Manchester United is searching for a director of football to assist Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to build United's squad. But, what is director of football? Director of football's role is to build a stronger squad from time to time, he/she is responsible for signing and releasing players so the coach can focus to plan game strategy.
The name may be vary for different clubs, it can be director of football, technical director, sporting director, or head of football relation. But the job is similar. They are usually former players who are good in technical aspects and familiar with game strategy. They are also experts in communication and negotiation with players, coach, and board of directors.
Bayern Munich Director of Football Hasan Salihamidzic is the perfect example, he was a good player so he understands technical aspects and strategy. He is also good in communication and able to speak in five languages, it surely eases him to communicate with players from many countries.
Director of football role is a common practice in European leagues, now even EPL clubs have directors of football. EPL clubs are known for their traditional manager, a powerful role in clubs that decides nearly everything from game strategy to transfer policy. Sir Alex Ferguson was the perfect example of an EPL manager, he was pretty much the face of the club, he was the club itself. But, EPL club managers are starting to lose their power. The wind of change is coming.
Some of EPL clubs don't even have manager role anymore, they have head coach now. When Unai Emery was appointed as Arsenal boss, his title was a head coach. Maurizio Sarri is also a head coach in Chelsea. Of 20 clubs, 14 still have managers, six have head coaches. It's about time before traditional manager role is gone. Modern football demands a higher standard, and jobs need to be specialized. A club needs a head coach as a tactician and a director of football as a negotiator.
Currently, there are only four EPL clubs that don't have director of football. One of them is Manchester United, which is currently searching for one.
Ed Woodward is proven incapable of signing new players. Part of Jose Mourinho's failure at United was because of him that failed to bring new players wanted by Mou. After Sir Alex Ferguson era, United have spent more than 550 million pound sterling for new players that have high commercial values but don't really needed by the managers, including Paul Pogba (89m), Angel di Maria (75m), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (42m), and Alexis Sanchez (42.5m). Even Luis van Gaal said that United is a commercial club, not a football club.
Liverpool is a great example of how a director of football can affect a team's performance. Without Michael Edwards, Jurgen Klopp might have had a hard time to negotiate with the owner to buy new players, including very expensive players like Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker.
It's unfortunate for Mourinho, but now United is heading to the right track. Under Ole and their new director of football, it's possible for them to challenge the title next season.
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