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We know he's not... That's the practical core of his punishment.
For clarity (and as per my OG usage of the phrase)..... "Black Book" is a turn of phrase typically referring to a book of addresses and phone numbers; contacts...... Former relationships that he (we) can exploit.
Now Fab may well be consulted (as per his vaunted employment status) on more than just that basis, and extend this to his knowledge of certain contract situations for certain players, but.......... Let's not over mysticise the concept of "The Black Book".
Mate; Munn isn't explicitly experienced in the actual soccer side of the game..... His remit will be broader wheely-deely corporate/businessy stuff... More of a Levy than DOF (and I expect Levy to be more focussed on the peripheral N17 redevelopment related projects now; company rather than club if you will).
As far as I can tell there's still a vagueness as to who is to do the meat and potatoes of the player financials/contracts.
From the Athletic:
From Tottenham to Tuscany. Leonardo Gabbanini — Spurs’ former chief scout and stand-in sporting director after Fabio Paratici’s departure — sits at his kitchen table in Florence to give a rare interview.
The 43-year-old prefers life in the shadows but wants to shine a light on his 14 months working in north London, a tumultuous time for the club.
“The sporting director was banned, the coach left, we didn’t change straight away to a new one, Harry Kane was leaving with a lot of focus on the deal and time was running out,” he tells The Athletic. “It was a period of incredible ups and downs.”
He sits back, stretches in his seat, and takes a deep breath. “This is what I fought against. Nobody probably understood that because I am tough,” he says. “But when I was at home, it was difficult because, in the history of the club, I’m not sure if there was a situation like this. It was an amazing experience but it wasn’t easy.”
Gabbanini, a former player and coach in Italy, was reinvented in recruiting by the Pozzo scouting network overseeing Udinese and Watford. Tottenham appointed him chief scout in July 2022. By April this year, Paratici’s resignation as managing director of football — due to his 30-month ban for illegal transfer practices at Juventus — meant Gabbanini was given greater responsibility.
“I was a chief scout when I arrived at Tottenham and I loved this. When I left, I was sporting director in my mind,” he says. “To fix the situation at the club I had to do something that brought a new mentality. They opened my mind.”
Paratici’s departure and Gabbanini’s greater responsibilities gave him a five-month insight into what the sporting director role looks like, but when it came to it Tottenham decided against giving him the job.
Paratici’s departure briefly gave Gabbanini more sway (Vincent Mignott via Getty Images)
It meant a crossroads for Gabbanini: “The plan of the club was to have more people and more positions. In this world now we have the ‘head of’ and the ‘chief of’. You have seven steps before you speak with the owner.”
After discussions with the club, the decision was taken to part ways.
“We did an amazing job. Now tell me why I need to step back. Why do I need to be (working) under one or two other people? I want to be in direct communication with the ownership of a club, this is where I can make the difference. If I continue speaking directly with the owner, we can do something good,” he says.
“I don’t want to repeat the same (responsibilities) as when I was a chief scout, bringing a list of players for others to sign. I want to be active like I was in this summer’s market. Sometimes, when you try something you cannot go back.”
Gabbanini is a self-confessed workaholic, who says he wants things to “be perfect”. But the time away from Spurs has allowed reflection and understanding of Tottenham’s decision-making.
“As a chief scout, I can achieve the best level in the world, but I probably wasn’t the top sporting director for Tottenham. So when you want to be sporting director like I do, maybe you need to take another path, start with another club and maybe, one day I can come back (to a club like Tottenham) as sporting director,” he says. “The club needed someone like me at that moment (when Paratici left), but I don’t think that the club need someone like me now.”
To be a sporting director in Italy he needs a licence, which he’s now studying for, to add to his Premier League experience. “I was under real pressure and you learn from this situation. It feels like I squeezed two years into four months,” he says. “It feels strange to have started in a terrible moment (last season) and now leave in the good moment, but this is life. I left at a time when nobody can say anything (negative).”
Gabbanini was aware that when things “got back to normal” after a season of turmoil, a futureproof structure would be put in place. Although that ultimately did not include him, he looks back with fondness at the streamlined decision-making process involving Levy, Ange Postecoglou and himself over the summer just gone.
“Probably it was more simple because there were not so many steps. We were direct. That was the best solution to do something good. And I think that we did.”
Rather than being bitter towards Levy, Gabbanini holds the Tottenham chairman in high regard. “He’s one of the smartest men I’ve ever met,” he says. After the combustible experience of Antonio Conte’s tenure and controversy surrounding Paratici, he says Levy wanted “fresh air and something different” for Tottenham.
“In this moment of confusion, he was a master because he was clear in his mind what he wanted. He learned from the past and made the change.”
Contributing to that transition was the aim. “I helped him to achieve that because I love when I can change something and make a difference.”
It was a challenging experience too. “When you work with Daniel, he’s not someone that says, ‘We want to create something but you have time, don’t worry guys’. He wants to win.”
Gabbanini says the decision to appoint him was split “50-50” between Levy and Paratici. “The parameters were that they needed someone already in England able to speak Italian to work with Fabio, to make things easier, but also with UK knowledge, which I had from five years at Watford. So the original list was a long list, but only I really met the criteria.”
Gabbanini built a strong bond with Postecoglou in their short time together. The process started before the Australian’s official arrival. “I studied the coach deeply and I could see that we were dealing with someone different. I really appreciated him from the first moment,” he says. “I did so much research that when he arrived, after the decision of the owner, I felt I already knew him really well.”
He is quick to point out that the research was not only done by him but by the scouting team with whom he worked. “We checked his way of football, we checked everything, we focused data and scouting activity on his methods and tactics,” he says. “So when I brought my ideas in terms of the market, he knew that I understood what he wanted.”
As Tottenham fans and players have exhibited, Postecoglou possesses the ability to inspire those around him, and that included Gabbanini.
“He changes your mentality because you want to follow him,” he says. “And I wanted to follow him like everyone else.
“To speak with Ange was amazing because he understands the players as people. We both have a perception of the man (behind the player), and the secret is to establish if the man is good or not. Afterwards, the player will become a top player because so far every player that Ange touches has improved.”
Gabbanini loved his working relationship with Postecoglou (Henry Browne/Getty Images)
Gabbanini misses that working relationship especially. “This connection was so clear and I’m still thinking about that. In that particular moment we did something simpler, correct and more direct between people. The human side was really important and sometimes in this industry, we underestimate how much difference it makes when the chemistry is right.
“The only regret is — and I told this to the coach — that many clubs in the world want to find an amazing connection between those who buy the player, who propose the player and who decide about the player. I was so lucky because I lived a simple moment in an amazing club and I’m glad I had this.”
Postecoglou’s appointment proved to be the antidote to the toxicity that surrounded the end of Conte’s reign. Gabbanini didn’t get as close to his countryman due to his lower rank at that point. “I was a simple chief scout and I knew to accept and respect my position, so I didn’t have access to speak with the coach, but it was clear to me that he was one of the best coaches in the world.
“But the connection between what the owner wants, what the coach wants, what the club wants is everything now. You need to be aligned.”
Gabbanini feels the recruitment carried out by the club before this season — in which he played a key role — was a success for one simple reason: “If the player ends up in the team, you have done a good job. I’m really happy, and I want to say well done to all the guys that worked with me, because all the players are in the team and this is not always the situation. For this reason, it felt like the perfect procedure.”
The view rings true. James Maddison, Pedro Porro, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie have been mainstays of Postecoglou’s league leaders having signed during Gabbanini’s time at the club. He admits on the signing of Maddison: “Honestly he’s a perfect player, there wasn’t any deep scouting activity needed there.”
But on others, it was different.
“When we have a player like Van de Ven, it’s not as simple as, ‘He’s tall and fast’. We have to predict the future,” explains Gabbanini, who ensured rigorous research was carried out on the Dutch defender. “You need to be sure when (decision makers) start to say, ‘I don’t know, the price is high, he’s young, not in the national team’. Your job is to be there and say, ‘No, go ahead. He will achieve great things’. And this is the thing I’m most proud of at Tottenham, because I didn’t fight for obvious players.”
Background checks helped confidence. “Knowing the background, the history and education of the player was fundamental in saying this is the player for us.”
“Ange is the same, he wants to know the person, he wants to know the man behind the player. So it was a high level of scouting with a focus on the player as a person.”
Discussing Van de Ven takes Gabbanini on a tangent. He recalls being on the scent of Erling Haalandin his youth days in Norway while working with Udinese and Watford, but being unable to convince the player and his father to sign.
His assessment of a teenage Haaland was: “He’s big, he’s fast, he’s angry. And this is also what I saw in Van de Ven. I say he’s like Haaland, but a centre-back. So maybe I failed to get one but I’m happy we got the other.”
Van de Ven has impressed for Spurs this season (David Price/Woolwich FC via Getty Images)
It was Gabbanini’s links to Udinese that helped pave the way for Udogie’s move to north London. The left-back was signed shortly after Gabbanini arrived at Tottenham in 2022, and he was able to champion his inclusion in the squad this summer after an initial season on loan back in Italy.
“Destiny is a player that I first wanted to sign six years ago for Udinese and Watford. I always had in my mind that he would become a top player.”
“Ange has helped him improve a lot already from last season, and perhaps playing in the Premier League is a better fit for him. The coach is so good and clear in his instructions, he gives Destiny and every young player a clear pathway to follow.”
Udogie is excelling in front of another Italian — new goalkeeper Vicario. “Signing him was a team decision and it’s clear that (last season) our targets were different because we had a different coach. But when you have the scouting department leading the process, the names will be different.”
Being nimble during the summer window has given Gabbanini confidence that, with alignment, things can change quickly. When his next opportunity arrives he won’t, therefore, expect a long bedding-in period.
“When a new sporting director arrives usually they say, ‘I need time to change because the process is really long’. It’s bullshit. It doesn’t have to be long if you are strong and you have a clear idea. You can change everything in one month.”
His connection with Tottenham, despite the change of direction, remains strong. “The experience helped me a lot and I’m a fan now. I’m watching every game, celebrating every goal. I need to say thank you to them because now I understand my path is different and I want to do something more.
“We did a difficult job and now there is a clear pathway, young players, the right manager… I am proud, I don’t need a medal. This is our job. I will be happy if it goes well as I know the job that we did. The players and the coach are under the lights, we are in the back room.”
The 43-year-old prefers life in the shadows but wants to shine a light on his 14 months working in north London, a tumultuous time for the club.
“The sporting director was banned, the coach left, we didn’t change straight away to a new one, Harry Kane was leaving with a lot of focus on the deal and time was running out,” he tells The Athletic. “It was a period of incredible ups and downs.”
He sits back, stretches in his seat, and takes a deep breath. “This is what I fought against. Nobody probably understood that because I am tough,” he says. “But when I was at home, it was difficult because, in the history of the club, I’m not sure if there was a situation like this. It was an amazing experience but it wasn’t easy.”
Gabbanini, a former player and coach in Italy, was reinvented in recruiting by the Pozzo scouting network overseeing Udinese and Watford. Tottenham appointed him chief scout in July 2022. By April this year, Paratici’s resignation as managing director of football — due to his 30-month ban for illegal transfer practices at Juventus — meant Gabbanini was given greater responsibility.
“I was a chief scout when I arrived at Tottenham and I loved this. When I left, I was sporting director in my mind,” he says. “To fix the situation at the club I had to do something that brought a new mentality. They opened my mind.”
