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Tor-Kristian Karlsen, ESPN
The January transfer window is just around the corner, but how much do we know about the people behind the scenes who are responsible for making things happen? Be it a sporting director, managing director or even club president, Europe’s top clubs all have someone pulling the strings … well almost all, as Arsenal are currently without one after sporting director Edu Gaspar’s November exit to head up the multi-club model of Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis, and Manchester United just parted company with Dan Ashworth after five months.
Long gone are the days of managers like Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger calling the shots when it comes to transfers. Now it’s down to transfer gurus to run the show.
Here are some folks who could make waves for their clubs in January.
PREMIER LEAGUE
Laurence Stewart, 38, and Paul Winstanley, 45, sporting directors, Chelsea
Chelsea’s decision to hire two sporting directors and get them working together attracted some bemusement among colleagues in Europe. The club has been nebulous in explaining exactly what Winstanley (who joined from Brighton & Hove Albion in November 2022) and Stewart (from AS Monaco in February 2023) are actually doing — and who’s doing what — but the pair are clearly occupied with scouting, recruitment and overseeing the club’s strategy in the transfer market as a whole.
Unlike Winstanley, who was Brighton’s talent identification manager and then head of recruitment, Stewart has some prior experience as technical director at Monaco, and he was global head of scouting at Red Bull Soccer International. But the final negotiations on any transfer are likely to be conducted by a representative of the ownership group fronted by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
With over €1.3 billion spent since the group took control 2½ years ago, Stamford Bridge has enjoyed an influx of elite-level young talent on an unprecedented scale. But regardless of the club’s untraditional structure and initial teething problems, Chelsea’s recent upturn in form and the development of recent signings like Cole Palmer and Moisés Caicedo suggests something is clearly working now.
Key skills: Stewart and Winstanley are kept extremely knowledgeable on worldwide talent from a wide network. Being employed by affluent, transfer-happy owners who see the value in spending big on youth ensures they have plenty of room to manoeuvre.
Priority tasks for January: Moving on from French centre-backs Axel Disasi and Benoît Badiashile, who rarely feature, and finding new clubs (possibly on loan) for midfielders Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka. Ukraine winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who cost an initial €70m, also needs to leave in order to play regular first-team football. The development of striker Nicolas Jackson has halted the club’s endless search for a No. 9 … for now, anyway.
Top signing: Palmer’s £40m move from Manchester City in 2023 has worked out incredibly well.
Txiki Begiristain, 60, sporting director, Manchester City
Though Begiristain, who was director of football at Barcelona from 2003 to 2012, has mainly stayed in the background during his 12-year tenure at Manchester City, he can claim a significant stake in the club’s incredible success over the past decade. Indeed, manager Pep Guardiola’s former teammate played a vital role in bringing the legendary head coach to Manchester in 2016, and together with Ferran Soriano (CEO), who typically performs the transfer negotiations, the three Spaniards have constituted a formidable leadership trio.
The work of aligning the footballing operations across all 13 clubs in the City Football Group portfolio (which includes, among others, New York City FC, Melbourne City FC, Yokohama F. Marinos and Girona), should be widely attributed to Begiristain. He might have wanted a quieter end to his final year at the club — Sporting CP‘s Hugo Viana has already been announced as his successor in the summer — but City’s recent struggles could see the 60-year-old more active than usual in January.
Having been instrumental in attracting a wide range of stars to Barcelona and City during his career — such as Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Rúben Dias, Dani Alves and Gerard Pique — Begiristain is not short of contacts and is well acquainted with the most powerful agents and club presidents in the world.
Key skills: Discreet in his dealings and highly respected worldwide, Begiristain arguably has the most experience of his peers. With over €1bn spent on transfers under Guardiola, the pulling power of one of the most free-spending and successful clubs in history helps, too.
Priority tasks for January: Though a proper squad revamp is more likely in the summer, a specialist No. 6 midfielder to cover for the injured Rodri and a centre-forward to take some weight off Erling Haaland‘s shoulders are the most immediate causes of concern. Adding some depth at full-back or centre-back would be good, too.
