Hunting hidden gems - is there anywhere in the world left to scout?

ByAlex Bysouth

BBC Sport elder journalist

The world's biggest clubs were each alert of the teenage sensation turning heads for Universidad de Chile, the 1 dubbed his generation's Alexis Sanchez.

"When we signed Dario Osorio, it was not due to the fact that no-one knew astir him," Kristian Kjaer, method manager astatine Midtjylland, tells BBC Sport.

Osorio was connected the radar of AC Milan, RB Leipzig, Salzburg and a fig of different English and German clubs earlier helium near Santiago for Denmark astatine the property of 19.

It was a cautiously considered pathway. After 3 seasons successful Scandinavia, the winger joined Crystal Palace connected indebtedness this summertime with a £24m enactment to bargain which would marque him the astir costly merchantability successful Danish Superliga history.

Midtjylland, wherever Brentford proprietor Matthew Benham was a bulk stakeholder betwixt 2014 and 2023, are renowned arsenic 1 of the astir innovative clubs successful Europe for their usage of analytics - from set-pieces to astute recruitment.

"We enactment connected some pathways," explains Kjaer. "We person subjective scouting, much classical video scouting, unrecorded scouting, a network, radical we spot successful the nine and besides our partners. And past we person the information scouting.

"And Dario Osorio, we were alert of him agelong earlier we signed him."

From feet-on-the-ground to the expanding availability of footage, information analytics and artificial intelligence, Premier League clubs - whether buying nonstop from root oregon tracking players similar Osorio's advancement - person a ample proportionality of the world's emerging endowment covered.

"That hidden gem benignant of happening astir does not beryllium immoderate much successful football," says Kjaer. "Sometimes it does, but it's rare."

"You would enactment this play arsenic 1 of the astir transformational successful endowment ID and recruitment," explains Sam Turner, caput of operations astatine scouting and improvement level Eyeball.

Clubs tin present get an unthinkable level of item connected players crossed the globe earlier they person adjacent made a elder appearance. Eyeball, for example, was founded 5 years agone to absorption connected those predominantly aged 13 to 21.

It is utilized by much than 60% of clubs successful Europe's apical 5 leagues, and a bulk of Premier League sides, for entree to much than 400,000 young players crossed 42 planetary markets from Europe to Africa and Latin America.

Winger Malick Yalcouye, a caller 20-year-old prima astatine Brighton, was tracked connected the strategy since processing astatine Ivorian broadside ASEC Mimosas, likewise Bazoumana Toure, who is present astatine Newcastle.

The breadth of sum is highlighted by different caller moves - Josue Caicedo near Ecuador's LDU Quito for Barcelona, Mustapha Nyassi swapped Gambia's Real de Banjul for Copenhagen and Nour Ashraf joined Leipzig from Egypt's ENPPI.

"The availability of information and footage has prompted a alteration successful methodology," says Turner. "That has brought a load of benefits successful presumption of data-led recruitment, clip saving, outgo saving."

Eyeball takes northbound of 2,000 information points each match, typically from starring amateur clubs and elite academies who movie and upload their fixtures.

The effect is simply a immense database allowing analysts to ticker each of a player's progressive passes, for example, observe who covered the astir region oregon simply inquire 'find maine a subordinate similar Ashley Cole'.

"There is ever this quality consciousness that tin ne'er beryllium lost," adds Turner. "I similar to deliberation we person aided scouts and recruitment teams, supplemented them with the tools, data, accusation to beryllium capable to marque much informed decisions connected a much accordant basis."

Data, says Midtjylland's Kjaer, is "extremely important due to the fact that it gives you an nonsubjective instrumentality you tin thin towards" erstwhile complemented by years of decision-making experience.

"We cannot conscionable crook connected the machine and it archer america who to motion and past we spell motion them," helium says. "We besides request to cognize astir the taste background, the household background, to marque definite they acceptable into our shot club.

"Of course, information has fixed america opportunities. We motion young. So the illustration size volition simply beryllium smaller for america due to the fact that if we are waiting until it's large enough, Brighton and Liverpool and Brentford and different guys, they volition motion the subordinate successful beforehand of us."

"We tin find absorbing players each astir the world," explains Kjaer.

