Brighton recruitment ace reveals South American transfer tricks – amid Man United and Chelsea Moises Caicedo update

The South Coast club operate on a modest budget by Premier League standards but have more than held their own against the big spenders of the top flight.

Last term Roberto De Zerbi's men finished sixth and qualified for the Europa League for the first time in their history. Many talented youngsters from South America played a key role as the likes of Moises Caicedo, Pervis Estupinan and Jeremy Sarmiento all of Ecuador, Alexis Mac Allister and Facundo Buonanotte both from Argentina and Julio Enciso of Paraguay impressed. The South American transfer market can be a tricky one to navigate but it's an area where Brighton have enjoyed success.

Mac Allister, who joined Brighton for around £7m in 2019, left earlier this window for a huge profit as he joined Liverpool for an initial fee of £35m and £4m arrival Caicedo – now rated at £80m – looks set to follow as Man United and Chelsea are poised.

Succession planning is always key for the Seagulls and head of recruitment Sam Jewell will play a major role in keeping Albion on their impressive upward curve.

Jewell said: “Moises was a classic example of that, as it was looking like at some point that we’d need a central midfielder with similar characteristics to Yves Bissouma. It’s also the reason why we signed Julio, Facundo, [Yasin] Ayari and Sarmiento. We know these guys may not be ready to play week in, week out in the Premier League right now, but we believe they will be ready eventually, so we plan two or three windows in advance and that’s a real strength of ours: planning and having a really clear vision.”

So just what is key to Albion’s success in the South American market? "I learnt Spanish during lockdown," said Jewell to the Albion website. "It has helped me communicate with players when I’ve been out there and in selling the project to the players’ families. Remember, no English is spoken out there, so I’d like to think that being able to speak Spanish has played a small part in helping the guys join us."

Jewell – son of former Wigan, Ipswich Town and Derby County manager Paul – was appointed Albion's head of recruitment on a permanent basis in February, having originally joined the club in 2016. Jewell worked closely with former technical director Dan Ashworth and head of recruitment Paul Winstanley, who have both since moved on to Newcastle and Chelsea respectively.

"We have a system in place where we source and filter players before we watch anyone," Jewell said. "Gone are the days when you just find someone playing in a field with his mates – those tales are few and far between. Ever since I’ve been at Brighton, we’ve had a really good system in place, whereby we are very efficient and smart with our work.

"I love my trips to South America though; the passion for football is on another level and some of the experiences I’ve had have been invaluable. So far, we have had decent success utilising that particular market and, touch wood, that continues – but not just in South America, all over the world."