Albion won't see another player of the same ilk as Glenn Murray, according to his former teammate Tommy Elphick.
The striker called time on his Albion career last week when he sealed a move to Nottingham Forest, where he has teamed up again with former boss Chris Hughton.
It could have been a very different story though, because Murray had a tough time settling into life in Sussex when he joined in 2008 from Rochdale.
“We paid a big fee for him and there was pressure to start delivering quickly as we were lacking goals at the time,” Elphick recalled. “We had to fight off a few clubs to get his signature.
“He came through a bit differently – he had been released at a young age, gone to America and then returned and scored goals in the lower divisions. He was a bit older than me but he had a young family and coming away from home was a massive deal for him.
“It took him six months to settle and it was tough. Things could have been quite different because he was unhappy.
“But he met his wife Stacey and after that his football kicked on. It's weird that he calls Brighton home and I now live in the midlands where I am just as settled. He’s always said 'you'll come back down won't you?' and I am not sure really. It shows how much he loves Brighton.”
“We spent four seasons together and then another at Bournemouth. He had a brand new Audi which he would leave with me for the weekend. I would then go and pick him up from Gatwick when he flew back from Carlisle at the weekend. We ended up rooming together for away games. He always loved to be miserable, but once you get past that, he's a real good guy!
“‘There are no friends in football’ is the saying, but I have stayed in contact with Glenn and whenever I am home I try and meet up with him for a coffee or a bit of dinner. I can't speak highly enough of has him as a person.
“To see that he's played nearly 300 games and scored over 100 goals for Brighton, I would have never envisaged that.”
Murray won promotion to the Championship with Albion before joining Crystal Palace in 2011. He returned in 2016 to help secure the step-up to the Premier League, which Elphick believes will be is his top moment in football.
“Your first promotion is always a special one. I was lucky enough to do it with my hometown club and then leave and achieve promotion to the Premier League and there's no better feeling.
“He wouldn't have believed you if you told him when he first joined that he would play a huge part in getting Brighton to the Premier League, but becoming a Premier League club has been a natural progression.”
Elphick believes the forward's departure marks the end of an era for Albion.
“Glenn is unique. This is no disrespect for him, but the game has changed since Glenn and I started playing.
“The likes of Glenn don't get the credit they deserve. His footballing brain is unbelievable, he used to do things in training to get past someone or put the ball in the back of the net that I hadn't seen before. He is so clever – it's something that you can't coach unless you know how. Hopefully he will be back at the club one day passing that knowledge on.”