Record-breaking Will Buckley has kicked off life at Albion in style – with a good luck message from the man he could replace.

Elliott Bennett, who is heading to Norwich City after almost two years with the Seagulls, popped into training yesterday lunchtime to say his goodbyes after his summer move.

And he had special words for the £1 million man he never played alongside.

Playmaker Buckley, signed for a club record fee the day Bennett’s departure to the Canaries was confirmed, said: “Elliott came up to me and wished me good luck, which was good of him.

“I know him just from playing against him.

“He came over and told me I should enjoy myself here.

“I didn’t really know any of the players except Will Hoskins, although I knew Glenn Murray, who has obviously left now, from Rochdale.

“But once you get started you are part of the team. That’s the way the lads have made me feel.”

Buckley, right, and his former Watford colleague Hoskins are the only senior newcomers to Gus Poyet’s squad to date.

Serious training started on Tuesday and Poyet will step up the workload in the next couple of days but Buckley revealed Albion have already had the footballs out.

He said: “Training has been as hard as it needed to be. I suppose the best way to put it is that it has been sensibly hard.

“We got the balls out (yesterday) which was good.

“I could see what Brighton are all about from playing against them last season. If we do that next season we should have no trouble.”

Poyet is pursuing four main targets as he looks for additions in defence, midfield and attack.

In addition, Dutch club Excelsior expect Roland Bergkamp to sign at The Amex in the next few days after turning down their contract offer although Albion are offering no comment on the 20-year-old striker.

Excelsior would ask for compensation for their home-produced player and would hope to negotiate a sell-on clause.

Poyet meanwhile has told his players they have had it pretty easy on the training ground so far.

He said: “Saturday will be a nightmare – but they know it will be. They know what we are doing each day.”