There was a conference in the middle of Manchester on Monday, organised for high-profile experts from across the game to discuss new trends and practices.
One of the talks centred on how to build a squad at the elite level. A fair amount of the chat involved data, and how that should inform not control, before one recruiter began charting the importance of character modelling over just landing the best footballer available.
‘We want due diligence,’ they said. ‘You’re not just signing a player, but a person. And that’s how they might adapt to a new city, you have to understand them.