In this era of spiralling transfer fees £100,000 seems like loose change.

It might just about buy you one of Luis Figo's toenails, yet six figure sums have been a thing of the past for Albion until now.

Bobby Zamora has just become the Seagulls' biggest buy for a decade.

The last time the club splashed out so much for a player was back in September 1990, when Barry Lloyd signed John Byrne from French club Le Havre for £125,000.

Byrne was a huge success, which is more than can be said for four more players almost breaking the £100,000 barrier.

Within a year of buying Byrne, Lloyd paid £60,000 for another forward, Mark Farrington from Dutch giants Feyenoord.

The fee was due to rise to £100,000 depending on appearances, but the globetrotting Liverpudlian with a chequered past proved a disaster.

Farrington, plagued by injuries, played just 33 times and scored only four goals.

The next spending spree came during the cavalier reign of Jimmy Case. In the spring of 1996, with Albion well on their way to relegation from the Second Division, Case went back to his old club Southampton to sign striker Craig Maskell and winger Paul McDonald.

The Seagulls ended up paying £90,000 for Maskell, £40,000 down and £50,000 based on appearances, and £80,000 for McDonald, half of which was again a downpayment.

In fairness to both players, they were key figures in Albion's remarkable escape under Steve Gritt from successive relegations the following season, Maskell finishing top marksman with 16 and McDonald making more appearances than any other player.

But the fans never really took to Maskell in particular and the pair went for nothing in a Christmas cutback on the top wage earners by Dick Knight, soon after he took over as chairman.

Case's biggest blunder was the purchase of talented midfielder Jason Peake from Rochdale in July 1996. A tribunal ordered Albion to fork out £80,000, increasing to £95,000 after 20 games and £120,000 after 40.

Peake's move turned into a nightmare. Case allowed him to live in his home city of Leicester, which led to an ongoing dispute with the club over relocation expenses.

On the pitch Peake never lived up to his billing. He scored once in just 35 appearances, which at least meant the club did not have to find the final £25,000 installment.

Knight cut Albion's losses by giving Peake a free transfer to Bury. He is now, via a return to Rochdale, at Plymouth, visitors to Withdean at the end of October.

Will Zamora be a hit, like Byrne, or a miss, like Peake?

Only time will tell, but on the face of it Albion's summer-long pursuit of the teenage prospect looks well worthwhile.

Zamora, at 19, is a long-term investment, hence a four-year contract.

The Seagulls did not have to up their earlier £100,000 bid and the 30 per cent sell-on clause for Bristol Rovers, although a little higher than the norm, means a £150,000 sale would recoup their outlay. If Zamora fulfils the potential he has already shown he will be worth a lot more than that.

He was a victim of intense competition for places up front at Second Division Rovers and the handling of the '

Zamora affair' by manager Ian Holloway was a little strange.

Towards the end of the youngster's prolific goal-a-game loan spell last season, Holloway alleged Zamora was unhappy about Albion players cutting corners in training.

It was an extraordinary claim, which was instantly refuted by the player and his temporary colleagues.

Holloway also insisted Zamora was not for sale at any price when Albion's original £100,000 bid was rejected last month.

He was desperate to hang onto him, even suggesting he rejoined Albion on a long-term loan.

Yet Holloway never started with him and Zamora's seven appearances for the Seagulls is already the same number as he made in total off the bench for Rovers.

Albion were by no means the only club eager to secure the lanky Londoner's services. Northampton, Oldham and belatedly Ron Noades' Brentford, all like Rovers in the Second Division, were also sniffing.

I dread to think how Micky Adams would have felt if arch-enemy Noades had nicked Zamora from under his nose, as happened with Carl Hutchings last season.

All the fuss surrounding Zamora's arrival last week was indicative of the feverish expectations of Albion's fans.

Adams is acutely aware of the danger of placing too much pressure on such young and raw shoulders and it would be unfair to expect a goal tally this season matching his No. 25 shirt.

But if Zamora turns out to be anything like as good as Byrne, Albion will have a bargain and Rovers will be left with egg on their face.

Zamora has already caught the eye of Albion's previous six-figure buy.

Byrne liked what he saw when Zamora scored on his debut on loan from Bristol Rovers against Plymouth at Withdean last season.

"I was quite impressed with him," Byrne said. "He was good at bringing other people into the game for a young lad and looked beyond his years a bit in the intelligence of his play.

"He is definitely one for the future."

Byrne believes the fans' expectations will be a bigger problem for Zamora than the size of the fee.

"To be honest I never thought about my fee when I signed for Brighton," he said. "As a player you just get on with it.

"One hundred thousand pounds wasn't a lot in those days either, although it probably was to Brighton then as well.

"It's good business for the club, because he is a promising player who obviously does not fit into Bristol Rovers' plans.

"I thought they would have a sell-on clause something like 30 per cent though, because they must know he is a lad with potential.

"He is 19 and still learning the game. Everyone knows he came in and did well here last season, but if the fans expect too much of him they might destroy him."

Byrne hopes to get back to Withdean in time to see Zamora in action again this Saturday against Rochdale.

He is in charge of Albion's under 17's this season and they have a match at Barnet in the morning.