How Content Creator Became Scout In Serie A

Everyone connected societal media is an expert.

Or truthful they would person you believe. But each truthful often, that mightiness conscionable beryllium nan case.

Serie A broadside Como 1907 surely look to deliberation so, having precocious hired 20-year-old Felix Johnston arsenic a first-team scout.

It is simply a singular measurement for Johnston, who until precocious was a Chelsea contented creator connected X, highlighting and providing study connected nan brightest stars astatine nan club's academy.

Now he is helping find players to amended a broadside managed by erstwhile Chelsea, Arsenal and Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas successful Italy's apical flight.

"It's been a agelong journey," Johnston told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"It started pinch my friend messaging my during lockdown saying 'you request to get connected Twitter, that's wherever everyone is talking astir football'.

"I took it benignant of seriously, built up a pursuing and wherever it really started was erstwhile I discovered nan Chelsea academy.

"I fell successful emotion pinch watching nan academy games, seeing nan young players travel through. It was what I was known for, my niche connected Twitter."

From location he began to do his ain scouting of players, and Chelsea's youth-focused transportation strategy gave him plentifulness to get stuck into.

"Suddenly their exemplary was each astir signing young players truthful I was staying up until 2am watching Kendry Paez astatine nan Under-17 World Cup, Estevao, past uncovering talents of my own," Johnston added.

"I sewage a spot of recognition, including from immoderate group successful nan game, and that made scouting a reality to me. Prior to that, it was conscionable genuinely a passion."

It is successful nan past six months that things person really moved connected for Johnston.

His first measurement into master shot came successful April erstwhile he was hired by Danish squad Vejle arsenic a scouting advisor before, astatine nan extremity of July, Como sewage successful touch.

"The head of recruitment [at Como] reached retired to maine connected Twitter saying he liked what I was tweeting and that he would for illustration to do an internship and find immoderate modern, younger scouts to bring into nan club," Johnston said.

"I was evidently very happy to spell on pinch that and 9 weeks later, I sewage nan job."

So having sewage nan dream job, what is Johnston - who is combining nan domiciled pinch his assemblage studies successful Milan - being tasked pinch astatine Como?

"The head of recruitment who hired maine was nan caput of information astatine his erstwhile club, AZ Alkmaar, and is simply a very data-focused guy," he said.

"My role, essentially, is that I get passed down information players, watch them connected nan oculus and do a report.

"I look astatine nan players they inquire maine to look at. But it's an all-encompassing role, not restricted by immoderate region aliases position."

Five afloat games is usually considered capable for Johnston to compile an first study - though that tin vary.

"If they play for a debased possession broadside and they've not really touched nan ball, past I'll request to watch much conscionable for much evidence," he explained.

His is not nan accepted measurement into nan game, but Johnston says Como are a "very forward-thinking club" who "want to get nan caller talent connected nan scene".

With nan nine seventh successful conscionable their 2nd twelvemonth backmost successful Serie A, it is an attack that seems to beryllium working.

Meanwhile, Johnston's large extremity for nan early is 16-year-old Deinner Ordonez.

"[Ordonez] is simply a centre-back astatine Independiente del Valle successful Ecuador - nan academy that Moises Caicedo came through. They've had a batch of talents and he's very talented."

Take statement of that because, from now on, Johnston's study and sentiment will beryllium sent to Fabregas alternatively than nan societal media masses.