Brighton ‘axe majority of scouts’ as Tony Bloom proves he ‘trusts data more than humans’
Brighton owner Tony Bloom has reportedly decided to ‘axe the majority of his scouts’ in a surprising bid ‘to stay one step ahead of their rivals’.
The Seagulls have been ridiculously savvy in the transfer market under Bloom’s ownership.
They have signed several young players for peanuts and sold them for big profits. The first who comes to mind is Moises Caicedo, who was signed from Ecuadorian side Independiente for around £5million in 2021 and sold to Chelsea for a British record £115m two-and-a-half years later.
Their incredible scouting model will now experience an unexpected revamp, according to a report from The Telegraph.
Indeed, it has been reported that Brighton have ‘axed the majority of their scouts in a surprise recruitment overhaul’, which has ‘raised fears within the scouting community’.
Scouts in England will hope this is not something clubs across the country look to replicate but given Brighton’s reputation in the transfer market, it would not be a surprise to see them follow suit.
Bloom’s has always ‘relied heavily on a secretive data model’ and has removed three full-time scouts from their roles, while ‘others may have been redeployed’.
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The transfer model so many clubs have tried to replicate will now be ‘tweaked’ to ‘maintain an edge over their competitors’.
This move only emphasises that Bloom appears to ‘trust data more than humans’, with sources expressing their fears to the Telegraph.
One source said: “Brighton’s model is a bit like KFC’s secret herbs and spices. Everybody wants the recipe, but those lucky enough to have it don’t want to share it with anybody.”
Another added: “Scouting is far more than just spotting good players. It’s looking at a player live in terms of his leadership, willingness to run when the team is losing, finding out what kind of personality he has and talking to people about him. Is he on time every day or late to training? Data cannot pick all of that up and it’s hugely important when investing in players.
“It is also often the scouts who develop relationships and build networks that lead to recommendations and tips about various players that, again, data may not be able to provide. Ideally, clubs use data alongside scouting and both can complement one another.”
And one more source said: “Useable data offered by humans isn’t as good as Tony’s data. At least, that’s what it seems like. It looks like he trusts data more than humans.”
Seagulls technical director David Weir and his assistant Mike Cave are overseeing the restructuring, with Tim Coe staying at the club, though he might take on another role after holding the titles of domestic scouting manager and central midfield scouting manager.
The report adds:
It is understood that the excellent work of the scouts who have left has been recognised by Bloom and that Brighton plan to make appointments as part of the restructuring to take the total recruitment staff headcount back up to near its previous level.
Jamestown Analytics, an offshoot of the gambling consultancy Starlizard with close ties to Bloom, is the data firm that Brighton use. It is believed that while Jamestown work with clubs in other divisions and countries, Brighton’s agreement means they get exclusivity in terms of Premier League clubs.
Brighton’s decision has caused intrigue and surprise within football, and has sparked fears within the scouting community that clubs could cut the number of full-time scouts they use as data becomes more and more prevalent.
It is understood that Brighton still have at least one member of staff in charge of carrying out intelligence and background checks on players, despite the changes and departures.
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