Amid the rumours that have been circling over the past few days, you may be wondering – who is Sam Jewell? After Rangers made a formal approach this afternoon, we put the Brighton head of recruitment under the microscope.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano confirmed Rangers’ interest in another man who knows a thing or two about the chaotic world of transfers.
Despite reports suggesting the Gers’ interest was nothing more than rumours, the SPL runners-up today launched a formal approach for Sam Jewell.
A tumultuous few weeks at Ibrox – where they cut ties with now-ex manager Michael Beale and sit seven points off Celtic in the league – has left the board scrambling to find immediate solutions.
Although Philippe Clement has now been named as the man to usher in a new era, it appears the club are also eager to change things from the bottom-up, starting with their recruitment strategy.
Who is Sam Jewell?
First things first, it is worth noting that you may be familiar with the family name. Yes, that’s right, Sam is the son of former Wigan, Derby and Sheffield Wednesday manager Paul Jewell.
Aside from the startling resemblance to his father, Sam has forged a hugely successful career for himself at forward-thinking Brighton.
The football world has heaped praise on the Seagulls’ transfer policy. It promotes an algorithm-led approach in order to unearth hidden gems, either with a view to establishing them as first team players or nurturing them for future profit.
🚨🔵 Brighton’s Head of Recruitment Sam Jewell has now been formally approached by Rangers FC to become new Technical Director.
Jewell, considering the proposal but still not convinced about leaving Brighton project at the highest point of club history after excellent job. pic.twitter.com/LcmMtpjZt9
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 18, 2023
Jewell has been at the forefront of Brighton’s startling evolution into a European club, having first joined in 2016 as an U21 recruitment manager.
In his early days on the south coast, he is said to have been key in identifying talents such as Leo Ostigard, now at Napoli, and Viktor Gyokeres, who recently left Coventry for Sporting Lisbon in a €24 million deal.
Jewell says his decision to work on his Spanish during lockdown has helped when approaching potential talent in South America, a region that many of Brighton’s emerging talents hail from.
He became the club’s emerging talent scouting manager in 2018, before making the step up to interim head of recruitment after the departure of his predecessor Paul Winstanley.
Now the recruitment head since February of this year, he says Brighton’s ability to offer a clear pathway to youngsters sets them apart from other clubs.
In an interview on their club website, Jewell said: “Ultimately, the only way you’re going to attract the top young talent is if they can see a route into the first team, given you’re competing against some of the biggest clubs in the world, with the biggest financial packages.
“That’s what happened with Alexis [Mac Allister], Moises [Caicedo], Facundo [Buonanotte] and Julio [Enciso] – we could sell them a pathway to the first team relatively quickly.”
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What Would His Role Be at Rangers?
Unless their formal approach is a convincing package for both 34-year-old Jewell and his current employees, an exit from the club appears unlikely.
Why? One, because he only recently made the step up into his new role, and two, Brighton are a team capable of challenging at the top of the Premier League, and now on the continent.
Maybe the prospect of building the groundwork for a new recruitment model at Rangers may entice him. The club are eager to match Celtic’s new approach to transfers, which has seen them bring in the likes of Odin Thiago Holm and Marco Tilio this season.
As Brighton’s recent success has shown, there are not many in the industry as well equipped as Jewell to potentially take them forward.
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