Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian Huddersfield Andy HunterĪ recruitment talent course at the FA in 2016 with, from left to right: Mervyn Day, Richard Allan, Steve Walsh and Tommy Johnson. Overseas he has concentrated Everton’s eyes on Europe’s five major leagues and South America. He has conducted a major overhaul of Everton’s scouting network since his appointment – it has more than 200 scouts in the north-west alone – bringing in Laurence Stewart from Manchester City as senior recruitment coordinator, Martyn Glover from Sunderland as chief scout and Jamie Hoyland as head of under-21 recruitment. At Leicester, Walsh introduced N’Golo Kanté, Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy to the future Premier League champions. Walsh, brother of the former Everton player Mickey, was lured to Goodison Park last summer from Leicester City as the major shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, restructured the club’s management structure. Steve Walsh is Everton’s first director of football, a title that carries wide-ranging responsibilities but has player recruitment chief among them. One of several Premier League scouts in Poland this week for the European Under-21 Championship, Coe will be on the lookout for emerging talent below the radar as Palace search for a replacement for Sam Allardyce. That has led them to target the French market in particular. Still only 31, Coe initially combined his law studies with his scouting role but has been concentrating on extending Palace’s network in Europe. While the managers have come and gone – four at the last count since Tim Coe arrived in February 2013 – the chief scout who began his career at Reading while still an undergraduate has been one of few constants at Selhurst Park. Only once a player is identified and agreement reached with the head coach does Emenalo approach the director Marina Granovskaia or owner, Roman Abramovich, to request a transfer, with Granovskaia in effect charged with securing the target. The head of international scouting, Scott McLachlan, collates information and data on targets and potential signings, whether on performances or background checks, and is always available and regularly consulted. They are headed by the technical director, Michael Emenalo, who speaks with Antonio Conte on a daily basis, as well as to agents and intermediaries. Paul Wilson ChelseaĬhelsea’s recruitment structure has been streamlined since the days of Frank Arnesen’s scout-heavy approach, with the Dane’s 50-strong team reduced to around a dozen concentrating on specific regions, whether local or national, EU or non-EU. The chairman, Mike Garlick, then oversees negotiations to complete deals. Apart from the academy scouting system, which has people in place to spot local talent at junior level, Hodge is in charge of identifying potential targets in conjunction with the manager, who first stipulates his requirements, and an extensive analysis department. Their scouting set-up is headed by Martin Hodge, the former Sheffield Wednesday and Everton goalkeeper, who is employed as head of recruitment. The club used to have a sporting director but did not continue with the position when Frank McParland left to join Rangers. Their recruitment department is Premier League ready. There has been regular chopping and changing among the scouting department, with people such as Ewan Chester and Jamie Johnson departing, but the emphasis on player evaluation and background checks remains as stringent as ever. The head of recruitment, Paul Winstanley, headhunted from a role as head analyst at Derby County in August 2014 and appointed as player identification manager, has his office next to those of Chris Hughton and the chief executive, Paul Barber, and oversees a tight team of scouts with duties across the globe. Given the influence Tony Bloom, a mathematician by education, exerts over Brighton, it is hardly surprising the club’s recruitment policy leans heavily on data analysis.
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