Graham Potter was named as Brighton manager on Monday and said he would aim to consolidate the club’s place in the Premier League after replacing the sacked Chris Hughton.
The Englishman, 44, who made his name as a manager at Swedish club Ostersund, impressed as boss of second-tier Swansea last season.
Hughton was dismissed last week despite keeping Brighton in the Premier League for a second successive season.
“I’ve worked very hard to make it to this point and the path that I’ve taken has been 14 years of learning and sacrifice,” Potter told reporters at a press conference.
“I’ll now do my very best for the football club and help them to develop.
“The competition that is the Premier League is the biggest challenge in itself. It’s my job to get the players to believe that they can go in to every match and win.”
Potter, credited with playing an attractive brand of football, guided Swansea to a respectable 10th in the Championship despite huge cuts in personnel following the club’s relegation from the Premier League.
The new boss, who represented Southampton and West Brom during his playing career, won three promotions with Ostersund and steered them into the Europa League.
Under Hughton, Brighton managed just two wins from their 18 league matches after the turn of the year and finished 17th, only two points clear of Cardiff in the final relegation place.
Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said: “We are delighted to have secured the services of one of the brightest young English coaches.
“Graham Potter has an excellent record of developing teams with an attractive playing style, fierce determination and a strong collective spirit.”