Top signing: City spent €76m to land midfielder De Bruyne from VfL Wolfsburg in 2015 and, after his struggles at Chelsea, Begiristain took a gamble.
Michael Edwards, 45, managing director of professional football, Liverpool
Edwards made an impactful return to Liverpool in March this year following almost a two-year absence. The 45-year-old — who climbed the ladder at Anfield from chief analyst to sporting director during his first stint with the club from 2016 to 2022 — rejoined in the role of sporting CEO (not dissimilar from a German structure, in which the head of the footballing department reports directly to the board), practically running the entire footballing activities.
Although Edwards is assisted by Richard Hughes — appointed as a sporting director in the summer — it doesn’t mirror the Chelsea structure, and Edwards is still the one making the final call on transfers. The driving force behind Arne Slot landing the head coach position once Jurgen Klopp had announced his departure, Edwards is in a strong position and enjoys the total trust of the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group. While undoubtedly among the most potent football executives in the Premier League, Edwards shuns publicity and leaves the limelight to others.
Key skills: Hugely respected, both internally and externally, he is a pioneer in the meticulous use of analytics and appreciates that recruitment is based on coherent teamwork.
Priority tasks for January: New contracts for Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold top the list. With the form of veteran left-back Andrew Robertson a worry, a new addition to provide competition in that spot could be valuable. And even with Ryan Gravenberch playing his best football, another No. 6 or all-round central midfielder might be useful if Liverpool are to hold onto their lead and win the title this season.
Top signing: Though he had failed at Chelsea, Salah’s €42m move from AS Roma in 2017 is arguably one of the best signings in history.
Johan Lange, 45, technical director, Tottenham
Filling the vacancy left by Fabio Paratici — who resigned after his 30-month suspension was upheld by Italy’s highest sports court for his part in a false accounting scandal when he was at Juventus — Lange has mainly stayed in the background since joining Spurs from Aston Villa a year ago.
Though he spends most of his time out of the public domain, Lange is a respected figure in the industry. Unlike Paratici, he’s more process-driven — ensuring smooth alignment throughout the footballing structure — rather than shadowing head coach Ange Postecoglu and the first team or obsessing about transfers all year long. Still, Lange has an ostensibly weaker mandate than Paratici, and Spurs being Spurs, it’s likely that Daniel Levy — the club’s chairman, and a “transfer guru” in his own right — is heavily involved in transfer dealings, especially at the negotiation table.
Lange pulled off a coup in diverting young midfielder Lucas Bergvall from Barcelona, while last summer’s youthful squad revamp illustrated how he is keen to work with a long-term vision. Though that vision has yet to bed in, of course, it will be intriguing to see whether Spurs and Lange are prepared to temporarily divert from the strategy by filling the gaps in the squad (and mitigating the current injury crisis) in January with more experienced names.
Key skills: Analytical and thorough, Lange is a strategic thinker who is keen to preserve the long-term goals of the club, irrespective of results.
Priority tasks for January: Identifying a backup goalkeeper for long-term absentee Guglielmo Vicario. Adding new blood to a defence and central midfield that are short in numbers is another consideration. And, if results, in general, don’t improve rapidly, the search for a new head coach to replace Postecoglu might also turn up as an unwanted distraction.
Top signing: Bergvall is too young to use here, but during his time at Villa, Lange picked up striker Ollie Watkins from Brentford for £28m in 2020.
Monchi, 56, managing director of professional football, Aston Villa
One of the most heralded “transfer gurus” of the past few decades, Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo — better known by his nickname, “Monchi” — can take the credit for building Sevilla into a multiple Europa League-winning side and firmly establishing the club as a genuine player in Spanish football during a 17-year spell starting in 2000. But his smooth operations in the transfer market have also inspired many budding scouts and sporting directors worldwide.
