Anyone familiar with the way in which Liverpool conduct their business in the transfer market will be more than aware of how central a role data plays.
The Reds have Michael Edwards and Ian Graham to thank for that reality following FSG’s takeover.
Since that point, however, processes have been significantly refined and evolved, leading the club to finding the ideal replacement for Jurgen Klopp.
“[William] Spearman, a Chicago-born Harvard-educated physicist who spent five years as Liverpool’s lead data scientist before succeeding Graham as the club’s director of research in January last year, has been working on an algorithm that evaluates coaching performance on a wide range of metrics – not just team performance but playing style, individual player development, compatibility with different types of players etc – to predict future outcomes and suitability for certain jobs,” James Pearce and Oliver Kay reported for The Athletic.
“Slot’s scores, reflecting his performance during three seasons in charge of Feyenoord, are said to have been blindingly impressive: “Top of the top”. Hughes and Edwards had already discussed Slot, among others, as a strong contender. But they had not expected the data to bring such a resounding endorsement of his candidacy.”
Arne Slot is set to officially begin work at Liverpool Football Club on June 1.
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A return to data-led decision-making
Not to suggest that we’d completely abandoned data-led decision-making towards the latter years of Jurgen Klopp’s reign!
That said, the signings of the likes of Darwin Nunez – not the first choice of our recruitment department – most certainly indicate that our beloved head coach had a greater say in the process than he had to begin with.
A return to the likes of Michael Edwards and Co. having the biggest say over incomings and outgoings can only breed success.
Just look at the signings made under the former Reading man’s watch: Gini Wijnaldum, Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk, etc.
Why can’t the same success levels be applied to the managerial hunt?
Sometimes we dither too much on stats when it is obvious that the player is what we need. The player ends up being grabbed by other teams.