A data-driven system

Roll on September 1st when the transfer window is nailed shut and we can concentrate on the football activities rather than the daily gossip.

It's all part of the modern game. Some "fans" engage more with who is going where rather than who is doing what on the football field. There's a whole industry feeding newspapers, websites and social media outlets - and even more just made up.

My own exclusive was a sensational one. In November 1992, my boss gave me Alex Ferguson's home number and told me to call him about Manchester United's search for a striker.

"Are you getting anywhere with signing David Hirst from Sheffield Wednesday?," I asked nervously. "No, but we are signing Eric Cantona from Leeds," he growled back."Can you pass that news on?"

So much has changed since then. The transfer deadlines, for one - you don't sign players in November anymore. Managers don't oversee deals or handle PR. Cantona's move resulted from a boss-to-boss Friday night phone call with Howard Wilkinson. Directors of football are now significant figures and agents are too prevalent.

It's barely a decade ago that I was trying to impress the importance of a figure at the club who oversaw all signings, sales and player development. The idea was scoffed at by English colleagues when I cited the incredible job of "Monchi" at Sevilla.

He unearthed the likes of Ivan Rakitić, Dani Alves, Julio Baptista, and Seydou Keita from abroad. Just as importantly, he developed local stars like Sergio Ramos, José Antonio Reyes and Jesús Navas. He knew the back-story of every individual and the best way to organise their progression.

Elsewhere, the manager and/or chairman was often tied into a particular agent. You'd see several players arriving at a club negotiated by the same source. It was open to abuse for too long.

The evolution was a transfer-team; Liverpool formed a committee which included the manager Brendan Rodger, but he was just one voice. Scouts brought the names of Luis Suárez and Philippe Coutinho to the club's attention and the decisions were made by committee.

Monchi's Sevilla data-driven system became popular. Others followed his blueprint of scouts all over the world watching the lesser-seen leagues.

Now the "director of football" is the most important man at the club. He needs to understand the financial fair play/profit and sustainability rules and, in Spain, ensure that the wages are within the set limit. He needs to know who is available to sign and who is coming through the youth system. The manager is in the conversation, but not the loudest voice around the table when decisions are made.

The loudest voices in the media are often the agents. It is their job to stir things up! Often they will attach themselves to a journalist and use them as a puppet to mouth the virtues of their client. If the player gets a move, the agent gets a payday.

The best agents are the ones who aren't seen until the deal is done. The worst are those who are always part of an entourage, seeking publicity.

Contrast two players who moved to Spain. Steve McManaman and another unnamed. Macca told me that he only needed a lawyer when signing for Real Madrid to oversee the important legal matters. The other was totally dependent on his agent. Even calling him late at night to change a light bulb.

There are too many who have that light bulb moment.