Albion under-18 defenders Ayo Tanimowo and Sam Packham have signed one-year professional contracts with the option for another year.
Right-back Tanimowo joined the Seagulls from Norwich City in 2018 as a scholar and has made 16 appearances for the under-18s last season, impressing in Albion’s FA Youth Cup run to the fifth round.
Versatile defender Packham was a part of the same group of scholars as Tanimowo and has been with the club since he was eight years old.
Under-18s boss Mark Beard said, “They’ve both done very well for the under-18s for the past two seasons. Sam can pretty much play in any position, anywhere across the backline or in midfield. He’s got a very good footballing brain, he’s athletic and has a very good engine on him.
“When he came into the under-18s we were worried about his robustness, but he proved us wrong last season when he played pretty much every game. He’s done very well in the last two years he just needs a little bit more faith in his own ability and that will take him quite a long way.
“Ayo has played most of the season at right-back. Ayo is pretty similar to Sam, he’s got a good engine, but he’s absolutely frighteningly quick and he’s a very attacking player – he’s good in one-v-one attacking positions.
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“He’s been in and out of the team but showed a good mentality to get back in the team and was massive in our Youth Cup run.”
With the youngsters making the step up to under-23s football next season, Beard said the onus is on them to ensure they make the most of the opportunity they now have.
“They have got to come back fit, then they’ve got to aim to be in the top three or four for all the fitness testing,” he added.
“They need to be the best they can be in training every day then they give themselves an opportunity to get into the under-23s. They’ve got to realise they’re getting closer to the first team and the fact they’ve got to be earning the right to get into the team and to work hard to keep their place.”