Brighton new boy Tomer Hemed revealed how Israel international team-mate Beram Kayal persuaded him to head to English football.

Hemed signed a three-year deal with the Championship club, who are owned by Tony Bloom, in a £1 million deal from Almeria.
Brighton believe they have pulled off a real coup by landing the in-demand Hemed, who was prolific in La Liga.

And Hemed claims Kayal, who arrived from Celtic last January, acted as a secret agent in the move.

He said: “Beram is a very good friend of mine. We play together in the national team and it will be very nice for me to play with him again at Brighton.

"He told me very good things about the club and the place. I know that Brighton are really ambitious and they really want to be promoted to the Premier League.

"I’m really excited to come here and give 100 per cent in every game and try to achieve promotion.”

Albion, who struggled for goals last season, will pin their hopes on Hemed for reviving their fortunes.

And a bullish Hemed, 28, believes it will not be long before he makes his mark and defenders know all about him.

He said: “This season, all the people that do not know about me will see good things. I’m confident I can score goals.”
Brighton boss Chris Hughton believes Hemed can light up the Championship.

He said: “Tomer was a player who the club’s recruitment team were aware of. We have been working towards bringing him to the club since the start of the year.

"He is 6ft tall, strong and he has played much of his football in La Liga and at international level. He is very capable of scoring goals.

"I have no doubts about Tomer adapting to Championship football and improving our attacking threat."