Paratici’s departure and Gabbanini’s greater responsibilities gave him a five-month insight into what the sporting director role looks like, but when it came to it Tottenham decided against giving him the job.
Paratici’s departure briefly gave Gabbanini more sway (Vincent Mignott via Getty Images)
It meant a crossroads for Gabbanini: “The plan of the club was to have more people and more positions. In this world now we have the ‘head of’ and the ‘chief of’. You have seven steps before you speak with the owner.”
After discussions with the club, the decision was taken to part ways.
“We did an amazing job. Now tell me why I need to step back. Why do I need to be (working) under one or two other people? I want to be in direct communication with the ownership of a club, this is where I can make the difference. If I continue speaking directly with the owner, we can do something good,” he says.
“I don’t want to repeat the same (responsibilities) as when I was a chief scout, bringing a list of players for others to sign. I want to be active like I was in this summer’s market. Sometimes, when you try something you cannot go back.”
Gabbanini is a self-confessed workaholic, who says he wants things to “be perfect”. But the time away from Spurs has allowed reflection and understanding of Tottenham’s decision-making.
“As a chief scout, I can achieve the best level in the world, but I probably wasn’t the top sporting director for Tottenham. So when you want to be sporting director like I do, maybe you need to take another path, start with another club and maybe, one day I can come back (to a club like Tottenham) as sporting director,” he says. “The club needed someone like me at that moment (when Paratici left), but I don’t think that the club need someone like me now.”
To be a sporting director in Italy he needs a licence, which he’s now studying for, to add to his Premier League experience. “I was under real pressure and you learn from this situation. It feels like I squeezed two years into four months,” he says. “It feels strange to have started in a terrible moment (last season) and now leave in the good moment, but this is life. I left at a time when nobody can say anything (negative).”
Gabbanini was aware that when things “got back to normal” after a season of turmoil, a futureproof structure would be put in place. Although that ultimately did not include him, he looks back with fondness at the streamlined decision-making process involving Levy, Ange Postecoglou and himself over the summer just gone.
“Probably it was more simple because there were not so many steps. We were direct. That was the best solution to do something good. And I think that we did.”
Rather than being bitter towards Levy, Gabbanini holds the Tottenham chairman in high regard. “He’s one of the smartest men I’ve ever met,” he says. After the combustible experience of Antonio Conte’s tenure and controversy surrounding Paratici, he says Levy wanted “fresh air and something different” for Tottenham.
“In this moment of confusion, he was a master because he was clear in his mind what he wanted. He learned from the past and made the change.”
Contributing to that transition was the aim. “I helped him to achieve that because I love when I can change something and make a difference.”
It was a challenging experience too. “When you work with Daniel, he’s not someone that says, ‘We want to create something but you have time, don’t worry guys’. He wants to win.”
Gabbanini says the decision to appoint him was split “50-50” between Levy and Paratici. “The parameters were that they needed someone already in England able to speak Italian to work with Fabio, to make things easier, but also with UK knowledge, which I had from five years at Watford. So the original list was a long list, but only I really met the criteria.”
Gabbanini built a strong bond with Postecoglou in their short time together. The process started before the Australian’s official arrival. “I studied the coach deeply and I could see that we were dealing with someone different. I really appreciated him from the first moment,” he says. “I did so much research that when he arrived, after the decision of the owner, I felt I already knew him really well.”
He is quick to point out that the research was not only done by him but by the scouting team with whom he worked. “We checked his way of football, we checked everything, we focused data and scouting activity on his methods and tactics,” he says. “So when I brought my ideas in terms of the market, he knew that I understood what he wanted.”
As Tottenham fans and players have exhibited, Postecoglou possesses the ability to inspire those around him, and that included Gabbanini.
“He changes your mentality because you want to follow him,” he says. “And I wanted to follow him like everyone else.
“To speak with Ange was amazing because he understands the players as people. We both have a perception of the man (behind the player), and the secret is to establish if the man is good or not. Afterwards, the player will become a top player because so far every player that Ange touches has improved.”
Gabbanini loved his working relationship with Postecoglou (Henry Browne/Getty Images)
Gabbanini misses that working relationship especially. “This connection was so clear and I’m still thinking about that. In that particular moment we did something simpler, correct and more direct between people. The human side was really important and sometimes in this industry, we underestimate how much difference it makes when the chemistry is right.
“The only regret is — and I told this to the coach — that many clubs in the world want to find an amazing connection between those who buy the player, who propose the player and who decide about the player. I was so lucky because I lived a simple moment in an amazing club and I’m glad I had this.”
Postecoglou’s appointment proved to be the antidote to the toxicity that surrounded the end of Conte’s reign. Gabbanini didn’t get as close to his countryman due to his lower rank at that point. “I was a simple chief scout and I knew to accept and respect my position, so I didn’t have access to speak with the coach, but it was clear to me that he was one of the best coaches in the world.
“But the connection between what the owner wants, what the coach wants, what the club wants is everything now. You need to be aligned.”
Gabbanini feels the recruitment carried out by the club before this season — in which he played a key role — was a success for one simple reason: “If the player ends up in the team, you have done a good job. I’m really happy, and I want to say well done to all the guys that worked with me, because all the players are in the team and this is not always the situation. For this reason, it felt like the perfect procedure.”
The view rings true. James Maddison, Pedro Porro, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie have been mainstays of Postecoglou’s league leaders having signed during Gabbanini’s time at the club. He admits on the signing of Maddison: “Honestly he’s a perfect player, there wasn’t any deep scouting activity needed there.”
But on others, it was different.
“When we have a player like Van de Ven, it’s not as simple as, ‘He’s tall and fast’. We have to predict the future,” explains Gabbanini, who ensured rigorous research was carried out on the Dutch defender. “You need to be sure when (decision makers) start to say, ‘I don’t know, the price is high, he’s young, not in the national team’. Your job is to be there and say, ‘No, go ahead. He will achieve great things’. And this is the thing I’m most proud of at Tottenham, because I didn’t fight for obvious players.”
Background checks helped confidence. “Knowing the background, the history and education of the player was fundamental in saying this is the player for us.”
“Ange is the same, he wants to know the person, he wants to know the man behind the player. So it was a high level of scouting with a focus on the player as a person.”
Discussing Van de Ven takes Gabbanini on a tangent. He recalls being on the scent of Erling Haalandin his youth days in Norway while working with Udinese and Watford, but being unable to convince the player and his father to sign.
His assessment of a teenage Haaland was: “He’s big, he’s fast, he’s angry. And this is also what I saw in Van de Ven. I say he’s like Haaland, but a centre-back. So maybe I failed to get one but I’m happy we got the other.”
Van de Ven has impressed for Spurs this season (David Price/Woolwich FC via Getty Images)
It was Gabbanini’s links to Udinese that helped pave the way for Udogie’s move to north London. The left-back was signed shortly after Gabbanini arrived at Tottenham in 2022, and he was able to champion his inclusion in the squad this summer after an initial season on loan back in Italy.
“Destiny is a player that I first wanted to sign six years ago for Udinese and Watford. I always had in my mind that he would become a top player.”
“Ange has helped him improve a lot already from last season, and perhaps playing in the Premier League is a better fit for him. The coach is so good and clear in his instructions, he gives Destiny and every young player a clear pathway to follow.”
Udogie is excelling in front of another Italian — new goalkeeper Vicario. “Signing him was a team decision and it’s clear that (last season) our targets were different because we had a different coach. But when you have the scouting department leading the process, the names will be different.”
Being nimble during the summer window has given Gabbanini confidence that, with alignment, things can change quickly. When his next opportunity arrives he won’t, therefore, expect a long bedding-in period.
“When a new sporting director arrives usually they say, ‘I need time to change because the process is really long’. It’s bullshit. It doesn’t have to be long if you are strong and you have a clear idea. You can change everything in one month.”
His connection with Tottenham, despite the change of direction, remains strong. “The experience helped me a lot and I’m a fan now. I’m watching every game, celebrating every goal. I need to say thank you to them because now I understand my path is different and I want to do something more.
“We did a difficult job and now there is a clear pathway, young players, the right manager… I am proud, I don’t need a medal. This is our job. I will be happy if it goes well as I know the job that we did. The players and the coach are under the lights, we are in the back room.”
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Excellent read.I’m starting on War and Peace tomorrowFrom the Athletic:
From Tottenham to Tuscany. Leonardo Gabbanini — Spurs’ former chief scout and stand-in sporting director after Fabio Paratici’s departure — sits at his kitchen table in Florence to give a rare interview.
The 43-year-old prefers life in the shadows but wants to shine a light on his 14 months working in north London, a tumultuous time for the club.
“The sporting director was banned, the coach left, we didn’t change straight away to a new one, Harry Kane was leaving with a lot of focus on the deal and time was running out,” he tells The Athletic. “It was a period of incredible ups and downs.”
He sits back, stretches in his seat, and takes a deep breath. “This is what I fought against. Nobody probably understood that because I am tough,” he says. “But when I was at home, it was difficult because, in the history of the club, I’m not sure if there was a situation like this. It was an amazing experience but it wasn’t easy.”
Gabbanini, a former player and coach in Italy, was reinvented in recruiting by the Pozzo scouting network overseeing Udinese and Watford. Tottenham appointed him chief scout in July 2022. By April this year, Paratici’s resignation as managing director of football — due to his 30-month ban for illegal transfer practices at Juventus — meant Gabbanini was given greater responsibility.
“I was a chief scout when I arrived at Tottenham and I loved this. When I left, I was sporting director in my mind,” he says. “To fix the situation at the club I had to do something that brought a new mentality. They opened my mind.”
Paratici’s departure and Gabbanini’s greater responsibilities gave him a five-month insight into what the sporting director role looks like, but when it came to it Tottenham decided against giving him the job.
Paratici’s departure briefly gave Gabbanini more sway (Vincent Mignott via Getty Images)
It meant a crossroads for Gabbanini: “The plan of the club was to have more people and more positions. In this world now we have the ‘head of’ and the ‘chief of’. You have seven steps before you speak with the owner.”
After discussions with the club, the decision was taken to part ways.
“We did an amazing job. Now tell me why I need to step back. Why do I need to be (working) under one or two other people? I want to be in direct communication with the ownership of a club, this is where I can make the difference. If I continue speaking directly with the owner, we can do something good,” he says.
“I don’t want to repeat the same (responsibilities) as when I was a chief scout, bringing a list of players for others to sign. I want to be active like I was in this summer’s market. Sometimes, when you try something you cannot go back.”
Gabbanini is a self-confessed workaholic, who says he wants things to “be perfect”. But the time away from Spurs has allowed reflection and understanding of Tottenham’s decision-making.
“As a chief scout, I can achieve the best level in the world, but I probably wasn’t the top sporting director for Tottenham. So when you want to be sporting director like I do, maybe you need to take another path, start with another club and maybe, one day I can come back (to a club like Tottenham) as sporting director,” he says. “The club needed someone like me at that moment (when Paratici left), but I don’t think that the club need someone like me now.”
To be a sporting director in Italy he needs a licence, which he’s now studying for, to add to his Premier League experience. “I was under real pressure and you learn from this situation. It feels like I squeezed two years into four months,” he says. “It feels strange to have started in a terrible moment (last season) and now leave in the good moment, but this is life. I left at a time when nobody can say anything (negative).”
