And Liam Rosenior isn’t any different.
Rosenior has experience of Premier League football previously at Fulham and Hull so he knows what it’s all about, which makes the Brighton full back as keen as ever to be involved this season.
Albion, who start against Manchester City on Saturday 12th August, do have a strong squad even though Rosenior has told the Official Website he expects Chris Hughton to further add to it during the summer transfer window.
However, with so many looking to prove they’re Premier League capable it’ll give added incentive to the players too.
‘Everyone wants to be involved, to start that first game and stake their claim for the shirt. That`s a great thing to have, you want that competition for places. I`m sure the club are going to bring more faces in, and they`ll add to what we`ve already got. We have to remember, with all this talk of big transfer fees, that we`ve got a squad that`s gained 90 points over two Championship seasons.’
Adding: ‘We`re in a strong position already and I`m sure there are plenty of players in this group that will go on to prove that they`re top Premier League players as well.’
Rosenior is using pre-season training and the friendlies, including the victory at Crawley, which will be followed up by a trip to Southend this evening, and he’s feeling good going on to say his teammates returned ‘in great shape.’
Commenting on the clubs’ facilities he said: ‘Every day that you train during pre-season makes a huge difference to your fitness. We work really hard at the training ground, day-in day-out – and we have the best facilities. Everything is done with heart-rate monitors and it`s measured how far we run. So far we`ve hit all of the targets and we`re on track for how fit we need to be for the first game. We need to make sure that we`ve got a fit squad that`s challenging each other week-in week-out, in what`s going to be a really hard league this year.’
A couple of those to arrive at the Amex Stadium this summer are Markus Suttner and Pascal Gross. Both have made an impact on Rosenior too.
He said: ‘It was a great finish from Pascal and since he`s come in, he`s been fantastic. Markus has got real quality with his left foot, and not only are they good players, they fit into our ethos. They`re hard-working, down-to-earth guys that want to do well for the club. It feels like they`ve been here for ages. They`re two really good guys and great players.’
Concluding: ‘Every player is important. What Pascal brings is something different. We played 4-4-2 a lot of the time last season and we know we can play that system. But to have a number ten that can play between the lines and play from deeper, is another really good weapon to have. So far he`s shown his quality in training and games; he can play with both feet and his set-pieces are great, as well as his open play.’
