Knowing who's available and when

Clubs in Israel are allowed only six foreign players in their squads, meaning that for Gal Sternberg Fish, Maccabi Haifa’s Director of Data & Technology who works both on scouting and performance, and Chief Scout Izhar Kishon (pictured), recruitment is a constant puzzle.

After all, when you want to improve your squad it can be challenging to find the right player and to know whether he is available. You’re often constrained by your own network and have limited access to reliable information in the market. 

It is a pain point shared by many clubs. But for Maccabi Haifa, that pain is heightened by the fact they have to sell to buy. They must offload a foreign player before they can bring a new one in.

TransferRoom provides them with a vital overview of the requirements of clubs worldwide on a daily basis while they assess their options.

React quickly to market opportunities

Kishon says: “If you understand that your ‘position X’ is not good enough to be filled by two Israelis, so you’ve decided you have to go with a foreign player, then you have to release one of the other foreign players.

“Our recruitment process is to be very active with our eyes, fed by data, and then use our network to increase our knowledge.

“I use TransferRoom a lot to build up my knowledge of what is happening in the market, to see what clubs are looking for and, just as importantly, what they don’t need any more. That way we know who and when to pitch.”

And that was the case when Maccabi pitched midfielder Saikou Touray on TransferRoom. 

The club made the Gambian international available to buy and a transfer to Grenoble Foot 38 was eventually agreed, freeing up a vital international slot at the club.

Fish explains: “It’s like a puzzle. We know what we have, we know the Israeli and foreign players we have, and we know the Israeli market. It’s about piecing together all the different parts.”