Ralf Rangnick would want to bring his own sporting director to AC Milan, and one name stands out above other candidates: Johannes Spors.
La Gazzetta dello Sport recall that Spors has a past at Genoa, where he was known as being a ‘cold’ character. He was the transfer market man for Genoa’s former American owners for roughly seven months, and Rangnick would like him back in Italy despite the fact he is currently at Southampton.
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Spors hails from Heidelberg, the university cradle of statistics and mathematical studies in Germany. However, he deserves credit for being a pioneer in the traditional approach to studying player profiles, having already used data and analysis to identify players when he was at Hoffenheim 15 years ago.
He arrived in Genoa just under five years ago, in the fall of 2021. Spors was brought by the Grifone’s new American owners, the (since collapsed) 777 Partners fund, which narrowly avoided relegating Genoa.
A tough job
Genoa were seriously ill when Spors arrived. He joined them on the night of the derby loss at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, with an oversized squad of 35 players and low morale. The January transfer window was looming, seen as a key turning point for the club’s recovery.
Spors’ approach to scouting for talent – borrowed from Rangnick (now everything makes sense) – is a new one, using virtual transfer platforms, players studied through data analysis, and the eye of someone who doesn’t get fooled.
Spors was seen very little in Genoa during his seven-month tenure. The transfer window was managed remotely, with the sporting director working from home, not so much out of disrespect for Genoa, but rather because he travels a lot around Europe.
Then, the following summer, with the arrival of a new sporting director in Genoa (Marco Ottolini) and Spors’ promotion to head scouting for the entire 777 football network, the German’s separation from Italy was effectively consummated.
Yet in those months, at the bedside of an ailing Genoa, he had thought big. From Vecino to Miranchuk, from Castillejo to Strand Larsen, right up to the novel formula chosen for Piccoli’s loan transfer from Gasperini’s Atalanta (the more he plays, the less he costs Genoa).
Spors is someone who had a far-sighted mind, because he was responsible for the first arrival of Ostigard, who – after his tour of Europe – was bought out last year by the Rossoblu for €2.5m. Today, he’s worth over €20m.
Beyond signings
He thinks big when it comes to coaches, too. After Shevchenko was sacked he unsuccessfully attempted to hire former Roma boss Rudi Garcia, followed by Pal Dardai of Hertha Berlin, and then Bruno Labbadia who has links to the Red Bull sporting galaxy.
Genoa welcomed Alexander Blessin in the end, the former German insurance agent, another with Red Bull genes. He has a long track record in the Leipzig youth system and is an indirect pupil of Rangnick.
Spors that had also affected other areas of the club, including nutrition and the psychological approach to the team’s commitment to competitive play.
However, his promotion to Group Sporting Director for all the clubs in the former 777 group had severed his relationship with the Grifone, before the Americans’ default definitively decreed the end of the adventure.
