Yesterday I looked at the player making a choice. Where should you go? But now what about the club? Where should the club look for talent?
ProFormance recently placed a player in a pro team in Norway. The club has an all Norwegian playing staff but the coach wants to add 1 or 2 players with something different. So he chose England a market he could trust, and ProFormance, people with the knowledge of talent who could show him good players within their budget.
Recruitment is definitely the most undervalued resource in football. Coaching follows closely behind, but as the head coaches get paid so heavily, I feel less sorry for the coaches compared to the scouts.
If you get the recruitment right, you have a good chance, and nobody prove that better than Leicester. Right people, right place, right time. Steve Walsh over saw the team who got in Kante and Mahrez two unbelievable bargains. Two of the Premier League players.
N’Golo Kanté – SM Caen
Riyad Mahrez – Le Harve
Their network was on fire.
Some clubs are trying to use the Moneyball idea, video analysis, statistics…. Do you have money? Do you have none?
Athletico Bilbao only want players from the Basque region. Man United only want players priced over £80million. When I spoke to Charlton in the summer, they only wanted players, who were FREE.
Brentford certainly try to buy undervalued players. These are players they think they can train to be better. Arrivals from Ligue 1 are certainly common and they are scouting the lower divisions in England. They are making a profit on players, but most of these have come from their, now closed, academy. Will their take on Moneyball turn them into a profit making Premier League club?
Wolves have gone down an very modern route. Partnering (I am not sure that’s official) with Jorge Mendes the super agent. They have spent good money on players but actually those players look like value for money.
I think it’s important for a club to set out in a certain direction so the recruitment department can work towards a common goal. If you club has a clear identity you have a chance to play the market right.
Chelsea have made good money on the youth market, and Man City look like they have perfected the youth market further. Buy Europe’s top talents at 16 and moving them on at 20 seems like the best way to turn a profit. The movement of players could equal the money in from TV and it’s important that clubs do become more efficient.
At Arsenal you are seeing a lot of money wasted. Stuttering at buying young talent, and making bad investments, and stalling over contracts meaning even the good players can leave for free. There’s plenty of good examples of how not to do it……..