Liam Rosenior insists Brighton & Hove Albion’s players must maintain their self belief if they want to flourish in the Premier League this season.

The Seagulls ended a 34-year wait to return to the top flight when they gained promotion from the Championship last term.

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Their first opponents will be big-spending Manchester City after the fixture list revealed the Citizens will travel down to the South Coast in August.

And while a daunting start to the season, Rosenior believes they cannot afford to pay City too much respect.

“It’s a great way to start the season, it’s what the Premier League is all about and we’ve earned the right to be there. But it’s not just about being there, it’s about showing what good players we are,” he said.

“If we go into games in awe of teams, then we’ll find it difficult. We have to show them respect, but hopefully by the end of the season, those teams and players will respect us.

“Every team is going to be difficult to play against, but we need to realise that playing against us is going to be difficult as well.”

Rosenior already has plenty of top flight experience having played in the Premier League with Fulham, Reading and Hull City.

And the 32-year-old had a further word of advice for his teammates who will be plying their trade in England’s highest division for the first time.

“You come up against top players in the Premier League, but you must have the belief that you’re a top player yourself, or you’re on your way to becoming one,” he added.

“We’ve played with no fear since the moment I joined the club, and we should now go into these games in the Premier League looking to show these teams what we can do.”

Tottenham have had their fair share of great players through the years, and as one of just six ever-present teams left in the Premier League, there are plenty of contenders for an all-time XI.

The current team has twice challenged for the title only to fall short, but it’s no surprise that a few present-day players have made the team.

If the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli continue on their current trajectory, they will be in this line-up sooner rather than later.

Hugo Lloris

Tottenham have had a few keepers last a fair few years but current skipper Hugo Lloris has already established himself as the best of the bunch. There might have been a few rumbles of discontent when he came in and displaced Brad Friedel but the France No.1 quickly established himself as Tottenham’s leader and the star man between the sticks.

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Stephen Carr

Kyle Walker has probably had higher highs, but for consistency over an extended period, no one can touch Carr, who was the epitome of reliability for more than a decade. Regularly playing every minute of a Premier League season, the Republic of Ireland international was also a true leader for Spurs.

Toby Alderweireld

Perhaps a little premature but in two seasons Toby Alderweireld has proven himself as one of the best defenders in the league. His injury this season coincided with Tottenham’s loss of form, and his distribution is a cut above the vast majority of players at the back. Certainly worth a place over he who shall not be named.

Ledley King

The first name on the teamsheet, the only frustration is what might have been if not for his bad knees. Arguably the best player Tottenham have produced this century, King was often the best defender in the league despite the fact he couldn’t train. If not for injuries, he would have been the mainstay of the England defence for as long as he wanted.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto

A cult hero at White Hart Lane, Bennie was not the most conventional left-back, but had some great moments. A real threat going forward, Assou-Ekotto spent nine years on Spurs’ books and became something of a legend for his efforts following the 2011 riots in the Tottenham area.

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Mousa Dembélé

A third current player, and in 2015/16 arguably Spurs’ most important player. Mousa Dembélé plays very deep but with the ball at his feet is about as hard a player to tackle as there is in the league. Immensely strong and a driving force, he has been a revelation since joining from Fulham. Still only 29, he is one of the standout performers in Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Luka Modric

It’s something of an attacking pairing in the centre of the park but there’s no way we can leave out Luke Modric. The Croatian is now the fulcrum of European champions Real Madrid, and was already a cut above for Spurs. Diminutive he may be, but he can run a game like no other. If Madrid ever get tired of him, Tottenham would take him back in a heartbeat.

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David Ginola

Tottenham weren’t the greatest team in the late 1990s, but in David Ginola they had one of the most watchable players. The French winger could beat a man with ease and in 1999 claimed the Player of the Season award and helped Spurs to the League Cup title. It was also that year that he scored a wonder goal against Barnsley in the FA Cup – the best goal in the tournament that year, no matter what Ryan Giggs fans tell you!

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Gareth Bale

For that hat-trick in Milan alone, Gareth Bale deserves a place in this team. One of the sparks of the Tottenham revolution, he started as the man who couldn’t win, to become the most expensive player in football history. In between he transformed from a left-back to the most dangerous attacking threat in the league with a vicious shot, unrivalled speed and serious power. The spearhead to Spurs’ great Champions League run in 2010/11.

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Rafael van der Vaart

He couldn’t really run, and rarely played more than an hour, but in terms of class only Dimitar Berbatov can come close in Spurs colours. A consummate finisher, flawless on the ball, he racked up 24 goals in two seasons at the Lane and was the perfect foil to whichever of Tottenham’s many striking options played in front of him. The only regret is that he didn’t stay longer.

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Teddy Sheringham

It’s tempting to put in Harry Kane already, another season of what he’s currently doing and he’ll be there but we’ll reward Teddy Sheringham for years of dedicated service. 76 goals in five years in his first spell, and another 22 second time around, Sheringham was Tottenham for much of the 1990s. He and van der Vaart would form a deadly strike partnership up front.

