a fee, while 86 per cent ofthe
recorded were for playersou
Yet both numbers were aninc
- the latter by 23 per cent– a
rise significantly in 2020.
As ever, though, contextis
world-record move for Wolfs
Harder cost them around£30
while Gauvin landed a four-y
at Everton, FIFA’s reportstate
average deal is closer to 12 m
There is no quick-fix solutio
longer-term commitmentwi
change the game. That’swhy
upwardly-mobile Brighton– c
a £7m training base fortheir
managed by ex-Englandbos
– hired Ronald Thompsonas
dedicated recruitment lead.A
identifying new playersis jug
coaching staff and clubhead
are going about businessdiff
“It’s absolutely a uniquero
forward-thinking of the club,
breaking from a scoutingses
a recent international fixture.
[Tony Bloom] wants the clubtobesuccessful,
and he’s looking for us tobecomea top-four
WSL team. Right now, there are 22 players
on my screen to watch on video today, but
the longlist is long: over 100 names. Hope
doesn’t want a page of 400 players, though
– she wants me to have done the legwork!
You have emerging talent from further afield
these days, such as in South America, as well
as closer to home in Europe. My job is about
doing due diligence and making sure that we
look everywhere possible.”
For example, to land Dutch international
Inessa Kaagman this summer, Thompson
watched the midfielder several times last
season before digging deep with background
research and working the numbers with her
agent. But while that move ended up being
successful, it isn’t always plain sailing. With
rising costs come the increasing prevalence
of intermediaries, not all of whom can be
trusted to act in good faith.
“Yeah, there are a lot of them now,” admits
Thompson. “Some are known and reputable,
but others provoke raised eyebrows when
you mention them to other people. It’s not
too dissimilar to the men’s game, really. The
key difference is that the women’s game is
still young in the professional era, and while
the amount of agents is growing, we’re able
to identify the good ones. The trick is getting
past those who tell you that they represent
someone and actually don’t – they just want
to start a conversation with you about some
other player entirely.”
Professionalism is improving not only on
the pitch, as Manchester City’s Makel says.
“The biggest change is that there’s more
data available now,” he tells FFT. “There’s still
a lack of it in many regards, but if I think back
to five or six years ago, you didn’t know who
was playing where. You didn’t know about
the players in Germany and the Netherlands,
because you couldn’t access that data. The
recruitment drive was basically domestic, but
that’s changed. There’s still a gap in terms of
What’s the story behind your move to City?
I always knew that I wanted to play overseas at some
point; I just didn’t know exactly when. This opportunity
presented itself, and with the uncertainty of everything
that was going on in the US, I really didn’t want to pass
it up, especially as Manchester City is an incredible club.Your early days were spent in a hotel room, though...
I quarantined for two weeks, doing nothing. But I love
doing nothing! Outside of soccer, I love just sitting on
the couch, getting a coffee and reading a book. It was
right up my alley, so I can’t complain. [FFT: Did you
finish Netflix?] I didn’t watch it much! Shocking, I know.You now have several USWNT colleagues with you in
England. Are you all keeping in touch?
It’s very nice! When me and Sam [Mewis, overleaf] were
deciding whether to join Man City, it helped. Obviously
it wasn’t the deciding factor, but it’s so nice to have one
of my best friends here, too. It makes it feel a little more
like home. I think, in future, more US players are just
going to make this decision on an individual basis – it’s
whatever you feel is good for your career. I knew that
I would benefit from experiencing a brand new culture;
something that was going to push me on and make
me uncomfortable. When I get the opportunity to play
against [Alex] Morgan, [Tobin] Heath or [Christen] Press,
it’s going to be so fun. It’ll add a little element of rivalry.
[FFT: Is there a WhatsApp group for the US players here?]
We don’t use WhatsApp! I’m really getting into it now.How has life changed for you since winning the
Women’s World Cup in 2019?
[Pauses, laughs] I don’t really feel like it has! I always
thought that winning the World Cup was a huge life
goal, and that it’d feel like crossing this huge thing off
my list; that I’d feel a little different. But it’s not been
like that. I don’t know why. The thing we always talk
about within the national team is our mentality. The
reality of the US is that we’re very deep for competition,
and when you go into camp, you know you’ll have to
compete for every single chance you get. If you’re not
performing, someone can easily step into your spot. To
see that mentality first-hand – it’s a whole other level.Scoring in the final, then. Just like any other goal?
I was just relieved. The way the game was going, we
kind of had control but it was only 1-0 and anything
could still happen. I felt like once we were able to score
a second, we could buckle down to defend and know
the game was ours. [FFT: How did you celebrate that
night?] It was really fun... I had a lot of fun. [Laughs]Has anyone mentioned beating England in the semis?
No one, yet, except in interviews. It was a great game –
so competitive. We have this little rivalry with England
now, so it’s always a fun game. The atmosphere was
incredible. I think the last 10 minutes were the longest
of my life: when you’re a goal down, time moves at the
speed of light, but when you’re a goal up, it moves at
a glacial pace. It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, just come on...’ManchesterCitywelcomeda 2019WorldCupFinalgoalscorertotheirranks
in the USA’s Rose Lavelle, who found two weeks of quarantine to be bliss...WE HAVE THIS LITTLE RIVALRY
AGAInST EnGLAnD nOW – THAT
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FourFourTwo November 2020 57