Former Tottenham Director of Football Damien Comolli has said that the club has to force former coach Harry Redknapp to play £85m Gareth Bale on the left-wing. The club eventually managed to persuade the Englishman using data that suggested that Bale would be a great success playing out wide and more advanced.
He has claimed that the current QPR boss was looking to sell the Welshman to Birmingham for a mere fraction of the price that Daniel Levy got for the winger after being unimpressed with his performances at left-back.
Comoli has also said that data plays a big part in who Tottenham target, with Rafael Van Der Vaart being one of the successes of the technology. The data is also apparently used for team selection, as well as being used in transfer windows to determine the main transfer targets of the club. If this is the technology still being used, is it time for a change in that department.
“I’ve got to say, I’ve been working with data since 2005 or 2006 in terms of recruitment.
“We did it at Spurs. We used data in terms of team selection.”
“Spurs actually told Harry Redknapp where to play Gareth Bale, because he wanted to get rid of him.”
Data was showing Bale would be an outstanding left winger when they were playing him at left-back.”
“Spurs have never come out publicly saying it, but I am saying it because I don’t work at the club anymore.
“Spurs had the choice between signing Van der Vaart and another player, and Daniel Levy said we are going for Van der Vaart because data is telling us to.
“I won’t mention the other player who did nothing after that but Van der Vaart had a great two or three years at Spurs.”
