The ECHO delves deeply into scouting’s trade secrets and Liverpool’s efforts to stay on the cutting edge.
Liverpool’s recent success in the transfer market has given the impression that the team has the Midas touch, but the truth is far more nuanced behind the scenes.
In contemporary football, few things carry as much risk of errors and blunders as recruitment. For a team like Liverpool, whose resources don’t always match those of their immediate competitors, staying ahead of the curve at that level frequently calls for more ingenuity and diligence.
The Reds scout players worldwide and are usually evaluating a sizable number from most leagues at any given moment, as one might anticipate from a team of this magnitude. For individuals working in the field, it can occasionally be frustrating when their attendance at games throughout Europe is made public as a result.
Supporters are always curious to learn which games the club has sent its talent-spotters to, but those who work in the field will argue that since they are just doing their jobs, it is not newsworthy to cover or analyse. But it does allow supporters to start imagining who might be on the shortlists in a generation that is growing more and more enthralled with the idea of transfers.
However, scouts almost seldom attend a game with the intention of observing a single player. Attending a Ligue 1 or La Liga match, for instance, is an opportunity for someone representing Liverpool to keep a watch on several possible prospects. Occasionally, individuals engaged are discovered by accident rather than through any longer-term or more comprehensive plan.
assessments of the on-loan The 2017–18 season saw Pedro Chirivella at Willem II in Holland, which caused scouts to take notice of the skills of a young left-back named Kostas Tsimikas, who was also on a temporary loan with the Eredivisie team at the time.
By the 2019–20 season, those following the Greek defender had noticed notable improvements, especially in the Champions League. Tsimikas had also begun to attract interest from French and Italian clubs, and after character references were completed, he was placed on good terms with his agent, Paschalis Tountouris.
When work began on that summer’s transfer goals, Liverpool was able to clear the path in their pursuit of Tsimikas at the beginning of 2020 thanks to diplomacy and professionalism. Sevilla and Leicester City tried to become involved in the defender’s race, but Tsimikas had already committed to Anfield for the long term, mainly because of the friendship that had been formed.
Perhaps more than anything else, building relationships is the foundation of contemporary scouting. If being able to identify people is the relatively easy aspect, then being willing to form such working relationships with family members and agents can occasionally be the difference maker in a transfer drama.
Before Tottenham showed unexpected interest in Luis Diaz in the final days of the January transfer window, Liverpool had identified the player as a summer transfer target two years prior. This was communicated to those working on the club’s behalf by Diaz’s agents, Carlos Van Strahalen, based in Colombia, and Raul Pais Da Costa, a representative from Portugal.
With the help of even more connections inside the industry, Liverpool was able to move ahead of Spurs and put them in a position where they could finalise the transfer when their South American scout, Gonzalo Siegrist, obtained authorization for Diaz’s medical to be performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, while the player was on Colombian international duty at the end of January 2022.
By wooing Stefan Bajcetic, Liverpool was able to get an early advantage against Manchester United at the end of 2020. The midfielder’s family, particularly his father Srdan, had already forged a good relationship with the Reds, ensuring that Anfield was selected over Old Trafford. In the future, that might turn out to be a really wise business decision.
Head of Academy Recruitment Matt Newberry oversaw Bajcetic’s acquisition. The teenager was seen as a multi-functional player with the potential to become a star with the right coaching, so a deal was accelerated in December 2020 to ensure they signed him before new regulations from the European Union were implemented at the beginning of the following year that would have impacted the transfer.
One scout who works for a club that frequently participates in the Champions League says, “Once you have an idea [of a target], you put it around to some of the staff and then you get back-up information from analyst staff, statistics, scouting videos and your own coaching staff, you can marry it all together and then you know you have an interesting player.”
It’s the appropriate method. You are combining new and old technologies, and you will know you have a player when the results are the same. When you see them play and then go a little farther, it can sometimes be obvious.”
