WE’LL USE DATA TO HELP FIND RECRUITS
ARTELL EXPLAINS GRIMSBY’S SUMMER TRANSFER POLICY
DAVID Artell says the metrics Grimsby Town have at their disposal will help them find the diamonds in the rough this summer as the club take on their massive transfer task. The Mariners will need to recruit upwards of 10 players having let go of 11 out-of-contract players at the end of the season, with potentially one or two more heading out of the door.
However, Town will be focusing on quality over quantity, hoping they can convince enough to make the move and avoid getting into a desperate situation near the end of the window.
The club got their recruitment wrong last summer, and it stopped them from having the season they hoped for, but with everyone now aligned on the approach moving forward there is greater confidence things will go differently this time around.
Artell has data on potential targets being provided to him by the club, which will better inform his decision-making, and the Mariners boss recently explained how the numbers combine with his perspective to make the right decision. He said: “There is much more depth to data now, which tells us certain things, and there are certain metrics we can use to establish whether a player would fit into our game model and has something that we’re currently missing.
“As a coach, I’m not going to say I have all the answers regarding new players because I don’t. However, if I can use the data that we have access to and find undervalued talent that fits our model, then we’re going to be on to a winner.
“Will that all come together this summer? That is a proper challenge because we’ve got a lot of recruiting to do given how many we’ve let go, and we didn’t want to have to bring in any more than we already have to because it’s a lot.
“There is subjective opinion and objective data, and one is not more important than the other, so we have to balance out the two and make sure we get to the right answer.” Grimsby should have no issue identifying the right players for their chosen game model – the biggest challenge is convincing their top targets to join the club considering all the different factors that go into a transfer. That is why they may have to look slightly left-field for players who might not be the finished article but Artell can develop over time.
Additionally, the sales pitch will need to be refreshed to fit the club’s altered direction as Artell looks to shift the team towards his preferred play style.
“There are loads of factors to consider [when signing a player], and some of them are not footballrelated, which sometimes takes it out of our control. That’s the tough part of it because you have to find situations that work for all parties.
“You’ve got to try and sell the football club in a competitive market and that is why you have to think outside the box sometimes and find players by leaning on data that you truly believe in.”