Sam Jewell: The former golfer now the driving force behind Brighton’s

Brighton & Hove Albion’s head of recruitment, Sam Jewell, is 10 years younger than head coach Roberto De Zerbi — but the Italian trusts his judgment.

“He’s a top guy, my friend,” the 44-year-old De Zerbi says of Jewell. “He worked very well in the last transfer market (window). He’s very young, but he has a big talent, big passion. He knows all players in the world… like me!”

Brighton’s business during the summer window included the coup of capturing Ansu Fati on loan from Barcelona, the latest in a list of eye-catching signings involving Jewell. He had a big hand in landing midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo, who were sold on for huge profits.

In October, Jewell turned down interest from Rangers in becoming their technical director to continue his work at Brighton. The Athletic reveals how Jewell has worked his way up to become the club’s transfer mastermind, a journey that includes the influence of his dad, starting out as an agency scout, and plotting deals in his former golf coach’s living room.

Jewell grew up in the world of professional football through his father. Paul Jewell was a centre-forward for Wigan Athletic and Bradford City before taking charge of both clubs during a 20-year career in management that included spells at Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County and Ipswich Town. There is a family connection to Brighton — Jewell Sr was briefly on trial at the club during the latter stages of his playing days.

Jewell Jr experienced the highs and lows with his dad from a young age. Paul, speaking before steering Bradford City to the Premier League for the first time in the club’s history in 1998-99 with a win away against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the final day of the season, said: “There is pressure and even my kids are feeling it.

“My son Sam is a nervous wreck. He loves football but hates the games because, even at nine, he knows what is at stake and just how much it means to his dad. That is difficult but that is football.”

Paul led Wigan from the third tier to the Premier League. Former Brighton defender Chris Hutchings, who followed Paul as his assistant from Bradford City to Wigan and Derby, says: “Sam was always floating about and very keen on football, he wanted to get into football.

“He used to come to the matches with all the family. Paul had a fantastic record as a manager with the amount of promotions we had and some of the way Paul thought, I would imagine Sam would have followed suit.

“He was always with us before games and after games. He was brought up with football in mind, that’s for sure, and golf, very sports-minded. When your dad has been a professional footballer, you tend to be quite sporty yourself. You’ve got it in your genes.”

Jewell was in the academies at Leeds United and Bradford City. He says he “inherited my old…