Albion promise swift action to get their man

Brighton and Hove Albion have promised Seagulls supporters they will not drag their heels in appointing a replacement for Sami Hyypiä.

Paul Barber, the club's chief executive, told Johnny Cantor, the Brighton and Hove Independent columnist, the club would move quickly to identify the right candidate.

Speaking on BBC Sussex, Mr Barber said: 'Clearly, we don't want there to be uncertainty for too long, particularly with the transfer window just around the corner.

"This is our opportunity to reinforce the squad where we can. It's never easy to do business in January but if there are possibilities to do that we will."

Mr Barber added: "A number of people have already contacted us, we have to narrow that list and we'll aim to do that as quickly as we can."

Nathan Jones, assistant to both Hyypiä and Oscar Garcia, his predecessor, is in temporary charge.

Tony Bloom, the Albion chairman, cut short his annual spell in Australia to spearhead the search for a new manager after accepting Hyypiä's resignation following a wretched run of just one win in 18 league games.

The Seagulls have already approached MK Dons, the League One club, for permission to speak to Karl Robinson.

The 34-year-old became the youngest manager in the league when he landed the MK Dons job at the age of 29; he would appear to fit Mr Bloom's favoured managerial profile as an emerging and ambitious candidate.

He will, however, face stiff competition for the job, with Uwe Rosler, Chris Hughton, and Frédéric Hantz among an array of names already linked with the role.

Tony Pulis and Tim Sherwood are also among the early favourites - although whether either would consider a job at the tail-end of the Championship working within the Albion's established off-the-field structure is unclear. The departure of David Burke, the club's head of football operations, however, could signal a change in the set up and leave the way clear for the likes of Sherwood.