LONDON (Reuters) - With "Moneyball" baseball executive Billy Beane joining a consortium to acquire English soccer club Barnsley, supporters of the second-tier side may soon find themselves asking what is the philosophy and how successful has it been? Beane's idea revolves around the use of data in the recruitment process to assess a player's value. The idea has been transferred to football with a wealth of data available to soccer clubs. Liverpool, whose owner John W. Henry, of Fenway Sports Group, is a big fan of Moneyball and Beane, have used data-based recruitment techniques to mixed success. Barnsley may not become Premier League champions, but Beane's ideas may just give them a better chance.

Source: The Star September 15, 2017 18:56 UTC