Gabbanini was aware that when things “got back to normal” after a season of turmoil, a futureproof structure would be put in place. Although that ultimately did not include him, he looks back with fondness at the streamlined decision-making process involving Levy, Ange Postecoglou and himself over the summer just gone.
“Probably it was more simple because there were not so many steps. We were direct. That was the best solution to do something good. And I think that we did.”
Rather than being bitter towards Levy, Gabbanini holds the Tottenham chairman in high regard. “He’s one of the smartest men I’ve ever met,” he says. After the combustible experience of Antonio Conte’s tenure and controversy surrounding Paratici, he says Levy wanted “fresh air and something different” for Tottenham.
“In this moment of confusion, he was a master because he was clear in his mind what he wanted. He learned from the past and made the change.”
Contributing to that transition was the aim. “I helped him to achieve that because I love when I can change something and make a difference.”
It was a challenging experience too. “When you work with Daniel, he’s not someone that says, ‘We want to create something but you have time, don’t worry guys’. He wants to win.”
Gabbanini says the decision to appoint him was split “50-50” between Levy and Paratici. “The parameters were that they needed someone already in England able to speak Italian to work with Fabio, to make things easier, but also with UK knowledge, which I had from five years at Watford. So the original list was a long list, but only I really met the criteria.”
Gabbanini built a strong bond with Postecoglou in their short time together. The process started before the Australian’s official arrival. “I studied the coach deeply and I could see that we were dealing with someone different. I really appreciated him from the first moment,” he says. “I did so much research that when he arrived, after the decision of the owner, I felt I already knew him really well.”
He is quick to point out that the research was not only done by him but by the scouting team with whom he worked. “We checked his way of football, we checked everything, we focused data and scouting activity on his methods and tactics,” he says. “So when I brought my ideas in terms of the market, he knew that I understood what he wanted.”
As Tottenham fans and players have exhibited, Postecoglou possesses the ability to inspire those around him, and that included Gabbanini.
“He changes your mentality because you want to follow him,” he says. “And I wanted to follow him like everyone else.
“To speak with Ange was amazing because he understands the players as people. We both have a perception of the man (behind the player), and the secret is to establish if the man is good or not. Afterwards, the player will become a top player because so far every player that Ange touches has improved.”
Gabbanini loved his working relationship with Postecoglou (Henry Browne/Getty Images)
Gabbanini misses that working relationship especially. “This connection was so clear and I’m still thinking about that. In that particular moment we did something simpler, correct and more direct between people. The human side was really important and sometimes in this industry, we underestimate how much difference it makes when the chemistry is right.
“The only regret is — and I told this to the coach — that many clubs in the world want to find an amazing connection between those who buy the player, who propose the player and who decide about the player. I was so lucky because I lived a simple moment in an amazing club and I’m glad I had this.”
Postecoglou’s appointment proved to be the antidote to the toxicity that surrounded the end of Conte’s reign. Gabbanini didn’t get as close to his countryman due to his lower rank at that point. “I was a simple chief scout and I knew to accept and respect my position, so I didn’t have access to speak with the coach, but it was clear to me that he was one of the best coaches in the world.
“But the connection between what the owner wants, what the coach wants, what the club wants is everything now. You need to be aligned.”
Gabbanini feels the recruitment carried out by the club before this season — in which he played a key role — was a success for one simple reason: “If the player ends up in the team, you have done a good job. I’m really happy, and I want to say well done to all the guys that worked with me, because all the players are in the team and this is not always the situation. For this reason, it felt like the perfect procedure.”
The view rings true. James Maddison, Pedro Porro, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie have been mainstays of Postecoglou’s league leaders having signed during Gabbanini’s time at the club. He admits on the signing of Maddison: “Honestly he’s a perfect player, there wasn’t any deep scouting activity needed there.”
But on others, it was different.
“When we have a player like Van de Ven, it’s not as simple as, ‘He’s tall and fast’. We have to predict the future,” explains Gabbanini, who ensured rigorous research was carried out on the Dutch defender. “You need to be sure when (decision makers) start to say, ‘I don’t know, the price is high, he’s young, not in the national team’. Your job is to be there and say, ‘No, go ahead. He will achieve great things’. And this is the thing I’m most proud of at Tottenham, because I didn’t fight for obvious players.”
Background checks helped confidence. “Knowing the background, the history and education of the player was fundamental in saying this is the player for us.”
“Ange is the same, he wants to know the person, he wants to know the man behind the player. So it was a high level of scouting with a focus on the player as a person.”
Discussing Van de Ven takes Gabbanini on a tangent. He recalls being on the scent of Erling Haalandin his youth days in Norway while working with Udinese and Watford, but being unable to convince the player and his father to sign.
His assessment of a teenage Haaland was: “He’s big, he’s fast, he’s angry. And this is also what I saw in Van de Ven. I say he’s like Haaland, but a centre-back. So maybe I failed to get one but I’m happy we got the other.”
Van de Ven has impressed for Spurs this season (David Price/Woolwich FC via Getty Images)
It was Gabbanini’s links to Udinese that helped pave the way for Udogie’s move to north London. The left-back was signed shortly after Gabbanini arrived at Tottenham in 2022, and he was able to champion his inclusion in the squad this summer after an initial season on loan back in Italy.
“Destiny is a player that I first wanted to sign six years ago for Udinese and Watford. I always had in my mind that he would become a top player.”
“Ange has helped him improve a lot already from last season, and perhaps playing in the Premier League is a better fit for him. The coach is so good and clear in his instructions, he gives Destiny and every young player a clear pathway to follow.”
Udogie is excelling in front of another Italian — new goalkeeper Vicario. “Signing him was a team decision and it’s clear that (last season) our targets were different because we had a different coach. But when you have the scouting department leading the process, the names will be different.”
Being nimble during the summer window has given Gabbanini confidence that, with alignment, things can change quickly. When his next opportunity arrives he won’t, therefore, expect a long bedding-in period.
“When a new sporting director arrives usually they say, ‘I need time to change because the process is really long’. It’s bullshit. It doesn’t have to be long if you are strong and you have a clear idea. You can change everything in one month.”
His connection with Tottenham, despite the change of direction, remains strong. “The experience helped me a lot and I’m a fan now. I’m watching every game, celebrating every goal. I need to say thank you to them because now I understand my path is different and I want to do something more.
“We did a difficult job and now there is a clear pathway, young players, the right manager… I am proud, I don’t need a medal. This is our job. I will be happy if it goes well as I know the job that we did. The players and the coach are under the lights, we are in the back room.”
The Changing Face of Scouting: Rob Mackenzie’s full series of articles
Rob Mackenzie was part of the scouting team at Leicester City that brought the likes of Riyad Mahrez to the King Power Stadium, before moving to Tottenham and helping make the case for signing Toby Alderweireld.
Rob Mackenzie was part of the scouting team at Leicester City that brought the likes of Riyad Mahrez to the King Power Stadium, before moving to Tottenham and helping make the case for signing Toby Alderweireld.
Over a series of articles for Sky Sports, Mackenzie outlines the challenges facing the modern football scout and the insights that can help to overcome them.
Here, we bring together the full series in one place…
There are bargains to be had when buying from abroad but the global game brings difficulties too. In the first part of our Changing Face of Scouting series, with clubs lining up January transfer targets, experienced scout Rob Mackenzie explains how minimising the risks in recruitment can maximise the rewards…
The ever-spiralling costs of buying players from English clubs presents problems for the men charged with identifying that next big signing. It makes the temptation to turn to the foreign market a logical one. In short, talent is available at cheaper prices.
However, the process isn't quite as simple as spotting a brilliant player for next to nothing. There are a myriad of factors at play. How do you measure the quality of football in, say, Scandinavia or Eastern Europe? What does success in a second tier abroad actually indicate?
Even if a player's performance levels can be accurately established, will that translate to your team? And all these things must be evaluated before considering the human element - does the player travel well and can they be integrated into the new environment?
"When I arrived at Derby County from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer," Mackenzie tells Sky Sports, "one of the first conversations that I had with Nigel Pearson was about the make-up and composition of the Derby squad at that time. As a squad that was predominantly domestic-based, he was very open to the prospect of recruiting a couple of foreign players to supplement the British core that we already had.
"When I was working with Nigel at Leicester City in the Championship we had a predominantly British core and if players weren't actually British a number of them had played in England for a long time so they were fully acclimatised to the respective level and the expectations placed upon them - Kasper Schmeichel, Chris Wood and Ritchie de Laet for example.
http://www.sky.com/shop/tv/sports?DCMP=bac-SS.com-6month_strapline
"I think that British core actually contributed to us feeling that we could bring in some foreign players at that time - Anthony Knockaert, Marcin Wasilewski and Riyad Mahrez for example - as they could provide us with qualities that we were perhaps lacking a bit, whether that be creativity or high-level experience and leadership.
"Similarly I think that strong and consistent group contributed to the smooth transition that those three experienced and it directly underpinned the respective success that they experienced with Leicester at that time."
Mahrez arrived from Le Havre in France's second tier and this wasn't the only example of Leicester's technical department turning to French football. They would return to sign N'Golo Kante from Caen in the summer of 2015. Mapping was a key tool for the team.
The British core at Leicester City helped Riyad Mahrez adapt to life in England
"I think that within recruitment you are constantly trying to minimise the risk associated with anyone that you bring into your club," adds Mackenzie. "With that in mind, if you are able to identify clubs that have similar values and beliefs to your own and who play in a similar style to the way that you do then there may be a greater chance of a successful transition.
"A hard working and honest Caen side who themselves had experienced promotion to the French top flight in 2013/14 and who survived in their debut season, finishing 13th, probably represented a good fit for a Leicester side who won promotion in the same year as Caen and who finished 14th on their return to the Premier League."
At Tottenham, it was Bayer Leverkusen who were seen as a side adopting a similar style of play. Roger Schmidt's commitment to a pressing game is well documented and that made the decision to bring in Heung-Min Son more straightforward than it might have been.
Heung-Min Son was used to playing high-tempo football at Bayer Leverkusen
"From a recruitment perspective, the tactical and physical demands that Mauricio Pochettino places upon his players are really important because they are fundamental to the style of play that he prefers," explains Mackenzie. "Therefore in order to support the terrific work that he and his coaching team does out on the grass you have to recommend players who are capable of doing what he requires.
"With that in mind, if you are able to identify players who are currently experiencing success within a relatively similar playing style and who can handle the physical demands asked of the player within that style then you hope that the possibility of that player not being able to cope is minimised.
"From a very basic attacking output perspective, in both of Son's two seasons at Bayer Leverkusen he scored 10+ goals but also importantly he only missed four match-day squads out of a possible 94 (and those were due to international commitments and suspension). This suggested that he had successfully adapted to the new demands that had been placed upon him there.
"His versatility was also important given the type of squad that we were trying to assemble at Tottenham. Paul Mitchell, the club's head of recruitment, was very familiar with Son when he played as a central striker at HSV so he knew what he was capable of when playing both through the middle and in wide areas.
"There are a whole host of things that are taken into account when evaluating if a player (either domestic or abroad) is suitable for the remit that you are recruiting against. You are constantly trying to build a picture of who the player actually is and you are trying to put their current performance level into context while anticipating the future.
