Joel Veltman is enjoying life with the Seagulls and is looking forward to the possibility of making his debut against Chelsea tonight.
The Netherlands international signed a three-year contract earlier in the transfer window to become Graham Potter’s second signing of the summer.
He said, “To be honest, when I came here for the medical the club felt warm to me and there are a lot of nice people working here so it was a good feeling. And, of course, they’re in the Premier League. As a young kid you dream about playing in it.
“I have obviously watched the Premier League and I am expecting the standard of the Champions League in every game. The tempo will be high, the players will be better than the competition in the Dutch League. I love the physicality of this league but I have to prove myself.
“I had two phone calls with Graham Potter before I joined. We spoke about how he wanted to play and the formation as well as the ideas of football.”
The 28-year-old made the tough decision to leave boyhood club Ajax, who he joined at the age of ten.
“I was with them my whole career,” added Veltman. “To make the step to a new club and a new country is hard. But I’ve settling in nicely. We’ve lived in our house for a fortnight now. The only thing is our dogs haven’t joined us yet. But there’s a lot of nice restaurants and the beaches are lovely.”
Veltman has history with the Blues, having played against them in the Champions League last season when he was sent off alongside Daley Blind on a controversial night at Stamford Bridge.
“That game was really strange. Ajax were 4-1 in front and by the end there was a possibility to lose it 5-4. I have mixed feelings, but good memories. We got two red cards, I was one of them, I don’t need to be reminded!
“Chelsea are a very difficult team to open with, especially with the signings they have made, but it’ll be a nice to game to start with.”