Albion are confident they can keep finding the talent to maintain their Premier League progress.

But they will not be changing formula after announcing record financial numbers.

The Seagulls posted a £122.8 million profit for last season and another healthy off-field result is expected for the current campaign.

That has been built on shrewd work in terms of identifying, signing, developing and - sometimes - selling players.

Chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber said there is "a desire to maintain our model and not deviate from it".

But there will be some adaptation as sights are set ever higher..

Asked whether Albion would now be fishing in more expensive talent pools, Barber said: “The challenge that you have when you finish sixth in the table is the pool of players that you can acquire in order to maintain or improve on that performance is obviously much smaller than when you are in the top 12.

“The challenge for us is going to be even harder for us going forward to find players who can improve on a sixth-place finish.

“Let’s say we finish eighth or ninth, it becomes harder.

“At the same time, our resources and our awareness of different markets around the world is growing.

“Our knowledge is improving, so the world of football is opening out to us even further.

“We are pretty confident that we will be able to continue to invest at the right level and bring in the right players and develop the right players.

“But it is that constant challenge - the better you do, the harder it is to improve.

“On the other hand, the market opens up to you, partly through our knowledge and partly through your desirability to players who want to come to you.

“Hopefully those two things balance themselves out and we will be able to continue along the line of progress we have had so far.”