Conversely, failing to establish those dynamics at an early stage may result in losing out on an important objective. For instance, in August, Moises Caicedo made the decision to choose Chelsea over Liverpool following both teams’ British-record £111 million bids to Brighton & Hove Albion.
It is said that Liverpool had meetings with the agent Manuel Sierra at the beginning of the year, but when it came down to it, Chelsea’s persistent pursuit was what ultimately made the difference on a strange mid-August weekend. “When Liverpool’s offer arrived, Brighton were asked for time so that Chelsea could match it, they did, they surpassed it and he ended up at Chelsea because he had given his word to Chelsea for quite some time,” Sierra told Ecuadorian media in October.
Alexis Mac Allister, a midfielder from South America, signed a contract last summer. Due to their past working relationship with agent Juan Gemelli, who assisted in arranging Philippe Coutinho’s 2013 transfer to Anfield, Liverpool was able to track the Argentina World Cup winner for a significant portion of the previous season and learned that the player had a release clause at Brighton, estimated to be worth approximately £35 million.
The operation is fluid because Jurgen Klopp is frequently overloaded with other duties on a weekly basis, and all advice from individuals with the appropriate experience is valued. For example, the manager has affectionately called John Achterberg a “goalkeeping manic” and he is said to have thousands of up-and-coming keepers from all over the world in his database. Staff members also ask Alisson Becker’s opinion about players in his position because, in the vicinity of the AXA Training Centre, the Brazil international is regarded as the best in the world.
Earlier this year, Jorg Schmadtke was suggested to take Julian Ward’s post as sporting director on a temporary basis by Klopp’s agent, Marc Kosicke. The German was not well-known because he had retired from Wolfsburg a few months prior, but he was motivated enough by the opportunity to rejoin the team. It’s also noteworthy that the three players he has signed thus far are all from Bundesliga teams: Wataru Endo (Stuttgart), Ryan Gravenberch (Bayern Munich), and Dominik Szoboszlai (RB Leipzig). This emphasises the value of having well-respected relationships in the game.
After Liverpool signed Japan captain Endo, it is believed that Klopp received several private messages from Bundesliga legends. They all thought the move was shrewd, if unexpected, and Schmadtke will remain to supervise any deals completed this month before focusing on the summer transfer window.
According to a person with direct knowledge of the operation, “it’s more about knowing one region very well and watching this region you generate knowledge and then this knowledge is held by the scouting and recruitment department.”
But sometimes, Klopp, who always has the last word, will decide something for himself. Darwin Nunez was merely a candidate under consideration during 2021–2022, but the Reds manager reportedly “fell in love” with the Uruguayan international during his assessment of Benfica prior to their Champions League match almost two years ago.
Before Klopp was sufficiently impressed to order Julian Ward to use his connections at Benfica to push through a club-record move, it was believed that Manchester United was leading the way for Nunez.
Due to the talent level required to succeed at Anfield, Liverpool scouts dozens of players at once. While many assessments go inactive, curiosity of varied degrees is maintained until a point at which it is acknowledged that advancement and improvements are only gradual. Additionally, despite the assessors’ enthusiastic suggestions, the club does not follow through on them.
Morten Frendrup of Genoa, a Danish international, and Ousmane Diomande, who is currently employed by Sporting in Portugal, are the two players who are currently under consideration. While there is little indication that a deal is close, Frendrup, 22, has been considered as a long-term Fabinho successor.
The 20-year-old defender Diomande, who is from Ivory Coast, is considered a “hidden gem” by those who know him well. He will represent the host country at this month’s Africa Cup of Nations.
According to a Portuguese-based source, “if he survives AFCON, he’ll be going places soon or in the summer, for sure.” “When considering all clubs and positions, he is unquestionably one of the league’s standout players.
“He’s better than Antonio Silva at Benfica and a step above the rest of the centre backs we have here.” He moves in at the ideal moment, wins his tackles, and reads the play quite well. He has undoubtedly already reached Champions League level.”
“I think he’s going to be Sporting’s next expensive sale,” says another local. With him, Sporting will profit by at least £100 million. Take note of what I say.”
