An explanation of how Sunderland hires players and the implications of Florent Ghisolfi’s presence for the future
Florent Ghisolfi’s July entrance to Sunderland was one of several summertime events that seemed to indicate the team’s lofty goals and show supporters that they weren’t just trying to make up the Premier League totals.
Even though Ghisolfi’s tenure at AS Roma had not been as fruitful as anticipated, he was a football director with experience in Europe’s top divisions. From the beginning, it seems obvious that he would not be joining Wearside unless the team was looking to make some intriguing additions this summer and beyond. That’s what it proved. But Ghisolfi’s entrance also brought up some intriguing issues regarding Sunderland’s future operations. Joining the club’s executive staff with such a well-known operator was
constantly carrying a certain amount of risk. A well-run business behind the scenes helped Sunderland achieve promotion, therefore it was a bold move to make changes to that during such a significant transfer window. It’s common knowledge that having too many voices can cause conflict and inefficiency in a field where people have large egos and fiercely defend their turf. Maybe more than anything else, Sunderland saw agility and possibility. Ghisolfi’s presence has been essential to the club’s ambitious recruitment push for two main reasons, according to Kristjaan Speakman, who spoke last week. It arrived with a brand-new, comprehensive contacts book, to start.
Second, and possibly more significantly, it made it possible for Sunderland to work more quickly and on several agreements at once. That was a useful tactic during a time when the club was practically starting from scratch due to the gap between the Championship and the Premier League. Ultimately, Sunderland had a big advantage over their competitors thanks to their unique hiring strategy. What makes it unique? In addition to the fact that Sunderland is one of the few teams with both a football director and a sports director (although Chelsea is a well-known example of a club with co-sporting directors), their hiring
procedure is a team effort that includes several members of the club. One of the unsung heroes of the team’s ascent back to the top division has been head of recruiting Stuart Harvey, who has travelled extensively to help Sunderland develop its database of possible acquisitions and the contacts necessary for effective hiring. Early in the summer transfer window, Sunderland was able to make quick progress on many long-term targets that Harvey and Speakman had long identified and had been monitoring in case of promotion.
This summer has made it clearer than ever that Sunderland’s owner is also exceptionally involved. When associate Juan Sartori requested former head coach Gus Poyet to join the club during their summer 2024 preseason vacation to Spain, Poyet expressed his amazement at the invitation. In addition to being a frequent visitor to the organisation, Louis-Dreyfus actively participated in recruitment. It is well known that Louis-Dreyfus spearheaded the first round of talks.
with Granit Xhaka, persuading him to take the significant career move of leaving the Bundesliga’s top division and European football for a Wearside relegation fight. The belief behind the scenes on Wearside is that Louis-Dreyfus has the ability to connect with football players who strongly identify with his story in order to build one of the most exciting young teams in Europe, even though some sporting directors may become a little agitated at this intrusion. It will occasionally be Régis Le Bris.
Wilson Isidor, a former FC Lorient target, joined last year, demonstrating how their power is used. As was seen with Jobe Bellingham, it will occasionally be Speakman. It’s obvious that Ghisolfi’s previous network provided fresh opportunities this time. According to Sunderland, they should take use of every advantage they have in a transaction. They now have a diverse range of footballing backgrounds within their personnel and recruitment team, which has increased the leagues they can reliably recruit from and the languages they can speak. They are able to work more efficiently and effectively.
This does not imply that Sunderland’s strategy is disorganised. They have a well-defined negotiation procedure that starts when prospective targets receive a video clip that highlights the club’s recent return to the top division, typically through the agency. Brief and to the point, it emphasises the fervour of the supporters as well as the club’s standing as one of the most fascinating football tales at the moment. Following that, more official presentations are given outlining the club’s playing philosophy, facilities, etc. The positions in this process are obviously made to have the greatest possible impact on prospective hires in the shortest amount of time.
Even though he has a very strong voice, a lot of the harmony is based on a head coach who is incredibly delighted to join Régis Le Bris at the end of the procedure. Le Bris, who is ambitious but happiest on the training field and in analysis sessions, will voice his opinions at the conclusion of the process and is crucial in interacting with new hires, but he is content to let the recruitment team continue their daily tasks. Speakman’s readiness to adjust and welcome Ghisolfi’s arrival—which many could have interpreted as a slight after managing two promotions in four-and-a-half seasons on Wearside—has been crucial to this summer’s success. According to insiders, having a keen understanding of
Internally, consider what constitutes a Sunderland player and, more importantly, what is needed to be successful in the Premier League this season. When there was agreement, deals moved quickly because of this emphasis, which made it possible to quickly evaluate players from a range of perspectives during the recruitment process. Although no football team is ever completely harmonious, Sunderland has discovered that their chemistry works well. By no means is Sunderland’s hiring strategy perfect. that many of the players on the team’s periphery are currently having difficulty finding new clubs.
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