I remember seeing one of these before where I think they all voted for Cavani, despite him being free and then going on to score a whole load of important goals that season including one in a European cup final.
Its dumber than 99.9% of the dumbest posts on here, which is sayig something.
Can't find last year's anywhere but the year before Caicedo and Palmer got more votes between them than Sesko has here. The same summer ETH signed Mason Mount to play him as a defensive central midfielder and N ottingham Forest thought signing Origi was a good idea. You'd get more sense getting a succession of crows to randomly draw bits of paper out of a hat.
I really dont care what hitpieces are going to be written about him. He is at United so the pressure doesnt get much bigger.
I am seeing plenty of positive signs in his latest matches for us. Thats all that matters.
When I read "agents don't know how to scout" - "spending their time scouting to the same depth as an actual scout" - is not an implied statement. Agents/Agencies do scout, often in fact. A discipline doesn't have to be your specialty for you to be competent, and at times successful or even good at it. I didn't agree with your wholesale dismissal/blanket statement.
Well, I provided you links from the same source this agent survey came from. Yes, you can reserve the right not to click them, but considering they're links from the same source of the piece you opined on, and links that show that agents do scout and that general agent responsibilities aren't completely or always divorced from scouting then-
Just post the stories here, or a link to the relevant information without needing to sign up to another website. Like the normal poster who posted the Sesko story.
Having said that its not going to change that agents are good at being agents and not good scouts able to accurately predict how good Sesko is going to be better than fans or scouts.
Just post the stories here, or a link to the relevant information without needing to sign up to another website. Like the normal poster who posted the Sesko story.
Having said that its not going to change that agents are good at being agents and not good scouts able to accurately predict how good Sesko is going to be better than fans or scouts.
I mean, I was the one that posted the Sesko survey and I simply embedded the tweet. Evidently can’t do the same here because these weren’t tweets, but actual articles. Redcafe has rules about not posting full stories/articles, so I provided the links to the relevant stories like it’s customary? (I believe there’s an hyperlink to a web archive page that can be used to read stories that are behind a paywall, unfortunately I don’t have it to hand and I’m mobile)
No one’s trying to change that “agents are good at being agents”. You just made blanket statements that aren’t necessarily true - namely that agents don’t know how to scout and that it doesn’t make the slightest difference if they have no ability to spot talent. I simply said that agents do scout, and that agent responsibilities aren’t completely divorced from talent identification - this for some reason seems to have rubbed you the wrong way, despite me saying that I don’t think what we’re saying is too far off. I’d also argue against the notion that fans are generally better positioned than agents to predict player development curves, but alas
In any case, I believe the rules allow for us to post some excerpts. This is from one of the links:
Raiola Global Management, a company founded in 2023 by Mino’s son Mario that specialises in areas such as data and analytics. Together they are attempting to transform the way they identify and recruit Europe’s best talents.
The agency has set itself the target of having the top 11 players in each three-year junior age group across its key markets. These include Italy, Scandinavia and the Netherlands, as well as France, Spain, Germany and the UK, which it is now starting to target more actively.
Enzo Raiola (who focuses mainly on Italy) and Rodriguez (Netherlands) head up Team Raiola, while Nima Modyr is the first agent recruited for the international expansion plan and is in charge of the Scandinavian market. Raiola Global Management’s role is to maximise the use of data and analytics to help complement and inform scouts on the ground.
“Data will never replace the instinct and expertise of a scout or sporting director watching a player in person,” Mark Nervegna, the company’s UK chief executive, tells The Athletic. “However, it provides valuable insights that complement their assessments. When used and balanced correctly, data enhances decision-making and can give a competitive edge.”
“It’s not just about collecting information, but using it strategically,” Nervegna adds. “Whether that’s tracking emerging talents, assessing potential signings or building long-term career strategies.”
Following that, and after further research and video analysis, scouts are sent a ‘priority list’ of around 20 to 30 players to track every six months, along with any additional ones they have identified while at games.
From there, the agency aims to recruit players based on the positions, age groups and nationalities that are underrepresented in their roster
Every potential signing undergoes due diligence, with agents, scouts and analysts conducting deep analysis — studying their potential, assessing their skill set through advanced analytics, reviewing hours of footage and attending live games.
“Discovering a talent is one of the most rewarding aspects of this job,” Enzo adds. “You see a young player with something special and imagine where they could go, but talent alone is not enough — it takes the right mindset, sacrifice and the right path.
Of course, recruitment is just the start and talent spotting is only part of an agency’s broad remit.
I mean, I was the one that posted the Sesko survey and I simply embedded the tweet. Evidently can’t do the same here because these weren’t tweets, but actual articles. Redcafe has rules about not posting full stories/articles, so I provided the links to the relevant stories like it’s customary? (I believe there’s an hyperlink to a web archive page that can be used to read stories that are behind a paywall, unfortunately I don’t have it to hand and I’m mobile)
No one’s trying to change that “agents are good at being agents”. You just made blanket statements that aren’t necessarily true - namely that agents don’t know how to scout and that it doesn’t make the slightest difference if they have no ability to spot talent. I simply said that agents do scout, and that agent responsibilities aren’t completely divorced from talent identification - this for some reason seems to have rubbed you the wrong way, despite me saying that I don’t think what we’re saying is too far off. I’d also argue against the notion that fans are generally better positioned than agents to predict player development curves, but alas
In any case, I believe the rules allow for us to post some excerpts. This is from one of the links:
Raiola Global Management, a company founded in 2023 by Mino’s son Mario that specialises in areas such as data and analytics. Together they are attempting to transform the way they identify and recruit Europe’s best talents.
