Artell: I will make final signing decision
BOSS REVEALS MORE ON GRIMSBY’S SUMMER RECRUITMENT PROCESS
DAVID Artell has offered more insight into Grimsby Town’s recruitment strategy as making signings for the next season becomes his top priority.
The Mariners boss is talking to agents and meeting with players ahead of the transfer window opening to ensure the club get their foot in the door early in pursuit of their top summer targets.
All the discussions over the last week since the season concluded have been about how the club will alter their approach this summer to make sure the same problems with the team’s performance do not arise in the future.
The use of data and having a preestablished game model have been mentioned by chairman Jason Stockwood, but Artell added that the human element of recruiting players remains an important factor.
He said: “A lot has been made of the fact we’re going to be heavily influenced by data moving forward, but at the same time, recruitment is not an exact science – it’s an art form with lots of moving pieces.
“Looking into the white of someone’s eyes, finding out about their personal life and seeing their character is just as important as what the data tells you.
“We’re looking across the whole spectrum when it comes to age because we’ve identified where we need more experience and where we could go a bit more youthful.”
Having the numbers on a player in front of you is all well and good, but you need to understand what the numbers are telling you, which is key to Town being able to bring in the right pieces for the puzzle they are trying to complete.
Artell gave an example of a position and what stats they would look at to determine whether they were a good player for the system Grimsby wanted to play moving forward.
He added: “It’s more about principles. Most players should be able to go from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 if we’re talking specifically about wingers because their actual role doesn’t change, and neither would what we ask of them.
“We’re looking for those principles in the data when we recruit players. To use wingers as an example, it’s obvious goals and assists are important, but so is their ball retention in the final third as that is where there is less space, so it will tell you how quickly they think in those situations.
“It could also say they’re safe in possession, and we don’t want that either from a winger, we want creativity, so that is when you look at assists and progressive passing numbers.
“Before you know it, you can build a good picture of what a player is about with what raw data tells you.”
One of the most important changes to the club’s approach is ensuring the recruitment process is a collaborative effort between all the coaching and recruitment staff. The head coach will still have the final say, but he will be taking little bits from everyone along the way.
“It wouldn’t just be me who offers an opinion on potential signings,” explained Artell. “The more trusted, subjective opinions you can get, the less likely you are to have individual biases be a factor.
“Ultimately, I will make the final decision, but I will court opinion from the trusted counsel in the office to pick the right player. We did well with that in January, which, in general, is a tougher window to recruit, so if we can have the same success with the players we bring in this summer, we’ll improve the team.”