THE LOWDOWN EPISODE #87 - THE LIFE OF A SPORTING DIRECTOR w/ DAVIDE UNDERVALU

“Recruitment is the most bullet proof way to run a club”.

What does this look like in a football club ? Furthermore who is responsible ?

The Sporting Director role for a long time has held an element of mystique in footballing circles. Better known as the first lieutenant of the ownership, these professionals often go under the radar. Some are masters in player trading others in straight talent arbitrage while often utilizing their exhaustive contacts book to be first in the race for gathering information. In a job where success cannot even be accurately measured find out why paying another £60 million in the hope of certainty may actually be worth it. To bring us through the lay of the land there is no one better than Davide Igono (@undervalu). Listen to find out more including;

- Defining the role of a Sporting Director.

- Why fit & alignment is crucial?

- How the role differs at "player development" clubs such as Dortmund, RB Salzburg & Bilbao?

- Why talent arbitrage is a harder science to master than player trading?

- What sporting directors are doing now to be first in the information race?

- How the position of a sporting director will evolve over the coming years?

Timestamps;

00:00 - 12:05 - Intro

12:06 - 22:55 - Sporting Director

22:56 - 31:30 - Player Development

31:31 - 43:31 - Talent Arbitrage

43:32 - 51:32 - Race for Talent

51:33 - 1:04:58 - Success

1:04:59 - 1:11:40 - Future

1:11:41 - 1:19:34 - Advice

Davide's Twitter; https://twitter.com/undervalu

Davide's Website; https://undervalu.gr8.com/