Johan Lange clears up misconception about his Spurs – ‘Not all about data’
Johan Lange says Tottenham’s recruitment process is not dominated by data alone, explaining that there is another crucial element that he and Ange Postecoglou discuss before settling on the club’s transfer targets.
Tottenham’s data-led approach
It has been well-documented that Tottenham’s new regime prefers a data-based approach to identifying players.
According to various reports, Lange and his team use data analysis to narrow down their list of targets and identify ones with the specific attributes that Postecoglou is looking for (GiveMeSport).
Alasdair Gold explained on The Gold and Guest Talk Tottenham podcast earlier this month that Postecoglou is also very much a fan of data, with the Spurs boss constantly asking for metrics on each player.
However, not everyone is a fan of a data-led approach, with the club’s recently departed scout David Pleat pointing out in an interview with The Athletic that number crunching cannot replace the wisdom brought to scouting by people steeped in the game.
Lange explains Tottenham’s approach
Lange has now clarified that the North London side do not make their decisions based purely on data and that there is a constant dialogue between him and Postecoglou about different players.
The Dane explained that each target is also scouted extensively and there is a lot of background research done on their personalities before a decision is made.
The Spurs technical director said (via Foobtall.London): “It’s definitely not all about data. We use data as an element in the recruitment process but we have not signed any player without watching the player multiple times live in the stadium.
“And we have not signed a player and will not sign a player unless I have spoken to the player or Ange has spoken to the player as well because, as much as the style of play is important, the personality fit is so, so important as well.
“Ange and I have had multiple discussions about which type of characters we want in the group – younger players, older players, certain positions on the pitch that require a certain personality trait. That is something we are discussing on a day-to-day basis.
“We have in-depth conversations with not only the players we sign but managers they have played under, teammates, everyone around them and family members as well. It is very much about the personality as well and yes data is an element in the recruitment process but it is far more going into it.”
Balance between data and eye test
In the modern age, there is no doubt that all clubs use data to some extent in their recruitment with the numbers usually helping highlight outliers and narrow down a list of targets.
However, the next step would have to be a qualitative analysis of the players’ attributes, which must be done through direct scouting.
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