This summer promises to be a different one at Tottenham Hotspur in terms of recruitment.
Since Damien Comolli left White Hart Lane, there has been a lack of cohesive planning in Spurs’ transfer policy. A scattergun approach to signing players led to the signing of players who were deemed to be value for money or players who performed well in certain teams rather than players who fit the manager’s plans.
Daniel Levy and in particular, Comolli’s replacement as Director of Football, Franco Baldini, has come in for the most criticism regarding Spurs’ failed signings. In November 2014, Comolli launched an attack on Spurs’ scouting system, or lack-there-off.
“From the outside, what I can tell you is that among the top 20 clubs in the world, in terms of wealth, Spurs are the only ones who haven’t got a scouting network,” the Frenchman said.
“They are clearly understaffed in this aspect. It has become a kind of joke in the scouting community. They say, ‘have you seen a Spurs scout?’ You don’t see them. I don’t think they’ve got any.”
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is a proud man and he would not like to have heard his club was a joke among professional circles. Not only that, his determination to show backing to Mauricio Pochettino to ensure the Argentine is not yet another managerial failure has seen Levy take steps in setting up a scouting network.
This process began when Spurs enticed Paul Mitchell, Southampton’s Head of Recruitment, to become their Head of Recruitment and Analysis. The young Englishman was known for his excellent work with Southampton’s recruitment where he played a big part in a tumultuous summer that turned into an excellent transfer window and, subsequently, Southampton’s best season in Premier League history as well as being the creator of their famous “black box” which in simple terms, is a set of algorithms that predicts players future performances using complex statistical analysis.
Pochettino was happy with the appointment of Mitchell but he was not the first. Over the course of the rest of the season, new scouts were announcing their moves to Tottenham Hotspur over social media. Rob McKenzie from Leicester, Stuart Metcalf from Brighton, Adrian Esparraga from Malaga and Bournemouth’s David Webb have all joined Mitchell’s scouting team. There may have been more but official backroom appointments, aside from the first team coaching staff, is a rarity.
Tottenham has already made its first signing this summer, having announced the arrival of Koln centre-back Kevin Wimmer last week. Not a household name but one with enormous potential whose talents can be honed on the training ground by Pochettino.
Next on Pochettino’s list is Monaco’s Anthony Martial. It has been widely reported that Spurs are poised to make a €25m bid for the teenaged star. The French international had his breakthrough season in 2014-15 where he played 31 league matches and yielded eight goals.
While he played predominantly from the wing, his main role is up front. Pochettino favours players with such versatility and Martial is a favourite of his manager Leonardo Jardim.
Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor’s careers at Spurs are effectively over. Soldado never really adapted to English football and once his confidence went, he was doomed. Adebayor can be outstanding on his day but those days seems further and further in between. Harry Kane’s ability is well documented but a back-up striker is needed to share the burden with the 21-year-old to prevent burnout after a summer where he is expected to be England’s main man at the U21 European Championship.
Step forward Anthony Martial, Pochettino’s eyes are on you.
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