What influence has Jan Van Winckel had on this window?

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MorettiBlade

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I have to admit that I am not overly knowledgable of the exact role that this bloke plays at the club, other than the fact that he is a trust advisor to HRH. He seems to be pulling the strings at Prince Abdullah's foreign interests, as well as playing a role within Saudi Arabian football. His connections throughout Europe are said to be encouraging, with the Prince personally noting the guys incredible eye for talent.

But then we flip the coin to the messiah himself....Chrissy Wilder. The gaffer holds no secret that he likes a player with a point to prove....he likes raw, determined, underdogs so to speak. The sort of players in which he invests confidence, gives them a platform in which to shine and then leaves the rest to them.

In wilder's post signing interviews, he stated that he has been watching both Zirkovic and Berge for a while. He said that he had admire both for quite some time and that he tried to bring them in during the summer.....But for me, they don't seem to fit the usual Wilder mould??.....So are we seeing a more direct influence of Van Winckel these days? Even if under Wilder's guidance?

Wilder always said that he would only ever be happy with picking his own transfer targets. He said that should it get to the point that he wasnt in charge of the important recruitment issues, he would simply leave the club.....

So I'm wondering whether we have well and truly got our scouting networks together, with the added influence of Jan Van Wickel? It was obvious that we would have to look overseas for talent at some point, but we lacked any sort of infrastructure to do so having been away for so long.

Either way it's exciting, as long as Wilder is happy!....I have no problem with this Van Winckel dude and if he wants to compile a list of suitable players for the gaffer, then so be it. Nobody could have expected this trip of players in the summer?? I think it's a sure sign of things to come!!

Exciting times, I just want us to ensure that happy medium and to get the balance right!!
 

There's been a few interviews where Chris has mentioned the work done by Paul (Mitchell) in getting players to the club.
 
Don’t see Van Winkel having any influence over Wilder, other than providing player info, if requested. You would expect VW to have points of interest available on the likes of Berge, but it’s hard to imagine Wilder as anything but his own man.
Sure use all the inputs available, weigh the options, then do it the Wilder way.
 
Wilder has cited both Paul Mitchell (head of recruitment) and Carl Shieber’s (head of football administration) work during this window in getting the deals done.

From his LinkedIn Van Winckel is a board member at United, Beerschot-Wilrijk, Technical Director of the Saudi FA and Technical Expert at FIFA

My guess would be that his knowledge and expertise at Sheffield United will be far wider than just scouting, because this is Paul Mitchell’s domain.

I wouldn’t be surprised if VW is supporting Paul Mitchel in expanding the scouting network, though this is perhaps being done differently to in the past anyway using data first
 
Van Winckel from what I can see is simply an adviser for Prince Abdullah with expertise in football. I think it might have been JimPhipps that mentioned that when PA first arrived his team were overly reliant on McCabe’s people to provide the knowledge and expertise on football in England, and I saw Van Winckel’s arrival as being some way of redressing that – allowing PA to get an expert view on the main decisions taken at the club, and helping make the partnership with McCabe more equal. PA also highlighted in 2017 that expanding our scouting abroad was something that we specifically would have to address as we moved up the divisions, so it’s not unreasonable to think Van Winckel’s arrival could have been with an eye to addressing this.

In the same way that Paul Mitchell doesn’t sign the players, I doubt Van Winckel has undue influence here – as I’m sure Wilder wouldn’t have signed his contract. I imagine for both domestic and foreign targets, players are identified and suggested to Wilder based on criteria he highlights, and that plenty of due process occurs before he decides to buy.

As I mentioned on another thread, the forays into markets abroad should also be viewed alongside the linkup with SciSports last summer that was designed to help identify targets abroad.

 
Suprised we havent show interest in his step son Ricky.
Image result for Ricky van Wolfswinkel
 
Wilder has cited both Paul Mitchell (head of recruitment) and Carl Shieber’s (head of football administration) work during this window in getting the deals done.

From his LinkedIn Van Winckel is a board member at United, Beerschot-Wilrijk, Technical Director of the Saudi FA and Technical Expert at FIFA

My guess would be that his knowledge and expertise at Sheffield United will be far wider than just scouting, because this is Paul Mitchell’s domain.

I wouldn’t be surprised if VW is supporting Paul Mitchel in expanding the scouting network, though this is perhaps being done differently to in the past anyway using data first
Wilder doesn't know the foreign market, so sticks with what he knows. Yet he has not worked with a club capable of attracting a director of football before. His media profile is growing fast and the opportunities for the team means his time will be at a premium. So, I don't see where he or Alan can fly to Brazil or China for the chance of a free transfer. Better for JVW to do the legwork.
 
Wilder doesn't know the foreign market, so sticks with what he knows. Yet he has not worked with a club capable of attracting a director of football before. His media profile is growing fast and the opportunities for the team means his time will be at a premium. So, I don't see where he or Alan can fly to Brazil or China for the chance of a free transfer. Better for JVW to do the legwork.
Wilder has his recruitment team for that. That’s why it works so well, because he tells them what he wants/ needs and they go out and find them
 
Van Winkel is very much involved in the commercial side of things.

He's getting Leffe, Duvel and La Chouffe on tap.

Limbs, LIMBS EVERYWHERE!
 
I reckon he's had a fair say in terms of targets that Paul Mitchell has gone on to scout in more depth.

Verrips is from JVW's old club and Elias Cobbaut who The Athletic quoted as saying we would've signed if Anderlecht hadn't hiked the price also made his name for Mechelen as well.

I don't think he ever imposes or picks all of our targets himself, but I do think he might give our recruitment team a few names he's familiar with and then they'll do the legwork to see if they're worth anything more than a quick look. Paul Mitchell and Wilder will have final say, there's no doubt about that.

I'm honestly just glad to see us being so proactive in the foreign markets. Belgium has come on leaps and bounds as a footballing nation and it seems like there's no shortage of talent coming through. Very excited to see what direction Wilder takes us in ahead of next season.
 

Some more clues on the process in the Behind the Scenes video on Berge’s arrival and the people involved.
  • Paul Mitchell introduced at the training ground as head of recruitment, Wilder says “he’s responsible for everything”
  • Wilder in the car to the training ground mentioned that he’d been to Oslo to watch Berge vs Spain, with Knill seeing him in Sweden
  • Knill: ”I’ve been all over the world watching you”
  • Bettis greeted very warmly, gets a hug off both Berge and his agent
While obviously the video isn’t going to show absolutely all the people involved, worth noting how Prince Abdullah’s people are not visible at any point. That’s not a criticism, it would be ridiculous to suggest they don’t have a major role in a signing like this, and I can imagine a different type of owner concerned about that sort of thing insisting that they (or their representatives) are everywhere for a major signing. It’s quite reassuring that everyone’s just left to get on with everything.
 

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