On Football and Business Podcast, What The Footie, Head of Football Operations David Webb breaks down the business of football.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with David Webb. David has spent the last 20 years working in scouting, elite talent identification and football operations for Crystal Palace, Östersunds FK, Tottenham Hotspur FC, AFC Bournemouth, Huddersfield Town and Southampton FC.
In this exclusive, Paul and David discuss why and how South London continues to produce exciting English talent, why Spurs signed Son, how recruitment and talent ID differs from club-to-club, the importance of alignment with the board and manager, football operations in the UK vs Germany, managing media and fan pressure and so much more.
In Today’s Episode with David Webb You Will Learn:
1) The importance of managing upwards in football and building good communication and alignment with the board so that they trust and have patience in the recruitment strategy. David notes that this was especially important when bringing Wilfried Zaha to Crystal Palace, Son Heung-min to Spurs and Emile Smith-Rowe to Huddersfield Town FC.
2) Managing the challenges of working with different budgets, ownership groups, managers and recruitment strategies, and driving success at a football club.
3) How football operations in the UK differs to Germany and Sweden, and why Germany/the Bundesliga continues to produce top coaches like Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel and Ralph Hasenhuttl.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes. From the backroom staff to the board of directors, click here to listen to the biggest agents, directors and deal-makers in the game.