By Paul Camillin

Albion manager Gus Poyet and assistant Mauricio Taricco have pledged their long-term futures to the club by signing new four-year deals, running until June 2014.

The pair signed their new contracts at the club's Portuguese training base yesterday afternoon, and Poyet told seagulls.co.uk, "I'm delighted that Tano and I have signed these new deals.

"It gives us the possibility of looking ahead with a different perspective. It is very different to be planning with four years ahead of you, than if you only have one year left on a contract.

"As a manager this was my ambition: to find a place to stay for the long term, so I would like to thank the chairman and directors for giving me the possibility of working at this fantastic club for the next four years.

"I am sure that many people in football thought that I was using Brighton as a stepping stone. That has never been the case, I want to get this club to as high a level as possible in English Football and I'm convinced that this is possible.

"We have got a great future ahead, especially with the new stadium only a year away and I'm looking forward to leading the team to our first game at the American Express Community Stadium."

Chairman Tony Bloom said, "Gus and Mauricio have earned their new long-term deals. They have proven themselves in the time they have been here and endeared themselves to the club's supporters.

"When we appointed Gus, we believed he would prove himself to be one of the best up-and-coming managers, and we are pleased he has already shown that, so naturally we are delighted to have agreed a new deal with him.

"Mauricio's new deal reflects Gus's in terms of length; they arrived together, and are a managerial duo. They work extremely well together and make an extremely good managerial team, so it was natural for both contracts to be done at the same time."

The pair joined Albion in November and their original contracts were due to expire at the end of the 2010/11 season.