"More recently, I would argue that Vincent Janssen's personality, robustness and his ability to deal with the challenges that he had faced in his career were as important, if not more important, than his goalscoring record in the Eredivisie. As a youngster who had been released by Feyenoord he demonstrated the mental resilience to overcome that disappointment by experiencing a continual increment in game time, level of competition and output across a three-year spell, which culminated in him becoming the starting striker for the Netherlands.
"From a scouting and recruitment perspective, whether you are evaluating a player from home or abroad, there is significant risk associated with it as there is a human being behind the performances and numbers and when signing a player you are initiating a significant change in their lives that they have to respond to.
"In trying to enhance the probability of it being a successful transition for both parties you try to place everything that you know and are aware of into perspective in order to make the best subjective decision that you can."
There are still no guarantees, of course. But by taking everything into account when buying from abroad, whether it's the style of play with which a player is familiar or the substance of his character, the risks can be minimised.
Over a series of articles for Sky Sports, Mackenzie outlines the challenges facing the modern football scout and the insights that can help to overcome them.
Here, we bring together the full series in one place…
There are bargains to be had when buying from abroad but the global game brings difficulties too. In the first part of our Changing Face of Scouting series, with clubs lining up January transfer targets, experienced scout Rob Mackenzie explains how minimising the risks in recruitment can maximise the rewards…
The ever-spiralling costs of buying players from English clubs presents problems for the men charged with identifying that next big signing. It makes the temptation to turn to the foreign market a logical one. In short, talent is available at cheaper prices.
However, the process isn't quite as simple as spotting a brilliant player for next to nothing. There are a myriad of factors at play. How do you measure the quality of football in, say, Scandinavia or Eastern Europe? What does success in a second tier abroad actually indicate?
Even if a player's performance levels can be accurately established, will that translate to your team? And all these things must be evaluated before considering the human element - does the player travel well and can they be integrated into the new environment?
In the view of experienced scout Rob Mackenzie, most recently Derby's director of recruitment, this is an important starting point for the discussion. The current make-up of the squad has to be considered before introducing a player unfamiliar with the existing culture."When I arrived at Derby County from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer," Mackenzie tells Sky Sports, "one of the first conversations that I had with Nigel Pearson was about the make-up and composition of the Derby squad at that time. As a squad that was predominantly domestic-based, he was very open to the prospect of recruiting a couple of foreign players to supplement the British core that we already had.
Unsupported location
"I think effective recruitment is all about finding the right balance and complementing what you already have while also being able to bring some additional qualities to the group. If, for example, you had a high influx of foreign players within your squad, it might be that you would actually look at the English market as one that you wanted to target in order to try and bring in players who had a different mentality and experience to your current players."When I was working with Nigel at Leicester City in the Championship we had a predominantly British core and if players weren't actually British a number of them had played in England for a long time so they were fully acclimatised to the respective level and the expectations placed upon them - Kasper Schmeichel, Chris Wood and Ritchie de Laet for example.
http://www.sky.com/shop/tv/sports?DCMP=bac-SS.com-6month_strapline
"I think that British core actually contributed to us feeling that we could bring in some foreign players at that time - Anthony Knockaert, Marcin Wasilewski and Riyad Mahrez for example - as they could provide us with qualities that we were perhaps lacking a bit, whether that be creativity or high-level experience and leadership.
"Similarly I think that strong and consistent group contributed to the smooth transition that those three experienced and it directly underpinned the respective success that they experienced with Leicester at that time."
Mahrez arrived from Le Havre in France's second tier and this wasn't the only example of Leicester's technical department turning to French football. They would return to sign N'Golo Kante from Caen in the summer of 2015. Mapping was a key tool for the team.
The British core at Leicester City helped Riyad Mahrez adapt to life in England
"I think that within recruitment you are constantly trying to minimise the risk associated with anyone that you bring into your club," adds Mackenzie. "With that in mind, if you are able to identify clubs that have similar values and beliefs to your own and who play in a similar style to the way that you do then there may be a greater chance of a successful transition.
"A hard working and honest Caen side who themselves had experienced promotion to the French top flight in 2013/14 and who survived in their debut season, finishing 13th, probably represented a good fit for a Leicester side who won promotion in the same year as Caen and who finished 14th on their return to the Premier League."
At Tottenham, it was Bayer Leverkusen who were seen as a side adopting a similar style of play. Roger Schmidt's commitment to a pressing game is well documented and that made the decision to bring in Heung-Min Son more straightforward than it might have been.
Heung-Min Son was used to playing high-tempo football at Bayer Leverkusen
"From a recruitment perspective, the tactical and physical demands that Mauricio Pochettino places upon his players are really important because they are fundamental to the style of play that he prefers," explains Mackenzie. "Therefore in order to support the terrific work that he and his coaching team does out on the grass you have to recommend players who are capable of doing what he requires.
"With that in mind, if you are able to identify players who are currently experiencing success within a relatively similar playing style and who can handle the physical demands asked of the player within that style then you hope that the possibility of that player not being able to cope is minimised.
"From a very basic attacking output perspective, in both of Son's two seasons at Bayer Leverkusen he scored 10+ goals but also importantly he only missed four match-day squads out of a possible 94 (and those were due to international commitments and suspension). This suggested that he had successfully adapted to the new demands that had been placed upon him there.
"Given Roger Schmidt's style of play it felt a good fit and Son's statistical data was also stable across a three-year period when compared to other targets. In his two years at Leverkusen he also played 16 Champions League games, which was a competition that the club was aspiring to compete in.
"His versatility was also important given the type of squad that we were trying to assemble at Tottenham. Paul Mitchell, the club's head of recruitment, was very familiar with Son when he played as a central striker at HSV so he knew what he was capable of when playing both through the middle and in wide areas.
"There are a whole host of things that are taken into account when evaluating if a player (either domestic or abroad) is suitable for the remit that you are recruiting against. You are constantly trying to build a picture of who the player actually is and you are trying to put their current performance level into context while anticipating the future.
"More recently, I would argue that Vincent Janssen's personality, robustness and his ability to deal with the challenges that he had faced in his career were as important, if not more important, than his goalscoring record in the Eredivisie. As a youngster who had been released by Feyenoord he demonstrated the mental resilience to overcome that disappointment by experiencing a continual increment in game time, level of competition and output across a three-year spell, which culminated in him becoming the starting striker for the Netherlands.
"From a scouting and recruitment perspective, whether you are evaluating a player from home or abroad, there is significant risk associated with it as there is a human being behind the performances and numbers and when signing a player you are initiating a significant change in their lives that they have to respond to.
"In trying to enhance the probability of it being a successful transition for both parties you try to place everything that you know and are aware of into perspective in order to make the best subjective decision that you can."
There are still no guarantees, of course. But by taking everything into account when buying from abroad, whether it's the style of play with which a player is familiar or the substance of his character, the risks can be minimised.
When is a player about to get a lot better? What clues can we spot? In the next part of our Changing Face of Scouting series, with clubs lining up January transfer targets, experienced scout Rob Mackenzie talks us through the importance of recognising when a player is going to enjoy a significant spike in performance…
http://www.sky.com/shop/tv/sports?DCMP=bac-SS.com-6month_strapline
Football is full of those success stories. The tales of the player whose career was meandering only to spark into life. Or the youngster who'd shown vast potential but had yet to prove he could harness that talent and turn it into performances.
In some cases, it's a highly-rated superstar who has gone supernova. Think Cristiano Ronaldo scoring as many Premier League goals in his fifth season at Manchester United as he'd managed in the previous three put together.
Other times, it's the journeyman who few had expected could rise to the top. Jamie Vardy had scored goals at every level he'd played but where were the clues that he could score the 24 goals that fired Leicester to the title having netted only five times in the season before?
Either way, football scouts all around the world have become used to those all too familiar questions that are directed their way from above. Why didn't you spot him? And if we couldn't get him, then how do we find the next one?
Of course, there's a difference between a spike in performance that's sustainable and a flare up in form. Caution is necessary. But there are always lessons for scouts to learn and working out which scenario is being played out is a big part of the battle for any scout.
"Players are typically highlighted as a result of a scout having seen them play well live or through the various processes that are now implemented within clubs' training grounds," Rob Mackenzie explains to Sky Sports.
"To build the most accurate picture of this, clubs tend to monitor the performance levels of a number of highlighted players over a significant period of time. They will do this through sending scouts to watch the player live, and the more forward thinking clubs will also monitor players' performance data over time to see if there are any significant changes.
"You are always looking for that spike or indication that there may be a spike coming in the near future based on the information that you have collated. The big challenge is knowing when it might be about to happen.
"Similarly, if a player finds themselves at a cross roads in their career, a change in mind-set and a genuine appreciation of what is at stake may also initiate a change in momentum and generate a spike in performance.
"A recent example of this is Serge Gnabry. As a 21-year-old who had experienced injuries in recent seasons, a failed loan spell at West Brom and as a player who had only played just over 1,000 competitive minutes in his career up until this summer, he was a player with whom a spike probably looked pretty unlikely.
Serge Gnabry has enjoyed a dramatic turnaround in fortunes in Germany
"With only a year left to go on his contract at Woolwich, however, and the regular faith put in him by the DFB having been shown once more with his involvement in the Olympics this summer, when I started to do some research and ask some trusted contacts in Germany I was getting really positive feedback.
"I was told that during the Olympics his focus and willingness to learn had improved; almost to the point that they were trying to translate 'the penny might have dropped with him' into English!
"His performances at the tournament suggested that what I was being told was genuine as he scored six in six and played in all of their games, picking up a silver medal in the process. While I am normally very sceptical of tournament scouting, it became apparent that something more than just his performances were changing and I followed up on what I had been told after the tournament.
"Unfortunately, Werder Bremen were among a number of other clubs also prepared to take the plunge and he signed there for approximately €5million (£4.18m). Since signing he's gone on to score five in his first 12 Bundesliga games and he scored a hat-trick when making his senior international debut against San Marino. He is a player who will no doubt be in high demand next summer and looks a bargain given the current dynamics of the transfer market.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...-scouting-the-challenge-of-buying-from-abroad
"A slightly different case is Ousmane Dembele. When he made his first team debut for Rennes last season against Angers in November 2015 as a seemingly talented 18-year-old, the challenge for scouts across Europe was to gain an understanding of his true level and potential.
"While his performance data was very encouraging and it continued to improve across the 1,940 mins that he played in Ligue 1 last season, some of the more statistically-oriented practitioners at clubs may have questioned the robustness and predictability of such a small data set. That's when as a scout you have to quickly compile all the information that you can and place it into context in order to make an accurate assessment of the here and now as well as the future.
Ousmane Dembele has impressed since moving to Borussia Dortmund
"Given that he played in every league game since making that four-minute debut versus Angers in November, it was clear that the hierarchy within Rennes knew how good he was and the sheer fact that he scored 12 goals and provided five assists in his debut season also spoke volumes for the spike that he continued to enjoy throughout his time there.
"Unfortunately for most big clubs in Europe, Borussia Dortmund were the only club who managed to convince him to sign and they had the deal concluded in May 2016, a clear two months before the transfer window opened, which demonstrates the faith that they had in his potential to spike even further in the future.
"Four goals and ten assists in his first 20 games for Dortmund across four different competitions suggest that the initial €15million (£12.5m) that they paid for him will only increase in the future."
