A number of recruitment staff at a Premier League club have reportedly been axed in a hugely surprising move.
On Tuesday, it was reported by The Telegraph that Brighton and Hove Albion, who have made a promising start to the season, have decided to axe a majority of their recruitment staff.
Over the years, Brighton have brought in talents such as Moises Caicedo, Kaoru Mitoma, Evan Ferguson and Alexis Mac Allister. All of whom have managed to make a big impact in the Premier League, with two of the mentioned stars making a huge profit for the club when sold.
However, in a very surprising move, it has been claimed that the Seagulls have now let go the majority of their full-time recruitment scouts as part of a big overhaul.
The report stated: “Staff at Brighton, whose owner Tony Bloom relies heavily on a secretive data model, were last week told that recruitment and the identification of players will now operate differently with three full-time scouts being dispensed with. Others may have been redeployed.”
One source told the publication: “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 source 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.”
Getty
A third commented: “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.”
SPORTbible has contacted Brighton and Hove Albion for comment.
The Seagulls have had a fine start to the 24/25 campaign under new boss Fabian Hurzeler as they currently sit sixth in the Premier League.
Last weekend, Brighton recorded a massive 2-1 win over champions Manchester City at the AMEX Stadium.