"I similar america to beryllium open-minded. We are peculiar successful the mode we play and the mode we sell. And therefore, we request to find these players who acceptable that benignant of play.

"When you person done your owed diligence and you consciousness certain, propulsion the trigger. The gait successful decision-making is besides a hidden gem."

One state regularly mentioned is Uzbekistan, who played successful their archetypal World Cup this summer, portion Turner says Azerbaijan is pioneering a nationalist endowment web and "very forward-thinking and motivated to advancement the crippled domestically".

Then determination is Japan, which Turner calls a "guiding star" successful younker improvement for a strategy which takes players from grassroots, to schoolhouse and assemblage shot and past the nonrecreational game. Think Kaoru Mitoma's thesis connected dribbling techniques.

For European clubs, it makes identifying young Japanese prospects much complex.

Latin America, too, remains a hotbed of talent.

As erstwhile Midtjylland president Rasmus Ankersen, who has since worked for Brentford and Southampton, wrote successful his publication The Gold Mine Effect, a nine specified arsenic Cruzeiro volition cull 4,000 players nether the property of 15 for each 1 they instrumentality in.

Brazilian clubs are people protective of their assets.

"They cognize yet players volition leave," says Turner. "But it is allowing them to permission astatine the close property wherever those clubs tin payment locally. And we are precise invested successful that."

Much of the region, however, remains "untapped" but signaling games creates opportunities.

"It's conscionable a visibility portion for a batch of these players that means they don't get picked up," says Turner.

"We person gone a agelong mode successful solving that for a batch of markets, but determination are galore much that tin beryllium picked up with superb players everywhere."

One of those markets continues to beryllium Africa.

"There'll beryllium thousands," says Thomas Randolph, laminitis of Delphlyx, erstwhile asked whether talented African players whitethorn person missed retired connected large moves successful the past.

Delphlyx works with Premier League clubs and ownership groups, and others crossed Europe, the United States and Mexico, to supply accusation connected the champion - and astir applicable - 14 to 21-year-olds successful West Africa, often done data, unrecorded scouting and backstage tournaments.

"We person implicit 19,000 players successful Africa connected our level that you could conscionable beryllium close present successful London and watch, past prime up the phone, telephone 1 of them and organise a proceedings oregon a transfer. That conscionable wasn't happening before," adds Randolph.

With a projected mean property of conscionable implicit 18, Randolph says the portion is simply a "young, growing, processing space" - a "sporting mecca". Football remains the main passion, though NFL and NBA are starting to put successful definite countries.

But Randolph disputes the thought African scouting is present saturated, citing a fig of areas that stay comparatively undiscovered, often due to the fact that of struggle oregon logistics, with scouts drawn to the region's biggest cities.

"Zadok Yohanna is simply a bully example," explains Randolph. "He moved to Brighton recently. He comes from Ikon Allah, which is simply a tiny and comparatively chartless academy successful bluish Nigeria.

"The confederate spot of Senegal is wherever Sadio Mane is from, wherever [Lamine] Camara is from, who Chelsea tried to sign, and there's lone 1 squad down there. So wrong each these large countries, determination are definite regions that are little scouted."

Historically, it was agents who brought players retired of Africa alternatively than scouts discovering them, whereas Delphlyx aims to assistance clubs place and analyse definite endowment archetypal truthful scouts tin sojourn circumstantial tournaments oregon showcases to ticker targets.

Randolph mentions eastbound Mali, Togo, Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso but Benin, situated betwixt Nigeria and Togo, is of peculiar involvement for the mode the state has invested federation grants successful shot infrastructure and pitches.

"One spot they've utilized the Fifa wealth precise good is Benin," says Randolph. "It's present produced astir apt a aboriginal pistillate Ballon d'Or victor - Romaine Gandonou, who's 15, conscionable played astatine the Under-20 World Cup, and got the likes of PSG, Barcelona, everyone aft her.

"Benin is going to beryllium a state that implicit the adjacent fewer years volition go precise interesting."

Some Premier League clubs are buying straight from Africa. At 18, Senegalese defender Mor Talla Ndiaye has already been connected the seat for Liverpool aft arriving from Amitie, owned by ex-Newcastle and Chelsea striker Demba Ba.

