Chapter 10

"That brings us to recruitment now and the unenviable task I gave to Leo of finding us underrated talent in almost every position"

"That's an understatement for sure. The combination of our transfer budget, the new GBE rulings and the attraction of the big clubs means we need to be much smarter in how we manoeuvre to find value in the market."

"Before we move any further, I think you should clarify the GBE ruling for those who aren't familiar here."

"That would be prudent, the GBE is short for Governing Body Endorsement, and it is legislation which was bought out by the FA to make sure foreign players being recruited would make a significant contribution to the development of football in this country. To achieve this, a point-based immigration system was put into place to ensure the player was of the right calibre. Initially, this was only for players from outside the EEA nations but with the formalisation of the UK's exit from the European Union, it now applies all over. As you can probably expect this drastically decreases the player pool we can recruit from, and I believe the extent to which clubs can get around these regulations will dictate their success in the transfer market moving forward"

"This doesn't make any sense, so you are saying the FA needs to judge if a player is good enough before we are able to sign them, that's completely unfair." Maxi riled, feeling it was an unjust policy.

"The FA has multiple goals but one of their chief ones is the promotion of the national team and these rules help them to achieve that while still maintaining the quality of the league. There is no point being upset we can only work within the framework we are given."

"Following on from that, what strategies are we employing to get around these regulations?"

"The new regulations are stringent, but I feel we have managed to find a route to success. The point system considers multiple different factors such as the minutes played across domestic and continental competitions; international appearances; and the calibre of both the current club and last club. To facilitate this, all the leagues in the world have been put in distinct bands in which minutes played in a higher band league are worth more points. The aim is to achieve a benchmark of fifteen points which will allow us to receive the GBE and sign our desired player. The big clubs are simply able to throw increased fees at the problem and sign the best players, but we are forced to seek value in a smaller player pool. The system takes into account that players under the age of twenty-one are unlikely to have received much playing time so certain points are given out for making even a single appearance which simplifies our job somewhat. In the pursuit of players that are eligible for entry and come with a lower transfer fee I have come to three leagues we should recruit from heavily. These would be the Brazilian Serie A, Argentinian Primera Division and the Mexican Liga MX. These leagues benefit from generous point allowances as they are all in Band 3 while also allowing us to find talented players at prices within our budget. Another way in which we benefit under the new system is that continental minute's account for the same irrespective of which continent. This means that minutes in the Copa Libertadores/ Sudamericana can provide valuable points for us to recruit. This means South America in general is a very good place for us to recruit and where I have focused our efforts." Leo elaborated, demonstrating to everyone his vast knowledge on the scouting system and how he was planning to make sure that the club did the best it could.

"Does that mean we won't be able to sign the players I was looking at?" Maxi asked feeling exasperated and drawing odd looks from the room as recruitment wasn't his role.

Noticing the weird looks he proceeded to explain that in speaking with Sebastian Arnesen, he had been introduced to two of the players that he was an agent for. Their names being Nasser Djiga and Dermane Karim. At this point he passed over to Leo who had already compiled scout reports on both players as he had already been informed about them.

"Nasser Djiga is a very talented albeit raw centre back, who is currently playing at FC Basel. His best attributes are his strength and anticipation combined with a well-controlled long ball. He is very much a modern centre back who can distribute the ball and could contribute a lot. As Maxi feared under the GBE, he would not gain enough points for us to recruit him. Dermane Karim is a diminutive defensive midfielder with good close control. He is also stronger than he looks and can shrug off most challenges. He is currently playing at Feyenoord having moved there in the winter transfer window and would be eligible for entry."

"In that case keep scouting Djiga , it is possible that we might be able to sign him in the near future and centre backs of his quality are hard to find and start putting out feelers for Karim." This bought a smile to the face of the advisor who had grown to like the duo in their short meeting.

"Returning to our scouting, the first player I would like to bring to all of your attention is Marcelino Nunez, a young midfielder currently plying his trade for Universidad Catolica, the current champions of the Chilean Primera Division. It's almost difficult to characterise him as there are so many different facets to his game. A creative attacking midfielder who thrives in receiving possession between the lines and is constantly scanning the pitch for opportunities. He is remarkably press resistant and has the close control to find space for himself or even release a quick through ball. He is remarkably hard working and versatile, willing to play whatever position the team requires of him, he is the kind of player a manager would simply relish. His finishing and a tendency to get rid of the ball too quickly are the only weaknesses in his game. The question of whether or not we will be able to afford him is a fair one, but his contract is over at the end of the year, and this feels like a player who is too good to miss. I've took the liberty of making handouts with the key statistics for each of the players who will be talked about." Leo informed them as he handed around a stack of papers filled with information.

"The next player is Valentin Barco, who technically hasn't turned eighteen yet but that will be rectified by the end of July. He has already drawn some interest from Manchester City according to the rumours but how concrete that interest is remains to be seen. He is a converted winger who plays in left back for Boca Juniors, so we have nothing to worry about with entry points. He is the archetype of a modern wingback able to assist in the attack with his dribbling and pace. He also has the tactical intelligence to understand the positioning and runs of his teammates. I can see him adding another weapon to our attack force when he has been trained."

"Both of these players I think would compliment the style of football we are trying to play and if we move quickly we could steal a march on the big teams."