Fundamentals for facing a transfer market

Building a competitive squad is not just about signing good players. Adjusting the roster to meet the qualitative and budgetary standards required by the coach and the institution is a significant challenge that involves essential foundations.

As each transfer window approaches, those of us working on exploring options for assembling a squad face the challenge of obtaining the best possible profiles. However, this set of proposals not only needs to meet the necessary skills to compete in the context faced by the hiring club but also needs to adapt to a series of parameters such as the coach's playing style, budgetary possibilities, business methodologies, or the existing institutional model.

Thus, the best player is not always the most suitable for the search. Any club would dream of having Lionel Messi on their team, but very few can afford him. The need to sign a top center forward may mean foregoing an attacker with the physical stature of Romário, and if he is available, one must first ask if it is feasible to adapt the coach's plan to such a high-caliber opportunity. Declining this option means signing a physically bigger forward who fits the established game plan.

There are also no absolute freedoms from a financial standpoint. Both the economic possibilities tied to the club's budget and the payment methodologies that finances allow determine whether signing a player is viable. The same applies when a club establishes a "seller" model that bets on young players with resale potential and only turns to experienced players to support its future bets.

All these limits are part of institutional policy. While, at least in Argentina, this often gets overlooked when pursuing objectives (or making it seem like they are being pursued), it is a healthy practice to base the work plan on fundamental principles that allow us to understand our limits and objectives when facing a market.

This framework will enable us to know more precisely where to look for the players we need, avoiding competition with those rivals who have greater capabilities and getting ahead in the market of those who do not resign themselves to competing in unfavorable scenarios where they will mostly lose to the more powerful, only to then descend to the levels we have already reviewed and taken advantage of conveniently.

To establish these parameters, we need internal information and constant communication in the market with other parties involved in decision-making in each market. This way, we will not only have the initial data but also dynamically adjust the framework throughout the transfer window.

Among the internal data, it is necessary to have the budget distribution from previous markets to formulate a percentage breakdown that allows us to know how much is invested in each position. This, combined with the total budget to be invested in the squad, will allow us to set parameters and critical points when signing for each position. While this is just a guide and not a limit, it will help us a lot to immediately detect when a signing is really viable (or not) and to speed up negotiation times by targeting possible options to define the deal as quickly as possible. We will also be able to assess any budget imbalances in a position in a controlled manner to then balance the budget by reducing investment in another position, or decide to stretch the initial base if possible for the club’s finances and if justified.

Another necessary and relevant piece of data comes from the coaching staff. It is vital to know the characteristics that the coach prioritizes for a player in each position. Likewise, the systems and playing style he prioritizes. While some coaches adapt their game to the material they have, the idea of building a squad that supports his model can speed up adaptation times. Logically, this format implies a long-term vision or continuity along similar ideological paths when a coach leaves the position for whatever reason.

These two internal parameters, combined with the evaluation of the competitive context and the logistics it may involve, are crucial when forming a squad. Both qualitatively and quantitatively and budgetarily. But they are not the only decisive points to face a market with chances of success.

Internal dialogue and constant feedback between the club’s management, the coaching staff, the technical secretary or sports director, and the scouting department as a search tool are essential to achieve optimal results in transfer markets. A common mistake is to resort to unidirectional information paths, meaning that the final result of a scout's recommendation is approved by the technical secretary, but there is never a return when the coach or management vetoes it. There are even cases where the proposal receives no response, leaving the opportunity in limbo, which usually ends with the player in question taking another path.

Bidirectional information flow in the market is not only necessary to ensure fluidity and speed in market work. It also involves mutual understanding among the participants that serve as experience for the working team’s future. Ideally, the scout’s criteria should be brought to the decision-making table. Not as a decisive tool, but as an authorized voice to explain the reasons for the recommendation and defend them against an unfounded negative from one of the working team members. This way, feedback would be guaranteed, and the information flow would be permanent in moments where an hour can define the possibility of signing a player or losing him.

Establishing initial guidelines and creating paths that allow for a solid, agile, and bidirectional information flow is fundamental when facing markets and forming a squad. In addition to these relevant actions, there are other issues such as monitoring the succession line in lower divisions, planning and contract management, constant feedback with contacts bringing opportunities, and continuous evaluation of the institutional model, among other points of analysis. Undoubtedly, the fundamental basis for successfully navigating the market stage is built on two pillars: information and communication.

Nicolás Di Pasqua