Clearly, there are multiple factors at play. A scout must consider technical qualities and personality traits, the stats and the circumstances. But putting it all together and reaching the right conclusions can result in finding that next big bargain.
http://www.sky.com/shop/tv/sports?DCMP=bac-SS.com-6month_strapline
Football is full of those success stories. The tales of the player whose career was meandering only to spark into life. Or the youngster who'd shown vast potential but had yet to prove he could harness that talent and turn it into performances.
In some cases, it's a highly-rated superstar who has gone supernova. Think Cristiano Ronaldo scoring as many Premier League goals in his fifth season at Manchester United as he'd managed in the previous three put together.
Other times, it's the journeyman who few had expected could rise to the top. Jamie Vardy had scored goals at every level he'd played but where were the clues that he could score the 24 goals that fired Leicester to the title having netted only five times in the season before?
Either way, football scouts all around the world have become used to those all too familiar questions that are directed their way from above. Why didn't you spot him? And if we couldn't get him, then how do we find the next one?
Of course, there's a difference between a spike in performance that's sustainable and a flare up in form. Caution is necessary. But there are always lessons for scouts to learn and working out which scenario is being played out is a big part of the battle for any scout.
"Players are typically highlighted as a result of a scout having seen them play well live or through the various processes that are now implemented within clubs' training grounds," Rob Mackenzie explains to Sky Sports.
"Sometimes that is the easy part, the difficult part is gaining an understanding of what that player's usual performance level is and how suitable they are for what you are trying to achieve as a team and as a club."To build the most accurate picture of this, clubs tend to monitor the performance levels of a number of highlighted players over a significant period of time. They will do this through sending scouts to watch the player live, and the more forward thinking clubs will also monitor players' performance data over time to see if there are any significant changes.
"You are always looking for that spike or indication that there may be a spike coming in the near future based on the information that you have collated. The big challenge is knowing when it might be about to happen.
"As part of trying to build the most comprehensive understanding of a player that you can, it is typical for clubs to try and get a feel for a player's character and personality traits. Sometimes it can be a change in a player's personal circumstances that might actually contribute to a spike in their performance or give you the impression that one might be about to happen.
"Similarly, if a player finds themselves at a cross roads in their career, a change in mind-set and a genuine appreciation of what is at stake may also initiate a change in momentum and generate a spike in performance.
"A recent example of this is Serge Gnabry. As a 21-year-old who had experienced injuries in recent seasons, a failed loan spell at West Brom and as a player who had only played just over 1,000 competitive minutes in his career up until this summer, he was a player with whom a spike probably looked pretty unlikely.
Serge Gnabry has enjoyed a dramatic turnaround in fortunes in Germany
"With only a year left to go on his contract at Woolwich, however, and the regular faith put in him by the DFB having been shown once more with his involvement in the Olympics this summer, when I started to do some research and ask some trusted contacts in Germany I was getting really positive feedback.
"I was told that during the Olympics his focus and willingness to learn had improved; almost to the point that they were trying to translate 'the penny might have dropped with him' into English!
"His performances at the tournament suggested that what I was being told was genuine as he scored six in six and played in all of their games, picking up a silver medal in the process. While I am normally very sceptical of tournament scouting, it became apparent that something more than just his performances were changing and I followed up on what I had been told after the tournament.
"Unfortunately, Werder Bremen were among a number of other clubs also prepared to take the plunge and he signed there for approximately €5million (£4.18m). Since signing he's gone on to score five in his first 12 Bundesliga games and he scored a hat-trick when making his senior international debut against San Marino. He is a player who will no doubt be in high demand next summer and looks a bargain given the current dynamics of the transfer market.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...-scouting-the-challenge-of-buying-from-abroad
"A slightly different case is Ousmane Dembele. When he made his first team debut for Rennes last season against Angers in November 2015 as a seemingly talented 18-year-old, the challenge for scouts across Europe was to gain an understanding of his true level and potential.
"While his performance data was very encouraging and it continued to improve across the 1,940 mins that he played in Ligue 1 last season, some of the more statistically-oriented practitioners at clubs may have questioned the robustness and predictability of such a small data set. That's when as a scout you have to quickly compile all the information that you can and place it into context in order to make an accurate assessment of the here and now as well as the future.
Ousmane Dembele has impressed since moving to Borussia Dortmund
"Given that he played in every league game since making that four-minute debut versus Angers in November, it was clear that the hierarchy within Rennes knew how good he was and the sheer fact that he scored 12 goals and provided five assists in his debut season also spoke volumes for the spike that he continued to enjoy throughout his time there.
"Unfortunately for most big clubs in Europe, Borussia Dortmund were the only club who managed to convince him to sign and they had the deal concluded in May 2016, a clear two months before the transfer window opened, which demonstrates the faith that they had in his potential to spike even further in the future.
"Four goals and ten assists in his first 20 games for Dortmund across four different competitions suggest that the initial €15million (£12.5m) that they paid for him will only increase in the future."
Clearly, there are multiple factors at play. A scout must consider technical qualities and personality traits, the stats and the circumstances. But putting it all together and reaching the right conclusions can result in finding that next big bargain.
What are the clues that a player is finished? How do you pick up an experienced bargain? In the next part of our Changing Face of Scouting series, with clubs lining up January transfer targets, experienced scout Rob Mackenzie explains how to identify ageing players on their way out and those who still have plenty to offer…
The sight of Ryan Giggs scoring for Manchester United against Everton at the age of 39 or the 40-year-old Francesco Totti still wowing his adoring crowd at Roma could convince anyone that quality is timeless. Class, as they say, is permanent.
Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get six months half price!
But for every player able to sustain such levels well into their 30s, there are many others who are a fading force while still eligible to go on an 18-30 holiday. Identifying whether a player falls into the first category or the second is critical for any scout.
Spot the big name available on a free transfer who is still capable of performing and a fortune can be saved. Award a lucrative contract to a player whose legs and motivation have gone and it can prove an expensive mistake instead.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...f-scouting-anticipating-spikes-in-performance
But there are clues that can help clubs to make the right decision. When newly-promoted Leicester signed a 34-year-old Esteban Cambiasso in 2014, it wasn't because they were star-struck. Rob Mackenzie and the rest of their scouting team had done their homework.
"People might have had the idea that Cambiasso was over the hill, but his profile didn't reveal that at all," Mackenzie tells Sky Sports. "The reality was that he had played in 80 per cent of Inter's matches in his final season at the club.
Esteban Cambiasso's attitude was a big factor in his career longevity
"That suggested he was still doing the business. When we delved deeper into his character, the references were spot on. I remember the first day that he trained with us, as there was a real buzz around the training ground.
"We even had players who were injured and in the process of doing rehab ask if they could take their exercise bikes pitch side just so they could watch him in his first session with the club.
"Upon meeting him, Cambiasso was the one quizzing us on our fitness preparations. It was clear this was a driven individual who wouldn't want to have the black mark of a relegation on his CV let alone sit on the sidelines. It proved to be a key signing for the club."
Cambiasso's track record proved significant. Having averaged 31.5 Serie A appearances throughout his 10-year stay at Inter, the Argentine duly featured regularly for the Foxes - making 31 appearances as Nigel Pearson's side beat the odds and the drop.
"Napoli's Jose Callejon is a nice example. At the age of 29, he has played over 3,000 minutes in each of his previous three seasons despite playing for two very different managers and coupled with that he has also scored six or more every year since 2010. When you consider those things it wasn't a big surprise to see him score 13 and assist 13 last season. He's on course to do the same again this season too.
German striker Miroslav Klose was able to maintain his performance levels
"These are the types of things that become particularly important as players get older and their risk of injury increases. Miroslav Klose is someone whose record shows that he could be relied upon - he played at least 30 games for club and country for 16 consecutive seasons. That impresses scouts.
"I've never been too far away from trying to sign him, both previously and also more recently. We wanted him at Leicester upon promotion in 2014 but he chose to sign a new contract with Lazio and he went on to score 16 that year. He decided to retire in November 2016, but if he'd decided to keep playing his record suggests that he could have still made a meaningful contribution at the right club."
While minutes are of paramount importance for defensive players - Mackenzie cites the example of Timmy Simons who played over 4000 minutes across five competitions last season at the age of 38 - forwards actually have more leeway because of their role.
"Consecutive minutes are not always such an issue for forwards because the position does not always demand so much running, depending on the system," he explains. "Of course, there's also the prospect of making a significant impact as a substitute as coaches seek to change games from the bench, and they typically change strikers when they do so.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...-scouting-the-challenge-of-buying-from-abroad
"So while strikers might peak earlier, that doesn't rule out the possibility of them playing a key role within the squad. Kevin Phillips, Henrik Larsson and Claudio Pizarro are all examples of players who have been bargain signings even when they were past their peak."
What's clear is that it's not as simple as knowing that a player's legs have gone. Even then it depends on the role in the squad for which he's been earmarked. But if the circumstances are right, a veteran supposedly on the way down can prove a priceless acquisition.
The sight of Ryan Giggs scoring for Manchester United against Everton at the age of 39 or the 40-year-old Francesco Totti still wowing his adoring crowd at Roma could convince anyone that quality is timeless. Class, as they say, is permanent.
Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get six months half price!
But for every player able to sustain such levels well into their 30s, there are many others who are a fading force while still eligible to go on an 18-30 holiday. Identifying whether a player falls into the first category or the second is critical for any scout.
Spot the big name available on a free transfer who is still capable of performing and a fortune can be saved. Award a lucrative contract to a player whose legs and motivation have gone and it can prove an expensive mistake instead.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...f-scouting-anticipating-spikes-in-performance
But there are clues that can help clubs to make the right decision. When newly-promoted Leicester signed a 34-year-old Esteban Cambiasso in 2014, it wasn't because they were star-struck. Rob Mackenzie and the rest of their scouting team had done their homework.
"People might have had the idea that Cambiasso was over the hill, but his profile didn't reveal that at all," Mackenzie tells Sky Sports. "The reality was that he had played in 80 per cent of Inter's matches in his final season at the club.
Esteban Cambiasso's attitude was a big factor in his career longevity
"That suggested he was still doing the business. When we delved deeper into his character, the references were spot on. I remember the first day that he trained with us, as there was a real buzz around the training ground.
"We even had players who were injured and in the process of doing rehab ask if they could take their exercise bikes pitch side just so they could watch him in his first session with the club.
"Upon meeting him, Cambiasso was the one quizzing us on our fitness preparations. It was clear this was a driven individual who wouldn't want to have the black mark of a relegation on his CV let alone sit on the sidelines. It proved to be a key signing for the club."
Cambiasso's track record proved significant. Having averaged 31.5 Serie A appearances throughout his 10-year stay at Inter, the Argentine duly featured regularly for the Foxes - making 31 appearances as Nigel Pearson's side beat the odds and the drop.
"The robustness of a player's profile is hugely important," adds Mackenzie. "Playing regularly is indicative of many things. It doesn't merely suggest that they avoid injury but also that they do what the coach demands and approach their work properly.
"Napoli's Jose Callejon is a nice example. At the age of 29, he has played over 3,000 minutes in each of his previous three seasons despite playing for two very different managers and coupled with that he has also scored six or more every year since 2010. When you consider those things it wasn't a big surprise to see him score 13 and assist 13 last season. He's on course to do the same again this season too.
