Football clubs are in for a tough summer in the transfer market with the coronavirus crisis expected to prevent scouts from travelling to watch some of the best emerging talents across the globe.
Football Agent at Roc Nation Sports in London (Jay Z's Company) Sam Stapleton believes the coronavirus crisis could result in clubs struggling to identify players they want to sign.
He said: 'Game postponements, fixtures behind closed doors, and travel bans are all obstacles that scouts will be looking to navigate in light of the recent virus outbreak.
'The better prepared clubs will have carried out a lot of live player scouting at this point in the season so will simply shift their attention to analysing games and performance via video, should fixtures continue. For those less prepared, being faced with a new recruitment prospect could be challenging to say the least, as watching a talent perform live is a major driver of making any type of approach. It's near impossible to effectively analyse physicality, attitude, off-the-ball movement and temperament from video footage.
'UEFA Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics would have been identified as key scouting opportunities this year. There is a possibility that both could be postponed or even cancelled. What effect will this lack of global tournament have on a talent's value potential if they aren't offered a platform to perform against the world's best? Seasons are coming to a close, some without warning, and there is only a handful of games left to play in South America. Teams now risk sending scouts out to recruit with haste, without any guarantee that they will be allowed back in to the country.
'Clubs have a duty of care to scouts, who work tirelessly for the success of their employers, so sending them to countries recording high volumes of virus-related cases would be wrong. The inability to strategise could stunt progress significantly - no one is in a position to forecast when this pandemic could be under control. Instat and Wyscout could be the only parties benefitting from obstacles facing the scouting system, given scouts will be looking for in-depth data to support any form of recruitment or approach.
'Could the fee tabled for a player be reduced on the basis that the club has been unable to analyse ability first hand? Will players see risk management clauses incorporated into paperwork? Negotiation preference for any club is face-to-face, at the moment the only option is telephone or video conferencing. If market values drop, if broadcasting fees aren't paid, will owners look to reduce budgets dedicated to squad build, to balance the books? Only time will tell.
'We experienced a deal falling through due to the virus outbreak in China during the winter window. You wake up faced with a future hazed by an uncertainty that wasn't apparent when you closed your eyes the night before. I thought I had seen everything in football. Clubs and the sports industry as a whole need to adapt in the best way they can to sustain their business.
'I can't stress enough that the priority here has to be the safety and wellbeing of society. Our love of sport as a nation has to be secondary to any decision that is made moving forward.'