad way. But clubs are rich, the league is harder, there are more players coming from abroad.

“You have the language barrier.

“These are small differences but they make it big for a player who can’t adapt.”

Bissouma posted a message of thanks to Albion and their fans on social media after he left.

Bong said: “It’s always a hard decision to leave because he has been at Brighton for years. He loved everyone at Brighton.

“You could see after games how he enjoyed himself with the fans.

“They were singing his name and he loved that.

“He’s sensitive. The more love you give him, the more you get from him.

“In Brighton, he could find that. It was like family.

“Last year he stayed because he loved the club.

“But he has too much quality to not try something else.

“Not too much quality for the club, no, but too much quality to not try to play Champions League, to not try to look to be at the best level.

“Fans will be disappointed because they loved him and he loved them but that’s not going to change.

“Maybe he could come back to Brighton after trying this. You know how football is.

“But at this moment, this is what he needed.

“And it is what the club needed because they need players who have ambition.

“Brighton have ambition. That’s why the club is going where it is.

“They are saying to players, ‘You can come here and we will make you better and you can enjoy it and we will love you but, if you get a better chance, you can go’.

“In England, because it’s money, some clubs keep players who want to go but you are sending the wrong message.

“Brighton give the right message to players who could come and help the club grow.”