Monchi made a name for himself by unearthing relatively unknown players who went on to become stars, including the likes of Jesús Navas, Sergio Ramos and José Antonio Reyes, while pulling off bargain signings like Dani Alves, Júlio Baptista and Ivan Rakitic. And though his magic touch has slightly diminished with the arrival of data analytics — his two-year stint at Roma after he left Sevilla left a lot to be desired — few colleagues can rival his network of scouts and relevant top-end contacts.
Now reunited with former Sevilla boss Unai Emery, the 56-year-old Monchi has made a positive impact at Aston Villa — overseeing the arrival of the likes of Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres since he joined in July 2023. But he has adopted a more conservative approach later in his career. Partly because the world of scouting is a lot more competitive these days — with most elite clubs having access to the same data and tools — and partly because patience for young talent to grow is in much shorter supply than during his heyday at Sevilla.
Key skills: With over 20 years in the business, few can match his level of experience. He has a great eye for talent and likes to cement strong relationships with head coaches and owners.
Priority task for January: With important squad members such as Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara set to return from long-term injuries, Villa might only make cosmetic changes. And that could be a great opportunity for Monchi to dip into his old bag of tricks to find the next big superstar.
Top signing: There have been a lot, but signing defender Jules Koundé for Sevilla from Bordeaux for €35m in 2019 was great business.
Paul Mitchell, 43, sporting director, Newcastle United
Newcastle acted swiftly to appoint the highly rated Mitchell following Ashworth’s drawn-out departure to Manchester United this summer. The Englishman built a solid reputation as a scout at Tottenham and Southampton before taking on more senior roles within the Red Bull system and Monaco. At the latter, he contributed heavily to reestablishing the club at the top of French football and a return to the Champions League.
Mitchell has also shown himself capable of choosing head coaches — Monaco’s Adi Hütter proved highly successful — and those skills might soon be in demand at Newcastle should Eddie Howe fail to get the club back to winning ways. Held back by the constraints of profit and sustainability rules (PSR), Mitchell has not quite managed to make his mark in the northeast yet, and his most urgent focus is likely to be trimming a squad that is higher in numbers than in overall quality.
Key skills: He has expert knowledge of the transfer market from more than a decade as a scout, while his experience from working at Red Bull also speaks to him having a clear footballing philosophy.
Priority tasks for January: Raising funds and reinvesting wisely. Midtable is unlikely to satisfy the club’s ambitious owners.
Top signing: While he was a scout, he spotted Bayer Leverkusen forward Son Heung-Min and persuaded Tottenham to sign him.
EUROPE
Florentino Perez, 77, president, Real Madrid
No other football executive even comes close to the Real Madrid president on leaving a lasting transfer legacy. Since he was first elected president in 2000 (with a three-year hiatus from 2006 to 2009), Perez has engineered the arrival of countless world stars. David Beckham, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Luka Modric and Kylian Mbappé — not to mention the two Ronaldos — are just the icing on a very glamorous cake.
Though the Galactico strategy of the early 2000s didn’t bear as much fruit as expected, Perez has helped Madrid to seven LaLiga and Champions League titles to assert them as one of the most successful teams of all time. And he is building his own world beaters in the form of Federico Valverde, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham. Though Perez is supported by an impressive court of advisers — José Angel Sanchez (CEO), Santiago Solari (director of professional football) and Emilio Butragueno (director of institutional relations) at the forefront — no new signing passes through the doors at the Bernabeu without Perez’s go-ahead.
Key skills: A billionaire in his own right, Perez heads the most prestigious football adventure of modern times. As he approaches 80, he remains the undisputed No. 1 club president in the world.
Priority tasks for January: With three key defenders — Éder Militão, Dani Carvajal, David Alaba — out for the long term, one or two fresh additions in defence should be under consideration. Organising a loan move for 18-year-old superstar striker Endrick, who is struggling for minutes, is another relevant matter at hand.
Top signing: Picking only one is an impossible task, but it’s hard to look beyond the €94m move for Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.
