Barcelona have been doing one of the world's biggest structural change under the radar. While all the transfer stories revolve around huge signing that Hansi Flick wants for the first team, Sporting Director Deco has made a massive move to secure the future of recruitment network.
The Blaugranas have now signed the Italian Executive Daniele Placido as the head of the newly established "Emerging talent department". Placido comes with a huge reputation of finding hodden gems before anyone even know they exist, which is why the club thought that Placido is perfect for this role.
16-21 formula
Placido previously worked at Modena as the sporting director of the Serie B team and was responsible for their extensive international network. Before this he was responsible for the whole youth setup at AS Roma, where he managed to create a vast European network.
Deco's plan for this department is to enhance the club's search for young prospects to become the absolute point of reference on an international level when it comes to early talent recognition without overinflated market prices.
- The target age is between16 and 21
- The mission is to discover and acquire talent at the point they sign their first professional contracts.
- The objective is to bring those targets into the first team.
How this move changes the scenario
This structural overhaul demonstrates a bigger, much calculated philosophy change from Deco in sporting management. Instead of waiting for a player to bloom on the European scene and demand huge sum on the market, Barca is placing their trust in early predictive assessment.
Placido's expertise of the Italian and European market is a real asset. By making a verified expert in youth talent responsible for the range between 16-21, Barcelona sends a clear warning to the entire continent: if there is an elite teenager out there anywhere, Barcelona want to find him first.
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