Honourable mentions: Ian Walker, Kyle Walker, Gary Mabbutt, Darren Anderton, Aaron Lennon, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Jurgen Klinsmann, Robbie Keane, Jermain Defoe, Dimitar Berbatov

His side may currently be managerless but Crystal Palace stalwart Jason Puncheon has called on his team to step up to bigger and better things next season.

Palace found themselves embroiled in a battle for Premier League survival last season but Sam Allardyce successfully kept the Eagles away from danger before resigning in May – former Inter Milan and Ajax boss Frank De Boer is the favourite to replace him.

Winger Puncheon, who is heading into his fifth season at Selhurst Park, believes that Palace can garner a bit more success this time around, as long as they apply themselves correctly.

“Reflecting on it, the season was a tale of two halves – we got off to a difficult start and then picked up some results but needed a good second half of the season to get us safe,” said the 30-year-old.

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“During that second half, the results we put together galvanised us as a group and got us over the line.

“We had tremendous results over Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool but the end of season points total showed how vital those victories were for us all.

“We know, going into this season, we must start better than what we did last year and put the negatives behind us.

“That was last season though and now need to move on and believe that we are better than that as a group, and be ready to have a good year and show how the squad can move the club onto the next level.”

Marco Silva was productive in January in his failed attempt to keep Hull City in the Premier League.

The Portuguese manager made eight signings in the space of one month and it appears as if the new Watford manager is ready to reunite with one of his Hull purchases.

The new Hornets boss is said to be eyeing a swoop to sign Liverpool winger Lazar Markovic.

Silva handed the 23-year-old Serbia international 14 appearances during his five-month loan stint at the KCOM Stadium, during which he scored two goals and impressed on the wing.

Markovic has since returned to Anfield but with the winger surplus to requirements under Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside, Silva could snap up his former key man.

Klopp is set to make Markovic available as he looks to bring in Mohamed Salah from Roma and Timo Werner from RB Leipzig, but it’s being reported that Silva will have to pay the Merseysiders the £20million they forked out to sign him from Benfica in 2014 in order to push through a transfer.

And Silva isn’t stopping there as he reportedly moves for Derby County ace Will Hughes.

The England Under-21 international has previously been touted as a future Premier League star and Silva is reportedly willing to part with £5.5million to land the midfielder.

After a second successful season in the Premier League, Bournemouth have ambitions to do even better, according to Dan Gosling.

The Cherries finished ninth last season in the top flight, just seven years after plying their trade in League Two.

Gosling has been at the club since 2014 and last season made 30 appearances in all competitions, scoring three times.

Eddie Howe’s side finished 16th in the Premier League during their first season and after recording the club’s best-ever finish last campaign, Gosling is striving for more.

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“For a club of our size and where we have come from, finishing ninth was a huge achievement and one that should be remembered for a long time,” said the Cherries midfielder.

“But each year, we try to better what we have done before. We did that last season and now we will aim to finish even higher.

“Hopefully, we will bring in some quality players over the summer and improve the squad again.”

The Premier League fixtures for the forthcoming season have been released and Gosling admits there’s one time of the year he always looks for first.

He added: “I always look at who we are playing over the Christmas period first, then who we start and finish the season against. Everything else takes care of itself.”

Newcastle United defender Kevin Mbabu has paid tribute to the Magpies after it was revealed he would be leaving Tyneside.

Newcastle have announced that the defender has signed a three-year contract with the Swiss giants Young Boys after spending last season on loan there.

The 22-year-old moved to St. James’ Park from Servette in 2013 but only made a handful of first-team appearances after suffering multiple injuries.

Mbabu was sent out on loan Rangers in 2015 before enjoying a season of regular football at Young Boys last term.

The former Switzerland youth international admits he is gutted to have left St. James’ Park but is looking forward to the future.

“I’ve been proud to wear the black and white shirt and I gave everything I had each time I got the chance to play for this club,” said Mbabu on his personal Twitter account.

“I would have loved to give you more but injuries and new opinions have decided differently.

“I learned a lot in my time at Newcastle but the biggest is yet to come for me.”

Jordan Henderson may not be the most glamorous of players, but Liverpool legend Graeme Souness insists the Reds missed him badly last season.

Henderson, the club captain, sat out the last three months of the campaign with a foot injury – although Jurgen Klopp’s men still managed to secure Champions League football.

But the 27-year-old has become vital to the way Liverpool play, flourishing in a new deeper position in front of the back four and allowing the likes of Adam Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum to get forward more often.

Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

And Souness, who knows a good midfielder when he sees one, believes Liverpool will receive a huge boost when he is back next season.

“In the playing sense, they’ve missed him greatly,” he said.

“You’re not always bossing the game – doesn’t matter what team you are, you’re not always in charge of the game – and he’s really good at making [his opponent] go into areas and make passes they don’t want to.

“As well as that, I think he’s improved with his own technique. He can open the play up both short and long now, and he’s a major influence.

“Arguably, he might have been the first on the teamsheet when he was firing on all cylinders.”

