Israeli international midfielder Beram Kayal has said that Brighton will be aiming to cement their place in the Premier League next season and not just make up the numbers.
Having achieved promotion via the automatic spots in 2016/17, all eyes are to the top flight for next year and seeing how Brighton can make the step up and compete and look for survival, and even though we are coming up against some of the best and biggest sides in the country, Kayal told the Official Site that he was relishing that challenge and he was confident we had the quality in the group to establish ourselves.
‘Every game is going to be something special for everyone in the team, but we`re not going to be a side that everyone beats and takes all the points from. We`re ready to be a solid, strong team and be competitive. We know what we have to do for ourselves and for the club to stay in this division.’
Kayal went on to say.
‘We are waiting for the fixtures to come out, but when you see Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea there, you realise that you`re in a big league playing against some of the biggest clubs in the world. I said before that everything we achieved as players this season is the biggest thing that the club has ever done. We need to reach our target, which is to stay in the Premier League for many years.’
Reflecting on our last campaign, Kayal also admitted that reaching the Premier League had been a dream of his and factored in when he joined us in January 2015 from Scottish giants Celtic.
‘We are still buzzing with what we`ve achieved at the moment. Since the first day I arrived here, I felt the club deserved more than to be in the Championship. The training facility and the stadium proved that they were trying to build something special. Last season we were unlucky and this season was a big achievement for the players, staff and fans. We are still feeling like it`s a dream. It`s been an ambition of mine since I left Israel to go and play in the Premier League. When you achieve something that you`ve always wanted to do since you were a child, it`s a massive thing for you and your family.’
