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Modern football has seen the emergence and the rising importance of sporting directors. Mostly responsible for player recruitment and sales, sporting directors are key personnel in the running of clubs, especially in recent times.
More and more clubs across Europe now prefer to have a sporting director at the helm, taking care of transfers rather than placing that burden on the manager. Sporting directors are expected to work closely with their managers and identify the players best suited for their teams.
On that note, let's take a look at the five best sporting directors in football at the moment.
#5 Marina Granovskaia (Chelsea)
Chelsea's transfer policy in recent years has been highly appreciated, and much of that is down to their sporting director Marina Granovskaia.
Dubbed the 'Iron Lady', Granovskaia runs a tight ship at Chelsea, whose owner Roman Abramovich doesn't hesitate to spend big in order to sign the best players. Yet under Granovskaia, there is a rhythm to the chaos. Chelsea have been shrewd in the transfer market of late, and most of their acquisitions have proved to be worth the money.
Apart from signing new players, Granovskaia deserves praise for moving players on for a good transfer fee. Brazilian midfielder Oscar cost Shanghai Port £54 million in 2017, while the likes of Alvaro Morata, Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa have been sold for big money as well.
Chelsea's transfer window last summer was scrutinised heavily. They spent in excess of £200 million to sign players like Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech. Granovskaia was involved in much of the transfer activity, so Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel will rely on her to produce another excellent transfer business once again this summer.
#4 Ralf Rangnick (unemployed)
The Red Bull group of clubs have enjoyed a tremendous rise in recent times, especially Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig. Ralf Rangnick has arguably been the most important person responsible for their transformation.
The 62-year-old, who is regarded as one of the key figures in the game, has heavily influenced many modern coaches. Rangnick has played a role in the development of Thomas Tuchel, Jurgen Klopp and Julian Nagelsmann, among others.
The German enjoyed coaching stints with Stuttgart, Hannover, Schalke and Hoffenheim before joining RB Leipzig as their manager in 2015.
Red Bull's deep pockets combined with Rangnick's ability to identify talent proved to be a potent combination as the veteran became the head of sport and development at Red Bull GmbH.
The likes of Timo Werner, Naby Keita, Dayot Upamecano and Emil Forsberg were all signed after Rangnick's approval. He left his role at Red Bull in 2020 and has since been linked with clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan and Manchester United.
Also Read: UEFA Euro 2020: 5 biggest stars left out of Spain's squad.
#3 Michael Zorc (Borussia Dortmund)
Borussia Dortmund's ability to sign talented young players has been well-documented, thanks to Michael Zorc being at the heart of their transfer business.
The German spent his entire playing career at Borussia Dortmund before becoming the club's sporting director after his retirement. Zorc has signed some of the best young players in the world for Dortmund, including Ousmane Dembele, Jadon Sancho and Erling Braut Haaland in recent years.
Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga twice under the management of Jurgen Klopp, with Zorc playing a key role behind the scenes. The likes of Mats Hummels and Robert Lewandowski were signed by Zorc.
Zorc's ability to sell players for big money has also been appreciated. Dembele, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mario Gotze and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were sold for good prices by Borussia Dortmund.
#2 Michael Edwards (Liverpool)
One of the best teams in Europe, Liverpool have hardly set a foot wrong in recent years in terms of player transfers, thanks to Michael Edwards.
Liverpool's recruitment is heavily influenced by data and analytics, which has helped them sign players like Fabinho, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane over the years. Their acquisition of Andrew Robertson and Georginio Wijnaldum from relegated Premier League teams raised eyebrows, but the two soon became key players at Liverpool.
Edwards is a private figure who prefers his work to speak for itself. Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he enjoys a good relationship with Edwards, and Liverpool's success in recent years is evidence of that.
The Reds have already confirmed their first signing of the summer. RB Leipzig centre-back Ibrahima Konate will join the club in July, and given Edwards' track record, this seems to be another good signing for the deposed champions.
#1 Luis Campos (unemployed)
Luis Campos may not be working for a club right now, but it is hard to imagine that that would remain the case when the 2021-22 season begins.
Lille won the Ligue 1 this season against all odds, but without Campos' signings, that may not have been possible. The Portuguese played a key role in signing players like Sven Botman, Boubakary Soumare, Jonathan David and Renato Sanches, young players who played key roles in Lille's unexpected league triumph.
Lille have sold the likes of Nicolas Pepe and Victor Osimhen for big money in recent transfer windows, while the likes of Botman, Soumare and David are likely to gain the newly-crowned champions huge profits as well.
Campos left his job at Lille in 2020. The 56-year old, who was AS Monaco's director of football from 2013 to 2016, has been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
Also Read: UEFA Euro 2020: 5 biggest stars left out of England's provisional squad.
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