The Part of Recruitment You Can’t Measure

You can watch every match. You can run every data model. You can even cross-check video from five different angles.

But you still won’t know what kind of person you’re signing until they're inside the building.

This is the reality when it comes to transfers.

Data tells you who they are on the pitch.

But character tells you who they’ll be when it gets hard.

And that part? That’s not in the spreadsheet.

The hardest part of recruitment isn’t identifying talent. It’s figuring out whether that talent will actually work in your environment. Because football isn’t just played on the grass.

It’s lived in the gym, the training ground, the hotel room, the WhatsApp chat.

And when things go wrong, and they will (at times), that’s when character either carries a player or caves them in.

What you can do

You can’t know everything.

But there are various precautions, checks and due diligence that you can do. If you're working as an analyst or scout in recruitment, then this is likely part of your job. 

Here’s what you can do to check a player's character:

Watch them in different contexts
Don’t just study highlights.
Watch when they’re losing. When they’re down to 10. When a ref gives a bad decision. Watch what they do after losing the ball.
The reaction tells you more than the action.

Pull on your network
If you’ve got direct contacts who’ve worked with them, message them.
But don’t stop there. Reach out to former teammates or coaches. Platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram can open that door.
One message can save an expensive mistake.

Get multiple references
And make sure they’re not all from the same circle.
If you get three glowing reviews, great. If one of them says something different, pay attention.
Consistency across sources is a character signal in itself.

Use their online footprint
Scroll their socials.
You’ll pick up more than you think. What they post, how they speak, who they follow. No single post matters, but the pattern does.

This takes time. It’s messy. It's quite frankly boring at times. But it’s better than gambling on a player whose stats are perfect but whose attitude cracks under pressure.

Where clubs go wrong

Too many processes skip this step.

They delegate it. Or they guess. 

Often, someone picks up the phone and calls a mate who used to be at the same club. They ask, “What’s he like?” and get a glowing review. But that reference might come from someone who has a close relationship with the player, or who doesn’t want to burn a bridge.

It’s not always dishonest. But it’s rarely objective.

That’s how you end up signing someone who looks ideal and then derails your dressing room by Christmas.

Recruitment isn’t just about who they are. It’s about who they’ll be when things get uncomfortable.

And that’s not something you can automate.

The shift in mindset

Modern scouting is more efficient than ever.

Clips are clearer. Data is deeper. Access is easier.

But some of the most important work still happens manually.

It comes from using your network properly.

Messaging people directly.

Chasing down references.

Spending time on the phone or face-to-face to find out things that don’t show up on Wyscout or Instagram.

You’re not just scouting players. You’re scouting people.

And character? That still the most important attribute in a player.