Sussex

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Brighton midfielder Jack Hinshelwood says that James Milner has had a great influence on his fledgling career so far.

The 18-year-old has broken into Roberto de Zerbi's starting XI this term and says having experienced players around him has made the transition easier.

“It’s great to have him [Milner], Lallana, Welbeck," he said in an interview with Brighton's club media., external

"All of our senior players are great. Me and Milly play similar positions so I’m learning from him every day – the way he trains, the standards around everything – means I pick up so much from him.

“He notices the little details and gives great advice, whether that’s in games or training. I wore a snood out to training once and he asked me why I had it on, saying he didn’t have me down as that kind of guy. I thought, ‘yeah, you’re probably right’ and I haven’t worn a snood since! It’s little things like that. He’s great for the group and me.

“I’d be delighted to have a career like his. Even if I can half of the career he has had, I’d be over the moon.”

Chelsea are interested in Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson, 19, but Brighton will demand a fee in excess of £100m to sign him. (Evening Standard, external)

Brighton have already paid Boca Juniors the $10m (£7.8m) release clause for 19-year-old Argentina Under-23 international Valentin Barco, who can play left-back or winger. (Fabrizio Romano, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Brighton remain one of the most exciting sides around and are comfortably in the top half of the Premier League despite losing key midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo to Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.

Roberto de Zerbi is an inspirational leader and a fine tactician while Joao Pedro has been a top-class acquisition from Watford.

Brighton continue to progress and might fancy their chances in one of the cup competitions they are still in. Good times in Sussex.

Current position: Seventh.

McNulty's pre-season prediction: Ninth.

What McNulty said in August: "European football was a fitting reward last season and I expect them to have another good campaign this time around."

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Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited he believes Brighton's squad has the quality to compete on three fronts this season after they progressed in the FA Cup against Stoke City.

He emphasised how keen he is to reach the top:

"The cup is massive for us. I wasn't here last year but the lads have made sure to get the message across about how disappointed they were when they got kicked out because of penalties.

"We played with a very strong squad at Stoke which shows you what we think of it. We knew it wasn't going to be an easy game. It's a difficult place to go but we got the win in the end.

"We dominated most of the game. They got an own goal that was unfortunate but Pervis [Estupinan] scored at the perfect time. It gave us the chance to change the game and move on.

"It's not a big issue when we make changes to the side. All the boys who came in to the side have lots of quality; we have a lot of really good defenders.

"We all speak during the week and all watch the same videos in the same meetings so most of the time we are on the same page.

"Now we have a break and it's important for us to get some boys fit, to recover a bit and to get some time to train a bit because when you have so many games you can't do that so much.

"I've learned so much from my time here and I am sure I'll keep learning and progressing. I know the level I can reach and I want to get there. Everybody at the club is helping and I am very grateful for that."

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Brighton have joined the race for Serbia attacking midfielder Lazar Samardzic with Napoli having agreed a deal with Udinese for the 21-year-old. (Sky Sports Germany, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column