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Football is known to be a simple game on the pitch. Both teams will battle it out to get a win that can take their side further up the league table or progress to the next round of a tournament. However, what happens off the pitch is a completely different story as teams from all around the work use technical data when signing players that they hope and expect to make a positive impact in future games.
The most recent transfer window saw more than 1.5 billion dollars spent on players across men’s leagues around the world. Each transfer will have been carefully planned based on professional opinions from scouts as well as information on the database.
If you want to learn more about the role data has in football transfer fees, then this is the article for you. We’ll look at how it’s used and some of the key metrics that clubs use to make decisions on the transfer market. Read on to find out more.
What are the main pieces of data used to make transfer decisions?
With access to so much data in the modern world, those in charge of signing the best players can make more informed decisions, which can result in greater success with the new players. Some of the key data used includes:
- Age – A player’s age is important because it can highlight experience or how many years they have left before they retire.
- Minutes played – How often the footballer is playing will indicate whether they’re in good form and whether they’re fit enough to get straight into your team.
- Popularity – Popular players can be a real asset as fans can buy their shirts from the club shop, which can result in a large influx of money for other signings.
- Position-specific statistics – Statistics speak volumes about players. Attackers who have scored lots of goals, midfielders that have assisted the strikers and defenders or goalkeepers who have a lot of clean sheets show they have a proven record of delivering on the pitch.
- Versatility – The different positions that a footballer can play is also important. This could make a player more valuable if they can cover multiple positions to fill in for injured or suspended teammates.
- Wages – Perhaps one of the most important, a player’s wages will indicate whether you can afford to buy them and pay their salary every week.
Does The Data Guarantee Great Signings?
Data certainly helps to sign great players on paper, but that doesn’t always guarantee success. Over the years, there have been plenty of transfer flops in the premier league. These footballers were destined for greatness but fell short when they stepped on the pitch.
How premier league clubs determine player values and how much they spend on transfer fees can depend on the information and how the data set up affects each team and will go someway to ensure that players reach their full potential.
It is after all in the end the fans who pay the wages of the players and it is the fans who ultimately decide who are the best players at their football club. The transfer market and transfer fees will be a constant source of debate to clubs, fans and journalists alike and no matter how much information collected on data bases they have it is up to the players how many matches they get to perform in.
