- Brighton confirmed the news on Tuesday morning following a Chelsea approach
- Paul Winstanley joined Chelsea a little over a year ago, also leaving the Seagulls
- Should Man United be forced to pay more than £60m for Dan Ashworth? They’re wrecking Newcastle’s business – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Sam Jewell has accepted an offer to join Chelsea following his resignation from Brighton.
The former Seagulls head of recruitment, who is the son of former Premier League manager Paul Jewell, is expected to join the Blues in November after served his notice period at the AMEX.
Brighton confirmed the news on Tuesday morning, announcing that Jewell would commence a period of gardening leave as they thanked him for his ‘long service’ to the club.
The move comes just 16 months after Chelsea swooped in and appointed Jewell’s predecessor, Paul Winstanley, as their Director of Global Talent and Transfers, after an eight-year spell in Sussex.
They have now gone back to the south coast club to take their head of recruitment, with the 34-year-old expected to work a global role involved with various areas of Chelsea’s multi-club ownership.
Sam Jewell will make the move from Brighton to Chelsea this year following a period of gardening leave
Jewell will follow his predecessor Paul Winstanley (pictured), who swapped Brighton for Chelsea 16 months ago
Jewell is expected to work around the recruitment department of Chelsea’s multi-club model
Brighton announced assistant technical director Mike Cave and scouting and intelligence manager George Holmes would take over Jewell’s responsivities.
Chelsea’s owners have continued to build their backroom team following their takeover in 2022, and they are set to appoint Swansea head of football operations Josh Marsh as loans manager soon.
Jewell, who rejected Rangers in October, joined Brighton in 2016 and has played a key role in the recruitment of a number of stars over the years that have eventually moved on for big money.
It is reported he was key to the signings of Moises Caicedo from Independiente for £4million in 2021, who was eventually sold to Chelsea for £115million two years later.
He also helped bring Alexis Mac Allister to the AMEX, with the World Cup winner arriving from Argentinos Juniors in 2019 before joining Liverpool for £35million in the summer.
He was a reported target for Manchester United, who, if they had their way, wanted Dan Ashworth to come in as sporting director, with Jason Wilcox and Jewell reporting in to him in an overhauled scouting and recruitment department.
Jewell will be the 11th member of staff to make the move from Brighton to Chelsea in 21 months of Todd Boehly’s ownership.
Alongside Winstanley and Caicedo, former manager Graham Potter, who was sacked last season, was one of the first appointments the American made when he took over from Roman Abramovic in May 2022.
The running of Brighton has been long-praised, but they will be frustrated to once again lose a key member of staff to one of the sides they are trying to chase in the Premier League club hierarchy.
Graham Potter is one of 11 members of staff that have swapped Brighton for Chelsea under the Blues’ new ownership
Marc Cucurella (left) and Moises Caicedo (right) are two of the players who have made the switch between clubs
Billy Reid, Bjorn Hamberg, Bruno Saltor, Ben Roberts and Kyle McCauley are the other off-field names to have made the switch, while Robert Sanchez and Marc Cucurella both joined to help the Blues’ on-field activities.
Levi Colwill, meanwhile, was on loan at Brighton last season but has since returned to the Blues.