Deco, 47, sporting director, Barcelona
Having spent just a year-and-a-half in the job, Anderson Luis da Souza — otherwise known as “Deco” — is a relative newcomer to the scene. The former Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder works in the shadows of prominent Barca president Joan Laporta — who enjoys getting involved in transfer business himself — although the club’s €1.2bn of debt and constant financial challenges restrict his room to manoeuvre.
Barcelona have little cash to compete for the world’s leading talent, yet the incredible La Masia academy more than compensates, with the likes of Gavi, Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí coming through. The 2024 summer transfer window also proved tricky, with just two new arrivals in Dani Olmo (€60m) and Pau Víctor (€2.7m), whom they managed to register for LaLiga only due to an injury loophole.
As a result, Deco has predominantly been forced to turn his attention to free transfers or dip into the loan market and, in this regard, his previous experience as an agent is invaluable.
Key skills: Though unproven as a sporting director, Deco still has a heavyweight name, and his star-studded reputation from his playing past (as well as representing one of the most successful clubs in the world) ensures a seat at the top table, plus significant pulling power in negotiations.
Priority tasks for January: Added depth in defence could be useful with the injury-enforced absences of Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araújo. In the long term, two major issues are looming: finding a successor to 36-year-old striker Robert Lewandowski and getting 17-year-old superstar Yamal to sign a new deal, with his current one expiring in 2026.
Top signing: Though the club might yet struggle to register him going forward, the €55m spent to sign Olmo from RB Leipzig in the summer was good business.
Andrea Berta, 52, sporting director, Atlético Madrid
Despite being linked with a number of executive roles in the Premier League and his native Italy, Berta remains one of the longest-serving sporting directors at elite level in European football. Now in his 11th year at Atlético Madrid, Berta has struck up an extremely close relationship with CEO (and part owner) Miguel Angel Gil Marin and head coach Diego Simeone.
Not only has the Italian been shielded from the tumultuous process of replacing a head coach, by virtue of Simeone’s 13-year tenure, but he has tended to come to Simeone’s defence whenever Atlético have suffered poor spells.
Berta conducts most of his work in private and doesn’t appear excessively in the media, while any new signings are often brought in without much of a preceding public buildup (the signing of Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher aside). Though Atlético make the occasional move for an up-and-coming youngster — such as Arthur Vermeeren last January (now loaned to RB Leipzig) — they tend to go for tried-and-tested players. Looking beyond a good work ethic, physicality and intensity doesn’t make much sense as long as Simeone is the one picking the team, as the failed €126m signing of Portugal forward João Félix shows.
Key skills: Berta has a lot of experience of completing complex deals at the top end of European football, with Gallagher’s €42m move from Chelsea and Julián Álvarez‘s €75m transfer from Manchester City the two most recent examples.
Priority tasks for January: Atlético are in a title race with Barcelona and Real Madrid, which means Berta might have to be clever as, after spending over €185m last summer, little transfer activity is expected in January. But another centre-back to fill in for long-term absentee Robin Le Normand might still be on the cards.
Top signing: Goalkeeper Jan Oblak moved from Benfica for just €4m in 2014 and has gone on to become one of the best in the world.
Luis Campos, 60, strategic adviser, Paris Saint-Germain
Campos started his post-playing career as a 27-year-old head coach in the 1990s (mainly managing small Portuguese sides like Esposende, Aves and Gil Vicente) and spent over a decade in the dugout before moving into a scouting role at Real Madrid — upon the request of Jose Mourinho — in 2012.
His eye for up-and-coming talent (such as James Rodríguez, Bernardo Silva and Fabinho) served him well in his next role as sporting director at AS Monaco, where he helped build the squad that won the Ligue 1 title in 2016-17. He repeated the feat at Lille three years later, though he’d already left both French clubs before the silverware was collected.
Now in his third season in Paris, the Portuguese carries the somewhat ambiguous title of “strategic adviser” and conducts his business under the watchful eye of PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi. While he likes to remain out of the public eye, Campos is a forceful personality: he can be animated and tempestuous around the tunnel at times. With a track record of winning the confidence of the most powerful owners in the game, and with his contract expiring in the summer, there are rumors that he could replace Edu at Arsenal.
