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Harry Redknapp has voiced his concerns over the lack of input managers have in signings in the modern Premier League – insisting Sir Alex Ferguson would not have tolerated it.
Liverpool introduced a five-man transfer committee in 2012, comprising of manager Brendan Rodgers, the head of recruitment, the chief scout, the chief executive, plus the club’s director of technical performance.
Mauricio Pochettino left Chelsea in May amid friction over who decided which players to sign – co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart held a lot of the sway.
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Manchester United have also reportedly been introducing a structure that reduces the manager’s power over transfers, handing it to other figures at Old Trafford – the club recently recruited Dan Ashworth as sporting director, and Jason Wilcox as technical director.
Redknapp says he didn’t have to deal with such things during his own managerial career, including in his four-year spell at Spurs under chairman Daniel Levy.
“At Tottenham, Daniel never really interfered,” Redknapp tells FFT. “Although, like everybody, he might try harder to get a lad if he fancied them! He might say, ‘Oh, we couldn’t quite get the deal done, Harry…’
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“But, in the main, he was as good as gold to deal with. If we could afford it, great. If we couldn’t afford it and couldn’t spend the money, that was how it was with Daniel.
“It’s different now, players are picked by the head of recruitment or whatever they call them – they used to be called a scout. Back in the day, no-one signed players for Alex Ferguson, he signed his own players.
“No-one would have had any input, he wouldn’t have been listening to heads of recruitment or anybody else. I’m sure David Gill, who was a fantastic chief executive, would never have tried to tell Alex who he should sign.
“Now a manager is relying on other people. If their judgement is no good, you haven’t got a chance. The players come from abroad, so when have you got a chance to go and watch them play? You’re playing Saturday or Sunday, they’re playing Saturday or Sunday, so you’re relying on other people.
“I heard a chief executive saying recently they have a six-man committee, and the manager is a sixth of the committee. ‘Does he have the final say?’ he was asked. ‘Oh no, he wouldn’t have the final say, he has one sixth of the say’.
“But who are these other people? Faceless people we don’t know, choosing the players you’re signing. That’s how difficult it’s become.”
There’s been an increasing trend for clubs to appoint a ‘head coach’ rather than a ‘manager’ – Enzo Maresca arrived at Chelsea with that title this summer.
“The players are bought by other people and really all you’re doing is coaching, but if players are no good, you can’t coach them,” Redknapp says.
“When are you coaching them? You’re playing Saturday or Sunday, you play again Tuesday or Wednesday, you have a day off Thursday, you have a warm down, when are you doing all this super coaching?
“People sometimes say ‘He’s a great coach’, but I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen many great coaches. I’ve seen great football people, great managers, I haven’t seen many great coaches.
“What is a great coach? What are they doing that’s so different? I don’t know. Getting the best out of people, picking the right people, putting them in the right positions. It ain’t rocket science.”
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