Brighton's 2015/16 season has been phenomenal for a side who finished 20th last campaign.

Under the guidance of Chris Houghton this season, the Seagulls are flying as they sit in third with just 10 games remaining for the Sky Bet Championship outfit.

On 65 points, Brighton have already surpassed their points tally of 47 points that they accumulated last season to sustain their Premier League status.

The reason for this resurgence in performances this season looks to be down to the recruitment Chris Houghton and his staff did over the summer. Spending over £7m, Houghton would have fully expected to find his side in this position in the league - given the amount he had spent to bring new personnel into the squad.

However, like any Championship club, Brighton will find it extremely hard to keep the player that have seen them rise up the table.

Most crucially for them will be the prospect of reaching the Premier League. If they are in fact able to achieve promotion to the big time, they will find it much easier to hold onto their players than if they are not to get promoted.

FootballLeagueWorld writer Reece Chambers identifies the FIVE players Brighton Hove Albion cannot afford to lose...

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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE FIVE PLAYERS!

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Tomer Hemed

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Purchased in the summer for £1m from Almeria, the Israeli-international has scored 11 goals in 33 appearances for Chris Houghton's side.

His goals have helped Brighton reach to the play-off places in Sky Bet Championship with an outside chance of achieving automatic promotion to the Premier League. As a result, the signing of Hemed has proved priceless so far this season.

A £1m transfer in the Championship is becoming a lot more regular with a sudden influx of money. And, with the likes of Jordan Rhodes going to Middlesbrough for over £9m, Hemed looks to be a bargain for Brighton.

His pace and power has proved hard for Championship defences to deal with so far this season and he is certainly not a player Brighton can afford to lose if they want to become a Premier League side.

Jamie Murphy

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Also signed in the summer, this time from Sky Bet League 1 side Sheffield United for £1.75m, Jamie Murphy is proving is worth for the Seagulls this season under Chris Houghton.

The forward has scored 6 league goals this campaign and assisted a further 3 in the Sky Bet Championship.

At the age of 26, the Scottish goalscorer will be hopeful of continuing his impressive form that has seen him flourish in his first season in the Sky Bet Championship.

Murphy looks to be sustaining vital partnerships with the likes of Hemed after 25 games for Houghton's side. Therefore, it would be nothing short of a disaster if Brighton & Hove Albion were to lose this gifted Scot.

Anthony Knockaert

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Knockaert has proved a very valuable asset to the Sky Bet Championship side since his January move. He was signed for £2.5m from Standard Leige and looks as if he can bring that extra bit of quality to Houghton's team.

At the age of just 24, the French-midfielder has huge potential to become a big name. And, most impressively, he has a lot of Championship experience given the fact that he made 93 appearances for Leicester City during their stay in the Championship before they got promoted to the big time.

Therefore, Knockaert could prove invaluable for Brighton towards the end of this campaign as he has that experience and know-how of what it takes to get promoted to the Premier League.

Lewis Dunk

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At the age of 24, Dunk has proved to be an academy-success after rising up through the ranks of their academy set up. Captain the youth team in the 2009/10 season, he managed to work his way up to the first team.

After a brief loan spell away from the AMEX, Dunk established himself as first-choice centre back during the 2014/15 season, finishing the season as top scorer and as runner-up to Inigo Calderon for the Player of the Season award. So far this season, the young Englishman has been solid at the heart of Brighton's defence and helping his side to currently sit in third place in the Sky Bet Championship. Dunk's importance is typified by the fact that they have one of the best defences in the league - only conceding 34 goals. Consequently, several Premier League sides have been watching the Brighton centre-back and Houghton will be very keen to hold on to Dunk who has huge potential to go far in his career.

Bobby Zamora

zamoraaa Unlike the aforementioned players, Zamora is a player coming towards the end of his career - at the tender age of 35. Zamora has played for 8 professional clubs in England, including a two spells at Brighton & Hove Albion. His impact this season has been nothing short of crucial, scoring 7 goals and assisting a further 2 league goals. Brighton will be keen to hold onto to Zamora at the end of this season no matter what the outcome is in terms of promotion. He has played at the top level and has also helped teams gain promotion to the Premier League - most notably scoring the winning goal in the play-off final at Wembley to send QPR to the Premier League in the 2013/14 season.