Games, games and more games for Andy Scott

26th April
Club
Andy Scott and Alan Tate

Games, games and more games.

Andy Scott is giving an indication of his workload as Swansea City’s head of recruitment during the disruptions caused by the ongoing Coronovirus pandemic.

Football on a global stage has taken a back seat due to the plans put in place by the government to tackle the pandemic.

For Scott, though, the hard work continues as he looks to strengthen Steve Cooper’s first-team for next season by looking both internally and globally.

Having watched over 450 players identified by various scouting and statistical platforms, Scott has studied those players over many hours and cut the list down to 35.

That list will then go to Cooper for his views, and then another round of evaluation is made before the players are primed down to the best two per position.

It has proved a sizeable task, and, along with dealing with the various affects Coronavirus has had on football, Scott is doing all he can to ensure Swansea City are in the best possible position on a recruitment front going into next season.

Andy Scott

“I’ve been watching a lot of games from around the world and then holding video meetings with chairman Trevor Birch, Steve and the coaching staff. It’s worked well as all the coaches can be involved and put their thoughts across with regards to certain players,” he said.

“I’ve been looking at players who are out of contract not only this summer but in 2021. That allows us to speak to a club and see if they are looking to sell that player before his contract runs out. If not, then we look at the potential of signing him on a free transfer the following summer.

“Of course, at the moment it’s very difficult knowing what is going to happen with the situation of players who are out of contract this summer as that’s is still to be sorted. But we’re preparing for all situations.

“I’ve also used my time to speak to Premier League clubs about the potential of players coming to us next season.

"It obviously helps us when clubs look at the impact players like Rhian Brewster, Conor Gallagher, Freddie Woodman, Ben Wilmot, Aldo Kalulu and Marc Guehi have made.

"They can see we are a club with a head coach that will not only develop players but give them opportunities too.”

Rhian Brewster

Scott arrived last summer shortly before the closure of the transfer window, which meant he didn’t have much time to use his knowledge, contacts and expertise.

After a busy time of recruitment in January, Scott was also putting plans in place for the next transfer window.

“I prepared a player specification document in January which was then sent out to agents showing them the type of player we want at Swansea City,” said Scott. “It gave us a bit of a headstart in terms of what we’re looking for in terms of recruitment.

“I’ve followed up on that with phonecalls to the agents to see which players they have that are suitable and interested in playing for our club. I’ve got a good range of contacts and strong relationships with scouts and agents, so I can count on that trust and understanding.

“I must stress, though, that we have a tight relationship with our academy and we are in regular contact regarding our own players. If we can promote more players like Ben Cabango, Jordon Garrick and Liam Cullen, for instance, then that is great news for us. We are really proud of their progress from the academy into Steve’s first-team set up.

“Recruitment is not just about looking for players externally, but internally too, and that’s something we are keen on here.”