Glenn Murray makes Adam Lallana declaration after he joins Brighton from Liverpool

Murray will be 37 when Brighton take to the field in the Premier League next season and today he welcomed another thirty-something to the squad as Brighton completed the free-transfer of 32-year-old Adam Lallana on a three-year contract.

Lallana, a Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup winner, was drafted in not only for his qualities on the pitch but also for his know-how and professionalism.

The club believe Lallana's knowledge will be vital for the development of younger players such as Aaron Connolly, Alexis Mac Allister, Tariq Lamptey and Steven Alzate.

Murray feels Lallana can be positive influence and wants the new signing and England international to be a leader of the group for the next few seasons.

“It’s a fantastic signing for the club,” said Murray. “It shows the calibre of the player we can attract now.

“Even though he’s a little bit older than what we’d prefer at 32, there’s still plenty of football left in Adam Lallana; he’s fantastic and he’s been at a huge club in Liverpool.

“It also shows the vision of how the chairman (Tony Bloom) wants to progress the football club.

“First and foremost you want him to play week in, week out and do what he can on the pitch – we all know his abilities and what he is capable of – but I think more than that we are looking for a leader, someone who has won those trophies and knows the way to act to be successful.

“We want that to rub off on our younger players, and at the age he’s at we are looking for him to be our leader for the next three of four years.”

Lallana had offers from other Premier League team and from abroad. But the security of a three-year contract and the club's ambition persuaded the former Southampton man to return to the south.

"The infrastructure and ambition around Brighton excites me," he said. "It was a pretty easy choice for me in the end. I think it is a perfect match.

“I cant wait to get started,” he said. “It’s a breath of fresh air coming here – having my medical, everything is new. It’s a challenge I am looking forward to.

“The whole infrastructure and ambition around the club excites me. There is so much young talent and so much ability.

“The manager is highly regarded and it was a pretty easy choice for me in the end, especially knowing how much Brighton have reached out. It’s nice to know that you’re wanted.

“I look how ambitious the chairman is to start with and how highly the manager is regarded since he has come into the club,” Lallana added.

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