Arsene Wenger looks to be in the market for a prolific striker this summer –  what would he give to have this Gunners legend back spearheading his team?

Ian Wright scored a stunning 185 goals in 288 Arsenal appearances, but aside from his goalscoring he became a cult hero for his fierce commitment on the pitch and his colourful character off it.

Arsenal supporters would be hard-pressed to choose just one Premier League cult hero; Ray Parlour, Manu Petit, Dennis Bergkamp, Laurent Koscielny and the evergreen Nwankwo Kanu could probably all stake a claim.

But when Wright joined the club back in 1991 for £2.5 million from Crystal Palace, they signed a player who was crucial in transitioning George Graham’s grafters into Arsene Wenger’s Artisans.

Instant Impact

Some questioned Graham’s decision to sign Wright at the time, Arsenal were reigning champions and had Alan Smith, Paul Merson, Kevin Campbell and the majestic Anders Limpar all well established.

But the Woolwich-born striker made an instant impact, scoring on both his debut and league debut – a hat-trick at Southampton that was a sign of things to come.

Graham’s team increasingly became a team of workers rather than magicians, but in the era of ‘One-nil to the Arsenal’ it was usually Wright who was responsible for the one.

He won the domestic cup double in 1993 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994, on his way to becoming Arsenal’s top scorer for six successive seasons.

(Graham Chadwick/ALLSPORT)

Graham and Bruce Rioch departed but Wright stayed and was joined by the game-changing Wenger and the mercurial Dutchman Bergkamp.

The two strikers formed a deadly duo, with Bergkamp’s guile luring opponents in and Wright often bringing the killer instinct.

Champion

Despite being 33 the England striker scored 23 goals in 1996-97 and became Arsenal’s then record goalscorer with a hat-trick against Bolton, famously revealing his ‘179 – Just Done it!’ T-shirt a goal too early.

The 1997-98 season saw the forward’s goals fire Arsene Wenger’s side to the double, Wright’s first league trophy and the Gunners’ first in seven seasons.

Wright went on to play for Notts Forest, Burnley, Celtic and West Ham – his time at Upton Park perhaps best remembered for him vandalising a referee’s dressing room after being sent off against Leeds Utd.

The Arsenal legend was criminally overlooked by England throughout his career. He was the First Division’s top scorer in 1991-92 but wasn’t selected for England’s Euro 92 squad at the expense of Arsenal teammates Smith and Merson – as well as Nigel Clough.

Despite his international struggles the Gunners hero will always be remembered by virtually all as a great goalscorer as well as a scorer of great goals.

Wright became a master of scoring every type of goal, poacher’s finishes were his bread and butter but his sublime lob at Swindon and instinctive chip against Everton will live long in the memory.

Wright was known for being a fiery character on the pitch, just ask Peter Schmeichel, but he also expressed his intense passion through his famous celebrations that inspired young footballers all over the world.

Everton new-boy Davy Klaassen is confident he will be able to reap a plentiful bounty of goals at Goodison Park.

The 24-year-old attacking midfielder completed a £23.6million move to the Toffees in midweek, moving to the Premier League from Ajax, whom he captained to last season’s Europa League final.

Dutchman Klaassen notched 18 times in 52 appearances last term and is aiming to prove just as deadly in front of the net on Merseyside.

“I like to get in the box and I also like to be aggressive on the field and press all the time,” he said.

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“I like to score and create goals, and I like to win.

“My whole life, I’ve scored a lot of goals, so I expect that I can do it here as well.
“It’s not the most important part of my game but goals are important in football. I will try to do my best and the goals will come.

“I like to win and to win, you have to provide or score goals.

“I want us to get better and better as a team and we will see where we go but I have a good feeling about it.”

John Wile is one of the most cherished centre-halves in West Bromwich Albion’s history and rates John Terry as one of the best he’s seen in this country – but he does not want the Baggies to sign the former England captain.

Wile, 70, made more than 600 appearances across a 13-year stint for West Brom between 1970 and 1983 and has also been the club’s captain and caretaker manager.

Tony Pulis’ modern-day Baggies have been linked with a move for 36-year-old Terry, whose long-standing association with Chelsea comes to an end this summer, but Wile believes the Hawthorns chief should be looking for someone with a few more miles left on the clock.

“I’ve seen John Terry play and I think he’s by far and away the best centre-half in England for a long time,” said Wile.

“I’ve seen him at the Hawthorns and quite honestly, he’s played in his slippers – he’s strolled through games.

(Photo by Gerry Armes/Birmingham Mail/Popperfoto/Getty Images

“You could have taken his shirt off and put it back in the cupboard because he’s been in such command.

“But having seen him of late, I just think there comes a time when, as good as a player as you are, you need to say: ‘I can’t really do it at the top level’.

“That might be because Terry hasn’t been given enough games recently, but I think it is nearing time for him to pack it in.

“He’s still a useful player. If he did come, he’d still be a good signing but my personal view is, given the ageing defence that we’ve already got, the club has got to be looking for someone a lot younger than that.”