German striker Miroslav Klose was able to maintain his performance levels
"These are the types of things that become particularly important as players get older and their risk of injury increases. Miroslav Klose is someone whose record shows that he could be relied upon - he played at least 30 games for club and country for 16 consecutive seasons. That impresses scouts.
"I've never been too far away from trying to sign him, both previously and also more recently. We wanted him at Leicester upon promotion in 2014 but he chose to sign a new contract with Lazio and he went on to score 16 that year. He decided to retire in November 2016, but if he'd decided to keep playing his record suggests that he could have still made a meaningful contribution at the right club."
While minutes are of paramount importance for defensive players - Mackenzie cites the example of Timmy Simons who played over 4000 minutes across five competitions last season at the age of 38 - forwards actually have more leeway because of their role.
"Consecutive minutes are not always such an issue for forwards because the position does not always demand so much running, depending on the system," he explains. "Of course, there's also the prospect of making a significant impact as a substitute as coaches seek to change games from the bench, and they typically change strikers when they do so.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...-scouting-the-challenge-of-buying-from-abroad
"So while strikers might peak earlier, that doesn't rule out the possibility of them playing a key role within the squad. Kevin Phillips, Henrik Larsson and Claudio Pizarro are all examples of players who have been bargain signings even when they were past their peak."
What's clear is that it's not as simple as knowing that a player's legs have gone. Even then it depends on the role in the squad for which he's been earmarked. But if the circumstances are right, a veteran supposedly on the way down can prove a priceless acquisition.
Dealing with agents is a necessity in the modern game but it can cause problems if a club’s recruitment department is not wise to the risks. In the next part of our Changing Face of Scouting series, with clubs lining up January transfer targets, experienced scout Rob Mackenzie explains the challenges and how some agencies are responding in the right way.
The continuous flow of footballers in and out of clubs is nothing new. Professionals are well accustomed to the sight of trialists turning up to show what they can do. Some even talk their way onto the Premier League pitch as Ali Dia did for Southampton 20 years ago last month. But that's merely the most high-profile example of a familiar phenomenon.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...-scouting-the-challenge-of-buying-from-abroad
Agent-led signings are common. They can be seen as a relatively straightforward alternative to the rigmarole of identifying players independently. But they can also lead to costly errors and increase the likelihood of those errors. A robust recruitment system is the best way of avoiding such embarrassments.
With statistics available for leagues all over the world, the ammunition is there to respond swiftly to those agents insistent that their client - and only their client - is the man capable of making the difference. And yet, such stats can still be overlooked. With intermediaries often associated with takeovers, the division between club and agency can be unclear.
"One of the jobs of the modern scout is to filter out the names that get thrown at you on a daily basis. The key is to be able to explain quickly and succinctly why they do not fit the profile of player that the club is looking for. And even if they do fit the profile, is there an alternative available for half the price? Have you considered all the options?
"Some of the problems do not require deep-level statistical analysis and can be established fairly quickly when visiting various internet sites or internal databases. It might be an issue off the field or a question over why he has been left out of the team by successive coaches. The important thing is to get the true picture by looking at the aspects that the agent or player might be trying to hide.
"While it may seem strange for clubs to be influenced by agenda-driven external parties, the reality within recruitment is that you are governed by not only financial constraints but the actual availability of players. Like a lot of people who work at clubs, I've had agents offer me players who I didn't think were a great fit for the club I was working for at the time.
"Despite this, the agent kept telling me that we were missing out and that he would sign for our competitors regardless and we would miss out and look foolish. The player in question only played 54 minutes again that season for the club he stayed at; getting subbed off during a 2-1 loss in April. He's now on loan in Italy but has struggled since.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...f-scouting-anticipating-spikes-in-performance
"The stories are not always bad ones as it is important to say that there are some agencies and individual agents who are very professional and diligent but there are still, as in any walk of life, people who will try to exploit situations for their own personal gain."
With the best recruitment departments increasingly seen as the gatekeepers preventing agents from getting their clients into clubs, there are those now looking to use the data positively themselves. "Some agencies, such as World in Motion, have now embraced data in order to promote their players rather than fight against the tide," adds Mackenzie.
Sam Jackson, head of research and analytics at World in Motion, knows that talking the language of recruiters means more chance of their clients being picked up. "Presenting stats on our clients allows us to minimise bias, and to be a highly trusted and respected agency in an industry not particularly renowned for scrupulous selling," Jackson tells Sky Sports.
"Anyone can tell a club: 'Sign this player, they're great.' By presenting player statistics, we come to the table with greater reliability, which only complements our qualitative scouting capabilities, and cements our status at the cutting edge of the intellectual side of agency and recruitment.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...-scouting-anticipating-decline-in-performance
"We present relevant performance stats based on what we know a club is looking for, whilst, as one of the few truly global football agencies, data on league quality, for example, allows us to rigorously demonstrate the fantastic value to be found in certain markets that we're active in."
The tradition of agents pushing players while scouts bat away the worst suggestions does live on. But it seems that the next stage of this symbiotic relationship has begun. By acknowledging statistics and the increasingly exhaustive process behind player acquisition, the onus is now on agents as well as scouts to find the right fit for player and club.
The continuous flow of footballers in and out of clubs is nothing new. Professionals are well accustomed to the sight of trialists turning up to show what they can do. Some even talk their way onto the Premier League pitch as Ali Dia did for Southampton 20 years ago last month. But that's merely the most high-profile example of a familiar phenomenon.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...-scouting-the-challenge-of-buying-from-abroad
Agent-led signings are common. They can be seen as a relatively straightforward alternative to the rigmarole of identifying players independently. But they can also lead to costly errors and increase the likelihood of those errors. A robust recruitment system is the best way of avoiding such embarrassments.
With statistics available for leagues all over the world, the ammunition is there to respond swiftly to those agents insistent that their client - and only their client - is the man capable of making the difference. And yet, such stats can still be overlooked. With intermediaries often associated with takeovers, the division between club and agency can be unclear.
While Rob Mackenzie, formerly of Leicester, Tottenham and Derby, has nothing but praise for his previous employers, he's heard stories from elsewhere. "Football is a competitive market place and agents are salesmen so it is understandable that they try their luck, why wouldn't you?" he tells Sky Sports. "But naive decision makers within clubs are the ones who bear the consequences, not the agent."One of the jobs of the modern scout is to filter out the names that get thrown at you on a daily basis. The key is to be able to explain quickly and succinctly why they do not fit the profile of player that the club is looking for. And even if they do fit the profile, is there an alternative available for half the price? Have you considered all the options?
"Some of the problems do not require deep-level statistical analysis and can be established fairly quickly when visiting various internet sites or internal databases. It might be an issue off the field or a question over why he has been left out of the team by successive coaches. The important thing is to get the true picture by looking at the aspects that the agent or player might be trying to hide.
"While it may seem strange for clubs to be influenced by agenda-driven external parties, the reality within recruitment is that you are governed by not only financial constraints but the actual availability of players. Like a lot of people who work at clubs, I've had agents offer me players who I didn't think were a great fit for the club I was working for at the time.
"I remember one player where the agent was trying to use supposed interest from a direct competitor as leverage in order to try and get us to become interested ourselves within a January window. He obviously didn't think I was aware that the player had experienced an ankle injury in his club's second game within the January window and was due to be out for the next three months.
"Despite this, the agent kept telling me that we were missing out and that he would sign for our competitors regardless and we would miss out and look foolish. The player in question only played 54 minutes again that season for the club he stayed at; getting subbed off during a 2-1 loss in April. He's now on loan in Italy but has struggled since.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...f-scouting-anticipating-spikes-in-performance
"The stories are not always bad ones as it is important to say that there are some agencies and individual agents who are very professional and diligent but there are still, as in any walk of life, people who will try to exploit situations for their own personal gain."
With the best recruitment departments increasingly seen as the gatekeepers preventing agents from getting their clients into clubs, there are those now looking to use the data positively themselves. "Some agencies, such as World in Motion, have now embraced data in order to promote their players rather than fight against the tide," adds Mackenzie.
Sam Jackson, head of research and analytics at World in Motion, knows that talking the language of recruiters means more chance of their clients being picked up. "Presenting stats on our clients allows us to minimise bias, and to be a highly trusted and respected agency in an industry not particularly renowned for scrupulous selling," Jackson tells Sky Sports.
"Anyone can tell a club: 'Sign this player, they're great.' By presenting player statistics, we come to the table with greater reliability, which only complements our qualitative scouting capabilities, and cements our status at the cutting edge of the intellectual side of agency and recruitment.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...-scouting-anticipating-decline-in-performance
"We present relevant performance stats based on what we know a club is looking for, whilst, as one of the few truly global football agencies, data on league quality, for example, allows us to rigorously demonstrate the fantastic value to be found in certain markets that we're active in."
The tradition of agents pushing players while scouts bat away the worst suggestions does live on. But it seems that the next stage of this symbiotic relationship has begun. By acknowledging statistics and the increasingly exhaustive process behind player acquisition, the onus is now on agents as well as scouts to find the right fit for player and club.
Analytics have added a new dimension to scouting in recent years. In the next part of our Changing Face of Scouting series, experienced scout Rob Mackenzie examines the power of data as a tool to identify transfer window targets… and its limitations.
Even in the modern game there are wonderful stories that emerge such as the tale of Woolwich scout Brian McDermott happening upon Hednesford Town youngster Cohen Bramall. A chance meeting and a career transformed.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...ng-rob-mackenzie8217s-full-series-of-articles
But football clubs do not like to rely too much on chance. So the development of data tools and the introduction of analytics departments have an obvious allure, raising the prospect of a more targeted way of working. They can cut out a lot of wasted time.
http://rss.acast.com/skysports-audioeditions/limitationsofdatainscouting/media.mp3
As someone with a background in technical scouting, Rob Mackenzie certainly sees the benefits. “Data is neutral, reliable and it allows you to assess a significant number of players in a time-efficient manner,” he tells Sky Sports.
“It provides a platform for you to identify players and benchmark expected performance levels. It also allows you to compare similar profiles, help establish what else is available in the market and therefore work out who the most valuable players are to your club.
“For example, if a club had been looking for an experienced centre-back for a relatively low fee this window, it would not have taken long to recognise that a player like Mergim Mavraj, who just signed for HSV from FC Koln for around £1.6m, may have represented a good fit.
Mergim Mavraj (centre) was a stand-out option during his time at FC Koln
“As a 30-year-old Albania international he would have been identified as quite significant within the market place due to an expiring contract and an ever-present record this season for a side renowned for having a tight defensive unit – joint-third best in the Bundesliga.”
While data can quickly flag up a player such as Mavraj, the key to quality scouting is to appreciate that this is just part of the process. “Having access to data and career biographies of players in competitions across the world is certainly empowering,” adds Mackenzie.
“But as with any resource available to you, it is important to acknowledge the level of insight that it can and cannot provide and place that into much needed perspective when making decisions. Anything in isolation tends to be insufficient.
“If I’m honest, I think I might have placed more emphasis on data alone in previous years but I have learned to understand that there is so much more to the probability of a player being a success at your club than their statistical output in isolation.
“In order to minimise the risk associated with signing a player the process should involve piecing together all the information you have collated in a manner that allows you to assess the suitability of a given player in direct relation to the remit set by management.
