Mladen

What experience does he have negotiating player contracts? The only mention of contracts and negotiations on his LinkedIn comes under his role with us.

I doubt the failures to get signings over the line lie squarely with him, but is this where we’re falling down? Are the club providing him with enough support if he hasn’t much experience in this area?

We always leave it until the last minute but from the outside looking in this window has been sloppy even by our standards.

 

Let’s give it one more day before we knock him. As DC says don’t judge the window until it’s closed

 

To be clear, I’m not knocking him. The responsibility would lie with those who hired him for the role if this is the case.

 

He was part of Leicester Citys recruitment team.Providing data and identifying transfer targets.

 

But I doubt that role included much if any active involvement in negotiations and getting deals over the line.

 

How do you know that though? - have you work in a football recruitment department?

 

From my understanding clubs want to hold onto their players until, they have a replacement or the highest and best offer comes in. I don`t think it;s anything that we're doing specifically wrong, it's just the movement in the market is slow. Maybe DKD coming from Mansfield hypothetically, maybe they're waiting on a replacement to confirm before they can let him go, the club their replacement is coming from is also waiting on confirmation on another player. Lots of moving parts that have to come together is what I`m thinking. Sure, Rotherham did a lot of business early on and sit in the bottom 4 with no goals scored in 3 games. Just because our window has been slow it doesn't necessarily mean it's worse than Rotherham's, if that makes sense?

 

Because Leicester City are a big football club with a lot of resources, especially at that time. There’s no way on earth that the person chiefly responsible for analysing and identifying targets is also responsible for getting those deals over the line. That won’t even be the case at our club right now. They’re two completely different skillsets. Some people will have both. Mladen might be one of them, but if he has no experience of negotiations and contracts then he will naturally make mistakes as we all do when learning something new.

Again, I’m not knocking him.

 

And in answer to the second question, no but a good friend of mine does at Brighton. I also work with much higher profile talent/celebrities in my line of work and the same principle applies there too - the ones identifying are rarely the ones negotiating with agents.

 

Definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Hence why I’m surprised once again we are trying to do our business at the wrong end of the window.

 

I disagree to an extent. The Director of Football/Sporting Director need to front up and take responsibility for this transfer window as it's their job to do recruitment (including negotiations). If that is beyond their capabilities then we need to find someone who can. If that happens then the board/owners need to review how they recruited for the role and I would be concerned at their own competency in doing so again.

Having said that, I'll hold judgement until the window closes.

 

The Sporting Director has a finite budget to work with. It's not his money. If he can't bring in the players DC wants within the financial envelope available, it isn't his fault.

 

It's his job to manage the budget accordingly and ensure the squad is balanced.

 

As a budget holder myself, I told my organisation last year that we needed to spend 12,7million in my area. I got told I could have 7.5m,
I will not held accountable if something out of my original recommnedation fall due,

 

Squad balanced? He’s got a lot to do in 24 hours for sure.

 

Well if they don't, then it will absolutely be rightly. If they do, I reckon it'll be more out of luck than judgement. Not hopeful at all.

 

Me neither. We’re 24 hours and counting after needing 2 strikers for the best part of 3 months. He’s under massive pressure now. Last minute panic stuff…..yet again.

 

Excellent post. Folly otherwise.

 

I watched Gary Neville recently talk about his experiences owning Salford and said he found recruitment was the hardest thing owning an EFL club. He said lots of clubs at L1 and L2 level were finding it harder and harder to get deals over the line. One thing he said really helped was personal connections and good relationships within the game.

Although I’ve enjoyed Mladen’s interviews I’ve been concerned from day one that he didn’t seem to have the experience and connections throughout the game like an older ex manager or player would have. Always seemed more of a spreadsheet appointment than a proper football man.

but he’s got the next few hours to prove us wrong! I wish him well.