Albion have lost captain Andrew Crofts to Norwich City but gained £6,000 per appearance for his services.

Crofts completed his move to the Championship newcomers last night on a three-year contract.

Both clubs have refused to disclose the fee but The Argus understands the figure could rise to £300,000 for the competitive midfielder, who scored seven goals in 50 games during his only season with the Seagulls.

The healthy profit is of little consolation to manager Gus Poyet, who made Crofts skipper as soon as he took charge in November.

Now he must find not only a midfield replacement for the fans’ player of the season but also a new leader, although Colchester’s Dave Prutton has already been lined up for the former role and could possibly fit the bill for the latter too.

Poyet said: “We are really disappointed that Crofty is leaving us, because he was such an important player for us last season.

“When a team is playing well you inevitably attract attention from other clubs and you can end up losing players.

“But that is football. This is a wonderful chance for Crofty to go and play in the Championship at a great stadium.

“Players only have short careers and he feels he can’t let this opportunity pass him by, so we have to respect that.

“We wish him well and would like to thank him for all his efforts last season.”

Poyet is now playing catch-up in rebuilding the squad, having lost both Crofts and Inigo Calderon after the Spanish right-back failed to meet a contract deadline and had his offer withdrawn amid interest from Southampton.

Chairman Tony Bloom admitted: “Naturally we are bitterly disappointed that Andrew is leaving us, because he had become an important part of the team.

“But we understand what a great opportunity this is for him and we wish him well for the future. I cannot blame him at all.

“We’ll move on. There are lots of players out there and I’d wait until early August to see what team we have assembled then.

“We need to get some quality players in. It will be a different team and it may take a little time to gel but I have got every confidence in Gus.”

Crofts can expect to at least triple his wages with the move to Carrow Road, a remarkable turnaround after former Albion manager Russell Slade signed him for nothing from Gillingham on a two-year deal last June.