The agency has set itself the target of having the top 11 players in each three-year junior age group across its key markets. These include Italy, Scandinavia and the Netherlands, as well as France, Spain, Germany and the UK, which it is now starting to target more actively.
Enzo Raiola (who focuses mainly on Italy) and Rodriguez (Netherlands) head up Team Raiola, while Nima Modyr is the first agent recruited for the international expansion plan and is in charge of the Scandinavian market. Raiola Global Management’s role is to maximise the use of data and analytics to help complement and inform scouts on the ground.
“Data will never replace the instinct and expertise of a scout or sporting director watching a player in person,” Mark Nervegna, the company’s UK chief executive, tells The Athletic. “However, it provides valuable insights that complement their assessments. When used and balanced correctly, data enhances decision-making and can give a competitive edge.”
“It’s not just about collecting information, but using it strategically,” Nervegna adds. “Whether that’s tracking emerging talents, assessing potential signings or building long-term career strategies.”
Following that, and after further research and video analysis, scouts are sent a ‘priority list’ of around 20 to 30 players to track every six months, along with any additional ones they have identified while at games.
From there, the agency aims to recruit players based on the positions, age groups and nationalities that are underrepresented in their roster
Every potential signing undergoes due diligence, with agents, scouts and analysts conducting deep analysis — studying their potential, assessing their skill set through advanced analytics, reviewing hours of footage and attending live games.
“Discovering a talent is one of the most rewarding aspects of this job,” Enzo adds. “You see a young player with something special and imagine where they could go, but talent alone is not enough — it takes the right mindset, sacrifice and the right path.
Of course, recruitment is just the start and talent spotting is only part of an agency’s broad remit.
I'm not suggesting fans are better than agents at predicting. I'm just saying some would be good at it and some wouldnt, as with agents. Being an agent doesnt give them much authority on it so therefore putting value on their picks and worrying about it doesnt make sense to me. Thats all.
It's a really strange question to ask agents. Especially considering The Athletic will have a directory of professional scouts they could ask who would be far more qualified.
You could take the perspective that a scout may have insight about a player's character which might be relevant but I highly doubt that is the angle here.
They got asked a pretty strange question that they aren't qualified to answer so given our recent history in the market, many chose the safe option of going for a big money Utd signing from another league.
Utterly meaningless and Sesko looks a real talent.
Liked what I saw for the first 15-20 mins and was very tidy, but then the stuff you'd usually like him in (physicality) he was a bit weak after that. But all good was a hard game to get into and he did his bit. Provides a really good reference point up there for Cunha and Mbeumo to play off of.
Touch and aerial presence looked good, just a little too languid on the ball today when he needed to release it ala Zirkzee. He'll be mint I think when it all clicks.
his good touch and composure makes people miss the fact that he lacks aggression. He seems too nice on the pitch and can get pushed a bit. He needs to add aggression to his game, some shoulders and tough challenges. I hope it is something he’ll work on in training. Lots of potential
Did well when he first came on, got a bit sloppy later on. Also combined well with Cunha so hopefully that's a partnership that will pay off in the future.
his good touch and composure makes people miss the fact that he lacks aggression. He seems too nice on the pitch and can get pushed a bit. He needs to add aggression to his game, some shoulders and tough challenges. I hope it is something he’ll work on in training. Lots of potential
It'll come for sure, he's young and new to the league, Anfield is an intimidating place though Sesko had a top performance there with Leipzig before I think?
I see a ton of a young Dzeko in him. Really glad we have him.
It'll come for sure, he's young and new to the league, Anfield is an intimidating place though Sesko had a top performance there with Leipzig before I think?
I see a ton of a young Dzeko in him. Really glad we have him.
He can learn a thing or 2 from Cunha. Hopefully training with this kind of players will help develop his game. He needs some “bad influence” around him
Genuinely based one what? He’s a beast in the air. Very technically sound. Clearly hits a ball well. Just feels like needless and frankly unwarranted criticism at this stage,
Thankfully this wasnt his first appearance in professional football and he has a body of work at Salzburg, Leipzig, and a few matches for us and Slovenia.
Why so sensitive? I think the objective is currently to build a team that can compete for titles. We will need squad players too for that, but in terms of first XI quality I think we are headed towards that with Mbeumo, Cunha, Amad, Yoro and maybe lesser extent Lammens, Mazraoui/De Ligt.
Sesko doesn't really convince me, nor Dorgu, nor Shaw/Martinez, nor does the two-man midfield and Casemiro/Bruno for the longee term.
Thankfully this wasnt his first appearance in professional football and he has a body of work at Salzburg, Leipzig, and a few matches for us and Slovenia.
But he’s looked good for us so far including two goals in the last two. Hes always been considered a top tier talent by many footballing people so what makes you the expert here?
Thankfully this wasnt his first appearance in professional football and he has a body of work at Salzburg, Leipzig, and a few matches for us and Slovenia.
Funny how most scouts have always rated him as an elite talent eh.
I think he's quality and the traits he's shown so far are quality. Really good feet, and has all the raw attributes and talent to go all the way. I like that Cunha is actually decent up top so we can rotate them and not overly rely on sesko before he's fully ready to be the main man, but he's a good player as is and will turn into a top striker for sure.
Agreed it’s just annoying coming in here and seeing shite like that after a top tier result and a good cameo from Sesko. He may well be right long term because who the feck knows but bore off with the endless negatively ffs.
