I'd guess Sam Jewell doesn't have a release clause, primarily because "Brighton don't do release clauses".
Buying him out of his notice period certainly won't be as simple as Chelsea stumping up nine months' pay - as you say it's pocket change to them.
I'd imagine the Albion won't entertain a...
...and whether his notice period is one month, six months, a year or three years, the minute he says "I'm going to leave to go to Chelsea" we want him as far away from all our internal transfer work as possible.
Paul Barber's most recent role, before we recruited him, was as CEO of Vancouver Whitecaps. When he left there, and returned to England, he was doing some (presumably freelance) consultancy with Coventry before joining us.
But that's exactly what we are doing - Jewell is not starting at Chelsea until November, and is on gardening leave until then.
There's no point keeping him at his desk, working away on our transfer deals, when we know he's going to be commuting up to Stamford Bridge before the year is out.
By...
I think it's a bit simpler than that.
They are people doing a job, working on their career and in most cases trying to provide for, and support, a family.
If a job you perceive to be better and/or paying more comes along, it will be considered, in just the same way as any of us working in...