Modern football no longer allows decisions to be made on instinct alone. Yet numbers without understanding are equally dangerous.
The Book of Scouting – Volume One is a comprehensive exploration of how professional football clubs evaluate players, build recruitment structures and make decisions in an era where human judgment and artificial intelligence must coexist.
Amazon Order Link:
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0GTLCP8N2
Across more than 500 pages, Tarkan Batgun brings together interviews with leading figures from global football (sporting directors, scouts, coaches, agents, analysts and journalists) alongside structured methodological chapters that dissect the architecture of modern player evaluation. The book introduces a disciplined framework built around four evaluation worlds: live observation, video analysis, data intelligence and contextual understanding. Artificial intelligence is not treated as a replacement for expertise, but as an accelerator that strengthens pattern recognition, risk assessment and long-term planning.
This work moves beyond the superficial question of whether a player is “good.” Instead, it asks where a player functions, what protects their strengths, what exposes their weaknesses and how environment shapes performance over time. Through case studies, decision frameworks and organisational models, the book examines why transfers fail, how roles should be defined before talent is pursued and how structure determines competitive stability.
Designed for scouts, coaches, sporting directors and high-level transfer decision makers, this volume also speaks to football players seeking to understand how they are evaluated, sports university students preparing to enter the professional game and analysts building modern recruitment systems.
But this book is not written only for insiders. It is also written for serious football supporters who want to understand what truly happens behind transfers, squad building and player development. For fans who debate signings, question recruitment decisions and seek deeper clarity beyond headlines, this work opens the door to the strategic thinking that shapes modern football.
Football is not built on moments. It is built on patterns.
Thanks to the World Wide Contributors who participated in this book:
Owners and Executive Leaders
• Andrea Radrizzani — Former Chairman, Leeds United, (Italy)
• Isitan Gun — Former Chairman, Fortuna Sittard, (The Netherlands)
• Matteo Campodonico — Former Co-Founder & CEO, Wyscout, (Italy)
• Philip Jackson — Former Managing Director, Sportstec, (Australia)
Sporting and Football Directors
• Andre Zanotta — Sporting Director, FC Dallas, (USA)
• Barry Simmonds — Sporting Director, (United Kingdom)
• Bruno Costa — Director of International Offices & Relations, CBF, (Brazil)
• Ceyhun Kazanci — CEO, Kasimpasa, (Türkiye)
• Dr. