Dintr-un interviu cu Tor-Kristian Karlsen, un scouter norvegian care a lucrat pentru Hannover 96, Bayer Leverkusen, Watford, Grasshopper Zürich si Fredrikstad:
What characteristics do you need to become a successful scout?
The ability to distinguish the level of skills and attributes of a player as well as understand how they fit into your club’s environment or playing style or system.
An understanding of global football mechanism – how a player’s qualities match the price tag – is absolutely crucial. For instance, why pay a premium for a player from one of the top leagues if you can get a potentially even better player from a ‘lesser’ league for just a fraction of the cost?
Cultural knowledge – how a player deals with a change in environment – is a skill that many clubs overlook when recruiting international scouts. In my opinion, this is extremely flawed. Ideally an international scout should master several languages – that way a whole new world of important information opens up – and have basic knowledge in economics, psychology and cultural understanding.
Sadly football clubs are some way away from realising this, but the role and the perception of the scout will develop in the years to come. Identifying potential signings internationally entails so much more than just watching games of football and filling out reports.