“I recall looking at a player who, among other things, scored 27 goals and provided eight assists in 40 games during his last season prior to a transfer. Since moving, however, he has followed that up with only seven goals and seven assists in 56 games at his new club.
“Is it that the player has suddenly become poor? Or is it more likely that he is experiencing a totally different challenge in his life? A new country, a new competition, higher expectations among better players and the pressure of a big transfer – maybe he’s struggling to adjust?
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...ng-face-of-scouting-signing-toby-alderweireld
“Either way he has arguably fallen short of expectations. But while the player’s recent performance data might suggest he’s struggling, he is the same person and in theory he has the same level of ability as before, yet the outcome is remarkably different.”
It’s a reminder of the limitations of data. So while some analytics experts mock the maxim that ‘you can’t measure a player’s heart’, Mackenzie is more circumspect. Rather than dismiss its significance, he has come to appreciate the need to evaluate what’s inside too.
“When signing a player you are initiating a significant change in someone’s life,” he explains. “So it is almost as important to anticipate how they are likely to approach the new challenge they will be presented with as it is to understand their current level of performance.
“With that in mind, you aspire to gain an understanding of their character. What motivates them? What stage of their career are they currently at? And perhaps more importantly, what does a move to your club represent to the player from these perspectives?”
Ultimately, every factor must be considered. He adds: “Irrespective of a player’s statistical profile or positive live scouting reports if there is not a good fit across the board then the risk associated with a player not succeeding at your club can often be quite significant.”
Even in the modern game there are wonderful stories that emerge such as the tale of Woolwich scout Brian McDermott happening upon Hednesford Town youngster Cohen Bramall. A chance meeting and a career transformed.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...ng-rob-mackenzie8217s-full-series-of-articles
But football clubs do not like to rely too much on chance. So the development of data tools and the introduction of analytics departments have an obvious allure, raising the prospect of a more targeted way of working. They can cut out a lot of wasted time.
http://rss.acast.com/skysports-audioeditions/limitationsofdatainscouting/media.mp3
As someone with a background in technical scouting, Rob Mackenzie certainly sees the benefits. “Data is neutral, reliable and it allows you to assess a significant number of players in a time-efficient manner,” he tells Sky Sports.
“It provides a platform for you to identify players and benchmark expected performance levels. It also allows you to compare similar profiles, help establish what else is available in the market and therefore work out who the most valuable players are to your club.
“For example, if a club had been looking for an experienced centre-back for a relatively low fee this window, it would not have taken long to recognise that a player like Mergim Mavraj, who just signed for HSV from FC Koln for around £1.6m, may have represented a good fit.
Mergim Mavraj (centre) was a stand-out option during his time at FC Koln
“As a 30-year-old Albania international he would have been identified as quite significant within the market place due to an expiring contract and an ever-present record this season for a side renowned for having a tight defensive unit – joint-third best in the Bundesliga.”
While data can quickly flag up a player such as Mavraj, the key to quality scouting is to appreciate that this is just part of the process. “Having access to data and career biographies of players in competitions across the world is certainly empowering,” adds Mackenzie.
“But as with any resource available to you, it is important to acknowledge the level of insight that it can and cannot provide and place that into much needed perspective when making decisions. Anything in isolation tends to be insufficient.
“If I’m honest, I think I might have placed more emphasis on data alone in previous years but I have learned to understand that there is so much more to the probability of a player being a success at your club than their statistical output in isolation.
“In order to minimise the risk associated with signing a player the process should involve piecing together all the information you have collated in a manner that allows you to assess the suitability of a given player in direct relation to the remit set by management.
“In recent seasons we have seen clubs sign players with notable stats but it is important to remember there is a person behind the numbers. If their attitude towards a new challenge is not as reliable as their performance history, then the move may not succeed.
“I recall looking at a player who, among other things, scored 27 goals and provided eight assists in 40 games during his last season prior to a transfer. Since moving, however, he has followed that up with only seven goals and seven assists in 56 games at his new club.
“Is it that the player has suddenly become poor? Or is it more likely that he is experiencing a totally different challenge in his life? A new country, a new competition, higher expectations among better players and the pressure of a big transfer – maybe he’s struggling to adjust?
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...ng-face-of-scouting-signing-toby-alderweireld
“Either way he has arguably fallen short of expectations. But while the player’s recent performance data might suggest he’s struggling, he is the same person and in theory he has the same level of ability as before, yet the outcome is remarkably different.”
It’s a reminder of the limitations of data. So while some analytics experts mock the maxim that ‘you can’t measure a player’s heart’, Mackenzie is more circumspect. Rather than dismiss its significance, he has come to appreciate the need to evaluate what’s inside too.
“When signing a player you are initiating a significant change in someone’s life,” he explains. “So it is almost as important to anticipate how they are likely to approach the new challenge they will be presented with as it is to understand their current level of performance.
“With that in mind, you aspire to gain an understanding of their character. What motivates them? What stage of their career are they currently at? And perhaps more importantly, what does a move to your club represent to the player from these perspectives?”
Ultimately, every factor must be considered. He adds: “Irrespective of a player’s statistical profile or positive live scouting reports if there is not a good fit across the board then the risk associated with a player not succeeding at your club can often be quite significant.”
The January transfer window can be a busy time as clubs scramble to turn their season around. In the latest part of our Changing Face of Scouting series, we take a look at the pitfalls of buying mid-season and those who have got it sussed.
Everyone remembers the isolated examples. Luis Suarez went to Liverpool. Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra arrived at Manchester United. But make no mistake, the January transfer window is a tricky time to pick up a bargain and clubs are well aware of the risks.
Rob Mackenzie certainly knows the challenges that come in January from his time at Leicester, Tottenham and, most recently, in his role as director of recruitment at Derby County. He feels there are reasons why it is synonymous with a lack of value for money.
http://rss.acast.com/skysports-audioeditions/januarytransferwindow-ascout-sguidetosuccess/media.mp3
"I heard numerous post-match interviews with managers over the festive period citing the need for new recruits to 'kick-start their season' or to 'freshen things up'," Mackenzie tells Sky Sports. "But players need to be available for clubs to sign them.
"Other clubs' reluctance to sell their best players halfway through a season, means that clubs generally have to pay over and above a player's prospective value in order to sign someone who is currently in form."
What is the transfer window like for recruiters?
As someone working within a recruitment department during a transfer window you are constantly getting updates from agents as to the evolving situations of their respective clients and you have a number of players who you want to remain in the loop with.
It might be that certain players move within the market which then frees up an opportunity that was previously unavailable to you. As a result, sometimes you feel like you are watching what everyone else is doing as opposed to necessarily doing that much yourself.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...ng-rob-mackenzie8217s-full-series-of-articles
It all depends on where your club is at during that period of time. Within those periods, you are constantly assessing and evaluating others clubs' business and subconsciously asking yourself whether they would have been suitable for your club or not.
The realities of working in a window can be quite tough as you often cannot influence future opportunities that are out of your control. But what you can do is be as well prepared as possible to take them if and when they do arise.
So what are the problems with buying in January?
January is a notoriously difficult window to sign players in as quality and value for money are hard to find and the reasons behind players being available tend not to be positive ones.
In my experience, clubs in England tend to look for players who can hit the ground running and positively affect things immediately in January, and given that is the remit it is usually the clubs who are struggling who are the most eager to make this change.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...ng-face-of-scouting-signing-toby-alderweireld
The big issue comes with the type of player that tends to be available at this time of year. They are usually out of the team, have recently experienced injury or are not performing to a high enough level.
Therefore, there tends to be a big disconnect between the remit of a player who can hit the ground running immediately, and the types of situations that potentially available players find themselves in.
While it appears there is significant disparity between remit and outcome, no doubt people at the club felt under pressure to deliver a player with pedigree who was available early in the window for a small fee. By signing early, he at least has more time to adapt.
Which clubs have got the transfer window sussed?
Clubs with definitive styles of play and a clear recruitment philosophy are best placed to maximise opportunities. Without those things in place, it is easy to move from one target to another and struggle to work out who is most suitable and who represents best value.
In my opinion, clubs abroad, most notably in Germany, appear to approach the January transfer window differently. Even if deals are done in January, they tend to finalise them earlier in order to give the selling club the best chance to plan for their player's departure.
By doing so they give themselves the best chance of acquiring suitable players at a good price. For example, Thomas Delaney joined Werder Bremen from FC Copenhagen for £1.5m this month but it was no panic buy - the deal was actually announced in August 2016.
Everyone remembers the isolated examples. Luis Suarez went to Liverpool. Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra arrived at Manchester United. But make no mistake, the January transfer window is a tricky time to pick up a bargain and clubs are well aware of the risks.
Rob Mackenzie certainly knows the challenges that come in January from his time at Leicester, Tottenham and, most recently, in his role as director of recruitment at Derby County. He feels there are reasons why it is synonymous with a lack of value for money.
http://rss.acast.com/skysports-audioeditions/januarytransferwindow-ascout-sguidetosuccess/media.mp3
"I heard numerous post-match interviews with managers over the festive period citing the need for new recruits to 'kick-start their season' or to 'freshen things up'," Mackenzie tells Sky Sports. "But players need to be available for clubs to sign them.
"Other clubs' reluctance to sell their best players halfway through a season, means that clubs generally have to pay over and above a player's prospective value in order to sign someone who is currently in form."
So how can clubs get around that problem? And what is it really like to be involved at the sharp end as deadline day approaches? Here, Mackenzie addresses the issues and looks at those who are able to deal with the window better than others…What is the transfer window like for recruiters?
As someone working within a recruitment department during a transfer window you are constantly getting updates from agents as to the evolving situations of their respective clients and you have a number of players who you want to remain in the loop with.
It might be that certain players move within the market which then frees up an opportunity that was previously unavailable to you. As a result, sometimes you feel like you are watching what everyone else is doing as opposed to necessarily doing that much yourself.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...ng-rob-mackenzie8217s-full-series-of-articles
It all depends on where your club is at during that period of time. Within those periods, you are constantly assessing and evaluating others clubs' business and subconsciously asking yourself whether they would have been suitable for your club or not.
The realities of working in a window can be quite tough as you often cannot influence future opportunities that are out of your control. But what you can do is be as well prepared as possible to take them if and when they do arise.
So what are the problems with buying in January?
January is a notoriously difficult window to sign players in as quality and value for money are hard to find and the reasons behind players being available tend not to be positive ones.
In my experience, clubs in England tend to look for players who can hit the ground running and positively affect things immediately in January, and given that is the remit it is usually the clubs who are struggling who are the most eager to make this change.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...ng-face-of-scouting-signing-toby-alderweireld
The big issue comes with the type of player that tends to be available at this time of year. They are usually out of the team, have recently experienced injury or are not performing to a high enough level.
Therefore, there tends to be a big disconnect between the remit of a player who can hit the ground running immediately, and the types of situations that potentially available players find themselves in.
For example, we have already seen a Championship club, one eager to attract someone capable of making an immediate impact, sign a player this window who had played in only six per cent of his club's total minutes during the 18 months prior to his transfer.
While it appears there is significant disparity between remit and outcome, no doubt people at the club felt under pressure to deliver a player with pedigree who was available early in the window for a small fee. By signing early, he at least has more time to adapt.
Which clubs have got the transfer window sussed?
Clubs with definitive styles of play and a clear recruitment philosophy are best placed to maximise opportunities. Without those things in place, it is easy to move from one target to another and struggle to work out who is most suitable and who represents best value.