Key skills: One of the sharpest executives in the world from a technical scouting viewpoint, Campos is obsessed with details. It’s no coincidence that PSG turned to him as they switched focus from signing established stars to the best young talent.
Priority tasks for January: Adding a winger and centre-forward are key in a transfer window that is unlikely to be overly busy. Parting ways with unsettled centre-forward Randal Kolo Muani and centre-back Milan Skriniar is also down to him.
Top signing: While at Lille, Campos was responsible for bringing in Victor Osimhen from Charleroi for just €22.4m in 2019.
Max Eberl, 51, sporting CEO, Bayern Munich
After finishing his playing career at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Eberl became a youth team manager and then spent 14 years as sporting director of the club from 2008 to 2022 — a teenage Marco Reus was one of several clever discoveries. A single year at RB Leipzig followed, though he oversaw the signings of success stories such as Xavi Simons and Loïs Openda, and then he landed the role of sporting director at Bayern Munich in March 2024.
In a management shake-up, the former right-back was entrusted with a seat on the board, as well as the executive powers to head the club’s sporting matters. In less than a year, he has brought some much-needed stability and has proved himself capable of managing upward — not a given when confronted with the notoriously opinionated Bayern board. As a supporting presence to relatively inexperienced head coach Vincent Kompany, Eberl shields the Belgian from added media pressure.
Key skills: Eberl is a likable and pragmatic leader whose management skills are tailormade for a high-exposure environment. He is a seasoned professional with the eye of a scout and the negotiating skills of a CEO.
Priority tasks for January: Extending the expiring contracts of left-back Alphonso Davies and midfielder Joshua Kimmich (as well as star forward Jamal Musiala before 2026) is likely to occupy more headspace than any potential January signings.
Top signing: While better known as a Dortmund legend, Reus moved to Borussia Monchengladbach from Rot Weiss Ahlen for a paltry €1m in 2009 under Eberl’s guidance.
Sebastian Kehl, 44, sporting director, Borussia Dortmund
With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Kehl’s position at Dortmund has come under scrutiny during the past few months, and life at the underperforming Bundesliga powerhouse has been anything but smooth. The club has undergone massive changes at management level over the past year, and flanked by strong, opinionated characters such as Hans-Jörg Watzke (CEO), Lars Ricken (sporting CEO) and a high-profile chief scout in Sven Mislintat (Arsenal’s former head of recruitment), the sporting director might not have the kind of autonomy the role is usually afforded.
While such a crowded hierarchy is common among German clubs and has proved to work when everybody sings from the same hymn sheet, it’s debatable whether it has been the case at Dortmund. Having spent around €80m in the summer, without generating their trademark profits from player exits, the pressure is on to spend wisely going forward and, at 44 and in the job only since 2022, Kehl is still learning.
Key skills: Dortmund’s tremendous record in fast-tracking (and playing) young players into the first team gives them serious allure when competing to sign the continent’s top talent. Kehl might struggle to make decisions on his own, but he has a wealth of experience to call upon, which is useful for a relatively young sporting director.
Priority tasks for January: Adding an attack-minded central midfielder appears the most urgent. Felix Nmecha and Jamie Gittens are attracting Premier League interest and could provide much-needed transfer funds if they depart, but replacing them would prove a challenge. Finding a loan move to kick-start USMNT star Giovanni Reyna‘s career is another problem for Kehl to solve.
Top signing: Kehl landed Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy for €18m in the summer, and he has been a great success.
Cristiano Giuntoli, technical director, 52, Juventus
At Napoli, Giuntoli oversaw a recruitment drive that led to the acquisition of stars such as Victor Osimhen (€70m), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (signed for a bargain at €13.3m) and Kim Min-Jae (€19m), all of whom played key roles in the unexpected title win of 2022-23. But, fresh from masterminding that spectacular Scudetto-winning campaign, Giuntoli was persuaded to join Juventus with the job of rebuilding the club following the financial wrongdoings that led to a 10-point deduction last season.
