Now I’m in a position where I can help clubs sign players they might otherwise not have known about through the contacts I’ve built up. I can source players outside their normal channels, and help players from abroad find a way to play in England. I used to say to Premier League clubs: ‘Van Dijk is a man playing in a playground against kids, he stands out so much. “I was aware of Dembélé when he came over to Fulham from PSG, and all the Premier League clubs had watched him in the Championship. Many of those, from Dougie Freedman at Palace to Richard Hughes at Bournemouth, are already employed as technical directors in the Premier League or general managers at Women’s Super League clubs.

Source: The Guardian December 29, 2017 14:15 UTC