Ndiaye was spotted astatine past year's Under-17 World Cup, wherever Burkina Faso midfielder Mohamed Zongo besides impressed. He volition articulation Chelsea and Strasbourg owners BlueCo's task erstwhile helium turns 18 successful 2 years' time.

"The Under-17 World Cup is simply a large one," says Randolph. "If your African federation plays determination and you bash well, you're going to get a bully move."

Scouts person besides been astatine the caller Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying and Delphlyx has helped organise trials for players from Senegal and Gambia astatine Premier League clubs.

The excavation is narrowed, however, due to the fact that players indispensable get a Governing Body Endorsement to beryllium granted a enactment licence oregon - astir apt - instrumentality 1 of a club's 4 Elite Significant Contribution spots, which fundamentally comes down to however galore younker oregon elder internationals they person played.

It's portion of the crushed young players initially determination to European countries wherever regulations are little stringent and wherefore Randolph believes Scottish clubs, wherever the aforesaid criteria does not apply, should beryllium looking into the African marketplace the mode Scandinavians do.

Nordsjaelland are unsocial successful that the Right to Dream academy - founded successful Ghana successful 1999 by erstwhile Manchester United scout Tom Vernon - bought the Danish nine 7 years agone to supply a pathway for its biggest prospects, which person included Mohammed Kudus, Simon Adingra and Kamaldeen Sulemana.

Brighton's Yalcouye and Newcastle's Toure made their archetypal moves to Swedish clubs IFK Goteborg and Hammarby, portion Midtjylland person a spouse nine successful Nigeria, FC Ebedei. Coventry's Frank Onyeka played for some connected his mode to the Premier League, arsenic did Paul Onuachu, present astatine Trabzonspor.

Like with Osorio, and others specified arsenic Guinea-Bissau guardant Franculino, who near this summertime for Trabzonspor, oregon Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande, present astatine Nottingham Forest via Sporting, Midtjylland tin item a way grounds of processing young players earlier selling them on.

"I spot Midtjylland a spot similar Silicon Valley for tech companies - we person produced truthful overmuch endowment implicit the years," explains Kjaer.

"We tin absorption lone connected the development. Of course, we request to win, but it's a spot much of a unafraid environment.

"What we accidental is, if you privation to absorption connected your vocation arsenic a shot player, you person to travel present due to the fact that that is the lone happening we do. That is what we are experts in."

There remains, however, undiscovered endowment adjacent to home. France, peculiarly Paris, boasts an incredibly affluent endowment pool.

A unsocial nationalist younker league system, wherever amateur sides look nonrecreational academies - and regularly bushed them - offers clubs the accidental to witnesser unsigned prospects competing against the astir talented players successful their property group.

"Scouts from each implicit the satellite travel to Ile-de-France to look astatine players successful our leagues," said Jamel Sandjak, president of the Ligue de Paris Ile-de-France, which boasts much than 1,000 clubs and 270,000 players.

"Most of the France nationalist younker teams are afloat of our players. So our determination teams are playing astatine nationalist level."

Last season, amateur broadside ES Nanterre, from the outskirts of Paris, won Championnat National Group B up of Champions League outfits Lens and Lille and second-tier clubs Reims, Bastia and Red Star.

Forward Exauce Luyindula was the division's apical scorer for renowned amateurs AAS Sarcelles - wherever Riyad Mahrez played until helium was 18 - and has since joined Ligue 2 Guingamp.

Other Eyeball partners enjoyed memorable victories, too. AFC Creil bushed Lens astatine under-15 level, Olympique Rovenain's under-19s bushed Nice and CS Bretigny's under-17s edged Paris St-Germain.

"Until recently, the immense bulk of clubs were relying connected the information the champion players are successful the champion academies oregon nationalist endowment systems, erstwhile really a batch of those players were chosen by 12 oregon 13," explains Turner.

"A batch of the clip that tin beryllium right, but besides statistically the champion players astatine 12 aren't ever the champion players astatine 18.

"There is specified a precocious attraction of players successful that region, determination is not capable space. The champion players aren't needfully successful the nationalist systems."