Gerard Houllier is keen to expand Aston Villa's recruitment network and has appointed a new chief scout.
Villa boss keen to cast his net far and wide
Gerard Houllier is keen to expand Aston Villa's recruitment network and has appointed a new chief scout.
Jeff Vetere has been brought in to head up the scouting team, with Villa aware of the growing importance placed on identifying the best available talent both at home and abroad.
Vetere, who has previously worked with Newcastle and Real Madrid, and speaks seven languages, will be charged with the task of unearthing hidden gems and reporting his findings back to Houllier.
"We need to have a structure and somebody who has got a network," explained the Villa boss.
"It is good to have someone who knows that 'this one is at the end of his contract' or 'this one is available' or 'we should have a look at this one'.
"Some other clubs are far more equipped in terms of personnel for that."
Expensive
With the cost of buying British spiralling out of control, Houllier feels it is important that Villa cast their net further afield in order to ensure that they do not miss out on any potential bargains.
"Initially I prefer to have English players, but English players are usually more expensive than the rest," he said.
"If you look at teams like Bolton and Blackburn, they have players from everywhere in the world now so you need to have networks practically in all continents."
On the qualities Vetere will bring to his new role, Houllier added: "He knows football inside out, he's got a lot of people and a good network.
"He can speak seven languages and now you need to have scouts that can travel. He will work closely to me.
"A lot of the people I interviewed were good, but the little details made all the difference."
