Tottenham transfer guru Ian Broomfield is the biggest casualty in a cull of recruitment staff as the club move towards a data-driven system talent spotting model.
Mail Sport understands Broomfield, who is widely recognised as one of the best player scouts in domestic football, has been told his services are no longer required at Tottenham.
The 73-year-old has a long history with Spurs, joining the club in 2009 as chief scout under then manager Harry Redknapp and has held various senior recruitment positions with the north London club over two spells a 15 year period. His most recent title was head of scouting.
But Broomfield and at least three other scouts are leaving the club amid a change in direction from Tottenham how they will target new signings.
Johan Lange was appointed the club’s technical director at in October, arriving from Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
Danish administrator Lange is known to be an advocate of a data-driven approach with regards to identifying future targets.
And the club are understood to be modernising their recruitment approach, which will see Broomfield and a number of his colleagues depart.
Intriguingly, there were clues very recently at the club’s Enfield HQ about their move towards a new recruitment approach.
It can be revealed that Michael Edwards, prior to his appointment as chief executive of football for Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group, was at the club’s training facility last month.
Edwards is a non-executive director for Ludonautics, a ‘sports advisory business dedicated to helping sporting organisations improve their decision making capabilities through insightful statistical analysis’, a company helped establish with Ian Graham, Liverpool’s former director of research.
Ludonautics are in the midst of approaching a number of European clubs about implementing their data systems, though there is no confirmation that Edwards’ visit was linked to that.
A Tottenham statement read: ’The review of our football operations continues and involves the restructuring of a number of departments.'