Jerome William Thomas (born 23 March 1983) is an English former footballer who is the head of academy recruitment at Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.

Having lost his first-team place for the 2012–13 season, he spent six weeks on loan at Leeds United before he joined Crystal Palace on a free transfer in July 2013.

He played just ten Premier League games throughout two seasons before he joined Rotherham United in February 2016, following six months spent as a free agent.

[8][9] However, he found it difficult to break into the first-team at Highbury with Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires at the peak of their powers, and Thomas made just three appearances in the 2003–04 season – all in the League Cup.

[5][10] After Arsène Wenger signed José Antonio Reyes in January 2004, Thomas turned down a new one-year contract with the "Gunners" and decided it was best to look for first-team football elsewhere.

[13] He played just 45 minutes for the "Addicks" in the 2003–04 season, coming on for Paul Konchesky at half-time during a 2–2 home draw that relegated opponents Leicester City.

[14] He scored his first top-flight goal in a 3–2 win over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on 6 November, a game in which he was described as "a constant outlet on the left" and also provided Shaun Bartlett with an assist.

[15] He scored with a curling shot from 23 yards (21 m) out in the return game against Spurs on 16 March, which gave Charlton a 2–0 victory and finished the 2004–05 season with three goals in 24 league appearances.

In August 2008, he joined Premier League club Portsmouth on an initial season-long loan, which was made into a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee after only six days.

[19] Chief executive Peter Storrie stated that "It frees up a loan space for us" and said that the fee would be dependent on how many appearances Thomas made.

[21] He struggled to return to full fitness after fracturing his spine and was released by Portsmouth in July 2009, having made only three first-team appearances in the 2008–09 season.

[32] He was described as a "real menace" after he scored the opener and played a major part in the buildup for the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Bolton Wanderers on 19 November.

However, he found first-team games hard to come by under new head coach Steve Clarke after recovering from injury early in the 2012–13 season, as the good form of Zoltán Gera kept him out of the side.

[41] However, he featured just nine times in the 2013–14 season, and was fined by manager Tony Pulis for diving during a 1–1 draw with Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on 2 March.

[62] In 2021, Thomas was appointed Everton's academy area co-ordinator for London, having previously held a part-time scouting role at Chelsea.