APPIANO GENTILE –
After watching the team in training today, Inter's new head of
scouting operations Valentino Angeloni spoke to Inter Channel's Roberto
Scarpini about his experience as a player and as head scout, and also about how he sees things at his new club.
"I started playing football when I was a kid, like most of us, and joined Sampdoria's youth academy," Angeloni explains. "Then I went on play in Serie C1 and Serie B in various clubs throughout Italy. That's what I did as a player. After that I worked at Torino for a year then spent four years at Udinese in charge of their scouting network. Udinese look for players that are ready within six months to a year, with technical ability but also potential for a good resale value. It's an extremely well organised system with the Pozzo family – and the son, Gino, in particular – making an important contribution. It's a massive job, what with all the trips and the DVDs, but it's also brought excellent results in recent years both in terms of league positions and for the club overall."
From Udine to Milan, the past to the present, and joining Inter mid-season. At this point Angeloni seized the opportunity to thank a few people: "The Pozzo family, for this opportunity and for allowing me to make the move immediately, and president Moratti, Branca and Ausilio, for this wonderful chance they have given me. It will take me a bit of time to get used to the Nerazzurri set-up and then it will be a case of monitoring, because we already have a few things on the go. After that it will all depend on the needs of the team and at the moment we can't know exactly what they will be. That's the general idea. But the secret is being present everywhere, while keeping the precise objectives the club has in mind. We must remember that this is Inter and playing in San Siro is not the same as playing at any old stadium. A player needs certain skills and characteristics to be able to play at a stadium like the Meazza, and scouts have to bear that in mind too."
How much influence has technology had on the way scouts work in recent years? Angeloni explained: "Huge strides forward have been made with technology in the last two years, enabling clubs to keep constant tabs on players' performances. However, seeing the player first hand is still absolutely crucial."
