Albion have been warned to beware of an eagle eyed former manager pinching young prospects from them.

Martin Hinshelwood, the Seagulls' one-time boss and assistant, has been appointed head of scouting in the south for under-17s to under-19s by Stoke City.

The Premier League club are broadening their scouting network and have added the vastly experienced Hinshelwood to their team.

Dean Cox, one of the players produced by Albion when Hinshelwood was in charge of the youth set-up with Dean Wilkins, retweeted news of Hinshelwood's appointment.

The Leyton Orient winger also remarked that Hinshelwood "has an eagle eye".

Albion, armed with their £30 million training and academy complex at Lancing and a revamped recruitment team, will be confident of keeping Stoke and other clubs at bay.