The Fassi Model

Nahuel Bustos, Piero Hincapié, Federico Navarro, Diego Valoyes, Rodrigo Villagra, Ramón Sosa and many others have been part of the sales of Club Atlético Talleres de Córdoba during the last few years, for a sum that exceeds 80 million dollars.

All this after the current president Andrés Fassi (currently in his 3rd term) implemented a system that has positioned “La T” among the most consistent teams in Argentine soccer.

More than 30 sales have been made since Fassi's arrival to the presidency of the Cordobés club, between players trained by the club and others who arrived through a scouting process.

How does it work?

The scouting department of “La T” is made up of 32 people, including scouts and analysts, whose goal is to minimize the margin of error when bringing reinforcements to the club.

This department monitors leagues such as:

All categories of soccer in Argentina

1st and 2nd in Colombia

1st and 2nd in Ecuador

1st and 2nd in Brazil

1st in Uruguay

1st in Chile

1st in Peru

1st in Venezuela

Specific U15, U17, U19 and U20 tournaments

The department conducts scouting through video in programs such as Wyscout, as well as live.

How do they work?

Approximately 4,500 players, 270 teams and almost 1,900 matches are analysed; equivalent to 180,000 minutes of football.

The scouting process is divided into different phases ranging from the review of previous player scouting to a final report to be presented. It is important to note that each signing goes through an approval chain that ultimately reaches the president.

What platforms do they use?

Two proprietary platforms are used, understood as team databases; and at the same time programs such as Wyscout, (full matches) HUDL, (analysis tool) Sport Code by HUDL, (individual and rival analysis) Dribblab, (data analysis) Pass Book, (reports and data analysis + AI) Skill Corner (Physical data) and Transferroom. (transfer marketplace)

Data Analysis

Talleres has a team of 10 analysts, distributed between the first team, the reserve team and several lower categories.

Collective, individual, rival and training session analyses are carried out; focusing on the different phases of the game. The aim is to have an immediate impact in order to improve and enhance talents week by week.

How are young talents managed?

Talleres prioritizes institutionalization, professionalization and innovation. That is why they also seek to consolidate their training processes. In fact, by October 2023, “La T” was the club that contributed the most players to the Argentine U15 and U17 youth teams; in September of the same year, they were the club in South America that contributed the most calls to senior teams.

Thanks to the investment in technology and the use of programs dedicated to analysis, the Cordoba club managed to better understand its own players. It is important to note that the same technology used for the first team is used in the same way in the other categories, generating a good track record for a better individual evaluation.

How do they integrate foreigners brought in through the scouting process?

Santiago Spidalieri (Director of Sports Intelligence, Scouting and Physical Performance Analysis) specifies it well in his note with HUDL published in February 2024, using as an example Kevin Mantilla, a Colombian defender, who is now part of the club. Where a personalized video was presented to him so that the player understood where he was getting to and where he fit in, giving a human side to his incorporation.

Can it be replicated in other CONMEBOL clubs?

Seeing the good work done by the Cordoba club, a logical question arises:

Why don't other clubs implement it?

And the truth is that the answer is more complicated than it seems, since replicating a practically identical system requires a large investment that many teams do not have.

Now, scouting processes, data analysis, the use of certain technologies and planning are possible. The example of “La T” serves as a reference and inspiration for many clubs on the continent, to form and professionalize their scouting departments to the extent of the different possibilities and contexts of each league and country.

The Philosophy of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

A model that seeks to integrate players through a scouting process to offer them a showcase of weight such as Argentine football, and then sell and make a profit has turned out to be one of the largest investments in the history of the club, which has grown considerably over the last 10 years.

Fassi's intention to professionalize the scouting department has resulted in economic gains and the ability to form a competitive squad year after year. Demonstrating that an effective and well-structured system can be a significant advantage when integrating new talents into the institution.

Today, Talleres is in fourth place in the accumulated table for 2024, with good participation in recent national and international competitions and the truth is that "La T" continues to grow and develop a philosophy that has proven to yield results in the short, medium and long term.

The Cordoban club is a great example within CONMEBOL, an institution that decided to believe in scouting processes, in the hard work of analysis that those of us who dedicate ourselves to this do.

Finally, when “La T” was in the third category of Argentine soccer, the arrival of Fassi meant sustained growth for the institution. Today, Talleres is a highly competitive team, which was able to participate this year in the Copa Libertadores.

An institution that always looks for ways to improve thanks to hard planning and absolute commitment to its philosophy.

Estrada Roberto