The manager who can take the Albion to the next level

Who is it? It's the question every Albion fan is asking.

Oscar Garcia's unexpected resignation has left Tony Bloom, the Brighton and Hove Albion chairman, hunting for a new manager for the second summer in a row.

The highly-rated former Barcelona youth team coach called time on his short spell in the Amex hot seat following the Albion's disappointing play-off exit at the hands of Derby County.

Most supporters agree Oscar had performed a minor miracle in securing a second successive play-off play at the end of what had been an injury-plagued Championship campaign but there had been growing grumbles from within certain sections of the Seagulls fan base over the cautious approach adopted by the Spanish head coach.

Albion have already received interest from a host of potential applicants and remain confident a new manager can be found to marshal the club's resources into a third promotion push in as many seasons.

But who is likely to make the Brighton short list? The Brighton and Hove Independent looks at some of the runners and riders expected to be in the mix.