In my opinion, clubs abroad, most notably in Germany, appear to approach the January transfer window differently. Even if deals are done in January, they tend to finalise them earlier in order to give the selling club the best chance to plan for their player's departure.
By doing so they give themselves the best chance of acquiring suitable players at a good price. For example, Thomas Delaney joined Werder Bremen from FC Copenhagen for £1.5m this month but it was no panic buy - the deal was actually announced in August 2016.
Defenders are notoriously difficult to analyse from a statistical point of view, so what do scouts look for in such a player? In the next part of our Changing Face of Scouting series, Tottenham’s former head of player identification Rob Mackenzie discusses the challenges and picks out the qualities that made Toby Alderweireld stand out from the rest…
Assessing defenders can be difficult. Totting up the tackles or looking for the player who makes the most clearances can be misleading. Volume is not necessarily an indicator of quality. In fact, it could be quite the opposite.
http://rss.acast.com/skysports-audioeditions/howtottenhamsignedtobyalderweireld/media.mp3
Logic dictates that defenders at poorer teams will have more opportunities to perform defensive actions. And even within the same side, a greater number of tackles and clearances could be a sign of poor positioning in the first place.
"When scouts are assessing central defenders, questions relating to reliability and solidity are often in the forefront of your mind. Therefore, if a player has a track record of having demonstrated these qualities it generates confidence that they can do so again.
"He is an interesting case study because his statistical performance profile wasn't necessarily that significant but there were key themes associated with him that meant he was a really good fit."
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...-scouting-anticipating-decline-in-performance
Here, Mackenzie picks out six of the qualities that convinced Tottenham to sign the Belgium international in the summer of 2015…
Elite experience
As a club who were trying to achieve Champions League qualification at the time, we felt it was important to identify players who had excellent pedigree and a track record of playing at the highest level in order to maximise the chance of them being able to improve on what was already a very talented squad.
Alderweireld had played 20 times in the Champions League during spells at Atletico Madrid and Ajax, and in 2014 he had played in the final itself coming on at left-back for the last 37 minutes against Real Madrid in Lisbon. He had also played in the Europa League and represented Belgium at the 2014 World Cup, which gave you the feeling that no occasion would be too big for him in the future.
Flexibility factor
Part of any potential risk was also minimised with him having played in the Premier League for Southampton during the 2014/15 season, so a future transition to a new competition was not an issue. He had played in a variety of positions to good effect as well (right-back, left back, centre-back and holding midfield) and therefore he represented an excellent fit for a Spurs squad that is able to be so streamlined due to its versatility and flexibility.
Mind and body
In order for a player to be really effective at the highest level, their robustness and durability is a key factor to consider. When a club is involved in multiple competitions, players can only make really significant contributions if they are regularly fit for selection, irrespective of the tough demands placed upon them. Therefore previous successful experience of managing the physical and mental challenge of playing across multiple competitions also helps to minimise the risk of a player not being able to adapt or adjust.
In the five seasons prior to Alderweireld joining Spurs, he had been involved in 90 per cent of all potential match day squads (230 out of 256). Even when he broke a bone in his shoulder while on loan at Southampton he was willing to play through the pain barrier. Alderweireld's availability during his first season at Tottenham justified the analysis that we conducted surrounding his robustness and durability, as he was involved in 96 per cent of all match day squads for that campaign (51 out of 53).
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...f-scouting-anticipating-spikes-in-performance
Defensive record
Quite remarkably, in each of Alderweireld's seven full seasons as a professional, he has always played in a team that has had either the best defensive record (five times) or the second best defensive record (twice) in the league. On the two occasions that he played in the league's second best defence (Ajax in 2011/12 and Southampton in 2014/15), the number of goals that they conceded was only one more than the best defence.
Throughout our analysis it became apparent that Alderweireld's association with organised and disciplined defensive units, who don't concede a lot of goals, was not a lucky coincidence. This was a trend that continued after he signed for Tottenham as they posted the joint best defensive record in the Premier League last season and they currently have the best defensive record in the league this season too.
Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen had played together with Ajax and Belgium
Perfect partner
It was also highlighted and factored into the analysis that, during his time at Ajax, Toby tended to play alongside Jan Vertonghen, who we envisaged he would play alongside at centre half in the Premier League. A successful previous working relationship between the two of them helped alleviate any potential concerns as to their suitability as a pairing.
Winning mentality
Finally, there is an expectation that comes with playing for a top club such as Tottenham, where winning and being competitive at the top end of the Premier League is what it is all about. Therefore, if you are able to highlight and attract players who have experienced playing for a big club relative to the competition that they are playing in, and who have achieved success irrespective of the pressure placed upon the team and its players to win regularly, then you are able to further minimise potential risk.
You hope that if a player has responded positively to the pressure that is synonymous with playing for a big club previously then they may be likely to do so again in the future. While at Ajax, Alderweireld won the Eredivisie title four times, the Dutch Cup twice, the Dutch Super Cup once. He then played in the Atletico Madrid side that won La Liga in 2013/14. It was this ability to deal with the expectation of winning and his winning mentality that further strengthened the case for signing him.
Assessing defenders can be difficult. Totting up the tackles or looking for the player who makes the most clearances can be misleading. Volume is not necessarily an indicator of quality. In fact, it could be quite the opposite.
http://rss.acast.com/skysports-audioeditions/howtottenhamsignedtobyalderweireld/media.mp3
Logic dictates that defenders at poorer teams will have more opportunities to perform defensive actions. And even within the same side, a greater number of tackles and clearances could be a sign of poor positioning in the first place.
"I think when assessing central defenders," experienced scout Rob Mackenzie tells Sky Sports, "it is especially important to acknowledge the data that is in front of you whilst also asking questions of it and trying to look beyond it."When scouts are assessing central defenders, questions relating to reliability and solidity are often in the forefront of your mind. Therefore, if a player has a track record of having demonstrated these qualities it generates confidence that they can do so again.
"When I was at Tottenham Hotspur we assessed a number of prospective central defensive partners for Jan Vertonghen, but it soon became apparent that the stand-out candidate was Toby Alderweireld.
"He is an interesting case study because his statistical performance profile wasn't necessarily that significant but there were key themes associated with him that meant he was a really good fit."
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...-scouting-anticipating-decline-in-performance
Here, Mackenzie picks out six of the qualities that convinced Tottenham to sign the Belgium international in the summer of 2015…
Elite experience
As a club who were trying to achieve Champions League qualification at the time, we felt it was important to identify players who had excellent pedigree and a track record of playing at the highest level in order to maximise the chance of them being able to improve on what was already a very talented squad.
Alderweireld had played 20 times in the Champions League during spells at Atletico Madrid and Ajax, and in 2014 he had played in the final itself coming on at left-back for the last 37 minutes against Real Madrid in Lisbon. He had also played in the Europa League and represented Belgium at the 2014 World Cup, which gave you the feeling that no occasion would be too big for him in the future.
Flexibility factor
Part of any potential risk was also minimised with him having played in the Premier League for Southampton during the 2014/15 season, so a future transition to a new competition was not an issue. He had played in a variety of positions to good effect as well (right-back, left back, centre-back and holding midfield) and therefore he represented an excellent fit for a Spurs squad that is able to be so streamlined due to its versatility and flexibility.
Mind and body
In order for a player to be really effective at the highest level, their robustness and durability is a key factor to consider. When a club is involved in multiple competitions, players can only make really significant contributions if they are regularly fit for selection, irrespective of the tough demands placed upon them. Therefore previous successful experience of managing the physical and mental challenge of playing across multiple competitions also helps to minimise the risk of a player not being able to adapt or adjust.
In the five seasons prior to Alderweireld joining Spurs, he had been involved in 90 per cent of all potential match day squads (230 out of 256). Even when he broke a bone in his shoulder while on loan at Southampton he was willing to play through the pain barrier. Alderweireld's availability during his first season at Tottenham justified the analysis that we conducted surrounding his robustness and durability, as he was involved in 96 per cent of all match day squads for that campaign (51 out of 53).
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...f-scouting-anticipating-spikes-in-performance
Defensive record
Quite remarkably, in each of Alderweireld's seven full seasons as a professional, he has always played in a team that has had either the best defensive record (five times) or the second best defensive record (twice) in the league. On the two occasions that he played in the league's second best defence (Ajax in 2011/12 and Southampton in 2014/15), the number of goals that they conceded was only one more than the best defence.
Throughout our analysis it became apparent that Alderweireld's association with organised and disciplined defensive units, who don't concede a lot of goals, was not a lucky coincidence. This was a trend that continued after he signed for Tottenham as they posted the joint best defensive record in the Premier League last season and they currently have the best defensive record in the league this season too.
Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen had played together with Ajax and Belgium
Perfect partner
It was also highlighted and factored into the analysis that, during his time at Ajax, Toby tended to play alongside Jan Vertonghen, who we envisaged he would play alongside at centre half in the Premier League. A successful previous working relationship between the two of them helped alleviate any potential concerns as to their suitability as a pairing.
Winning mentality
Finally, there is an expectation that comes with playing for a top club such as Tottenham, where winning and being competitive at the top end of the Premier League is what it is all about. Therefore, if you are able to highlight and attract players who have experienced playing for a big club relative to the competition that they are playing in, and who have achieved success irrespective of the pressure placed upon the team and its players to win regularly, then you are able to further minimise potential risk.
You hope that if a player has responded positively to the pressure that is synonymous with playing for a big club previously then they may be likely to do so again in the future. While at Ajax, Alderweireld won the Eredivisie title four times, the Dutch Cup twice, the Dutch Super Cup once. He then played in the Atletico Madrid side that won La Liga in 2013/14. It was this ability to deal with the expectation of winning and his winning mentality that further strengthened the case for signing him.
According to Frederik Leth's Linkedin he's now working at Tottenham
uk.linkedin.com
Frederik Leth - Tottenham Hotspur Football Club | LinkedIn
View Frederik Leth’s profile on LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional community. Frederik has 7 jobs listed on their profile. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover Frederik’s connections and jobs at similar companies.
uk.linkedin.com
Good snoopingAccording to Frederik Leth's Linkedin he's now working at Tottenham
Frederik Leth - Tottenham Hotspur Football Club | LinkedIn
View Frederik Leth’s profile on LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional community. Frederik has 7 jobs listed on their profile. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover Frederik’s connections and jobs at similar companies.
I can't take credit for being a great stalker. It's in the danish media
You could have done. I don't fucking read Danish media. Nobody would have caught you out
Next time then, even though there's a fair few danes roaming around here
If you like a long read, try Raymond E Feist, 20+ books on the one overarching story. He's a wonderful World builder. My favourite author.
The whole story of War and Peace could have consisted of just 7 words
FRANCE INVADES RUSSIA FRANCE RETREATS FROM RUSSIA
Tis The Athletic mantra, never let something be said in 1 paragraph when it can instead be fluffed out to 700+.
A picture tells a thousand words does it? Well, how about 20 pictures with lines drawn all over them, 10 random graphs of some sort saying some thing, oh, and multiple thousands of words anyway?
Top football nerd-ery.
View: https://twitter.com/TheSpursExpress/status/1728053954687246483
Good to see Daniel's changed his name
Hojberg is a lurker on here , risky game you‘re suggesting
10 words , you forgot
Le Parisien disappointed