Not in the Champions League last season and having binned their extravagant star-chasing policy — symbolised by the signing of then-33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo for €112m in 2018 — Juve, led by Giuntoli, set out on a more sustainable, talent-based model. While still a work in progress, the club reclaimed its Champions League status, and Giuntoli managed to convince much-coveted Thiago Motta to join from Bologna as head coach in the summer.
Not only has Giuntoli proved capable of building successful teams while still generating relatively healthy income, but he also struck up a constructive partnership with one of the most autonomous-minded club owners in the business: Napoli’s Aurelio De Laurentiis.
Key skills: His track record at Napoli speaks of a football executive with the outstanding diplomatic skills to navigate volatile environments high on emotion. He is also lauded for his negotiation prowess.
Priority tasks for January: Juve sit sixth in Serie A, nine points adrift of leaders Atalanta, and defensive reinforcements are needed following the injuries to Bremer and Juan Cabal (both out for the season). Attacking options are also under consideration if the right opportunities arise.
Top signing: While at Napoli, Giuntoli spotted Georgia winger Kvaratskhelia at Dinamo Batumi and signed him for just €13.3m in 2022.
Piero Ausilio, 49, sporting director, Inter Milan
Having started his career at Internazionale‘s academy in 2005, Ausilio worked his way up the club’s hierarchy under three different owners to obtain the role of sporting director in 2014. And while he prefers to allow others to bask in the glory or address the media (CEO Giuseppe Marotta tends to speak on behalf of board and management, even on transfer strategy), his work behind the scenes has been of tremendous value.
Identifying and attracting stars like Lautaro Martínez, Marcus Thuram and Nicolò Barella, Ausilio also pulled off a masterstroke when replacing title-winning head coach Antonio Conte with Simone Inzaghi in 2021. Arguably more of a team architect than someone who will focus on statistics, he looks to improve a well-balanced side with signings — often established names — who can immediately adapt to the coach’s system.
Key skills: Ausilio has stuck around for almost two decades thanks to his craftmanship and superior survival skills. His capability to regenerate squads while still remaining competitive is well-documented.
Priority task for January: Though another centre-back might be useful, there are few indications that Inter plan any significant business.
Top signing: Racing Club striker Martinez was snapped up for a mere €25m in 2018 and has gone on to be a huge success.
Geoffrey Moncada, 38, technical director, AC Milan
Still only 38, which is younger than most of his peers, Moncada was a freelance scout in his late teens before joining Monaco in 2012 as a match analyst and then head scout under Claudio Ranieri. He moved to Milan in 2019 and has become the main stakeholder in the club’s transfer operations as technical director, alongside CEO Giorgio Furlani and director Zlatan Ibrahimović, all of whom report to owner Gerry Cardinale.
A player database, video analysis and a wide network of scouts (regularly found taking notes in South America, Scandinavia and England) are all tools the media-shy Moncada likes to use. But his own personal scouting background is still key as he says he always wants to see a player live before signing them. Indeed, his knowledge of the French market has proved of huge value to the Serie A giants as winger Rafael Leão (signed from Lille) and Frenchmen Olivier Giroud, Pierre Kalulu and Theo Hernández contributed heavily to the club’s successful Scudetto-winning 2021-22 season.
With Milan’s recent dip in form, some disgruntled voices have been raised in Moncada’s direction, but there’s no reason to believe that the owners have lost faith in him yet.
Key skills: Even though he is young, Moncada has in-depth knowledge of all football’s relevant markets and has maintained an ability to blend traditional scouting methods with cutting-edge analytics.
Priority tasks for January: A high-scoring centre-forward and dynamic central midfielder are likely to be on Milan’s short list as they look to improve their eighth-placed spot in the table.
Top signing: One of the best wingers in Europe, Leao’s move from Lille cost Milan €49.5m in 2019.