Why the org chart decides whether your player gets signed
Two clubs in the same league can run completely different decision chains. At one, the head coach names a player and the club buys him. At another, the coach receives a shortlist he had no part in building. If you pitch the wrong person, your player is not rejected — he is simply never discussed.
The roles you will meet, and what each one actually controls
- Sporting / technical director. Owns squad planning, budget allocation and the final list. The default first contact for a player proposal at most European clubs.
- Head of recruitment. Owns the process: which profiles are searched, who is scouted, what enters the database. Your best long-term relationship — he builds the list the director signs from.
- Chief scout. Runs the scouting network and live coverage. Pitch him footage and fixtures, not salary terms.
- Data / recruitment analyst. Filters the long list on metrics. Increasingly the first real gate at clubs in the Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia and England.
- Head coach / manager. Influence ranges from total to almost zero. In England and Turkey often decisive; in a multi-club or model-driven club, advisory.
- CEO / president / owner. Signs off on the money. Only relevant for big fees, and pitching them directly usually annoys everyone below.
- Team manager / club secretary. No say on players, total control over paperwork, registration and deadlines. Be extremely polite to this person.
Four models you will run into
- Director-led (most of continental Europe). Sporting director decides, coach consulted. Pitch: director first, head of recruitment as backup.
- Coach-led (parts of England, Turkey, Greece, lower divisions). The manager drives signings and the board executes. Pitch: director, but expect the coach's opinion to settle it — footage matters more than data.
- Data-led / model clubs. A recruitment committee ranks players on internal models. Pitch: head of recruitment or analyst, with objective performance context, not adjectives.
- Multi-club groups. A group-level technical director sets policy across clubs, each club has a local sporting director. Pitch the club that fits the level, and mention the group pathway — it is often the selling point.
How the recruitment calendar actually runs
- Long list (3-6 months before the window): profiles by position and budget. This is when a new name can still enter cheaply.
- Short list (6-8 weeks before): three to five names per position, ranked. Getting on it later requires a real reason.
- Window: negotiation and firefighting. Only concrete, immediately available solutions get attention.
- Deadline week: availability, salary and speed beat quality. A player who can sign tomorrow outranks a better player who cannot.
- Post-window: debrief and gap analysis. The best moment to ask what they failed to find — that answer is your brief for next window.
Mapping a club before you contact anyone
- Identify who signed the last three arrivals — press releases and quotes usually reveal who led the deal.
- Check whether the club uses 'sporting director', 'technical director' or 'director of football'; the titles carry different power depending on country.
- Note tenure: a director appointed in the last six months is rebuilding a list and is unusually open to new names.
- Find the head of recruitment even if you pitch the director — he is who the director forwards your email to.
- Keep a record of every change. Staff turnover is high, and an outdated contact is a wasted pitch.
Who to contact first, in one line
Sporting director for the offer, head of recruitment for the relationship, chief scout for the footage, analyst if the club is data-driven, and never the general club inbox.
Use verified structures instead of guessing
TransferDesk maps the recruitment staff of clubs across Europe and beyond, with verified direct contact details for members. Browse sporting director coverage, see the markets we cover, then write the proposal email.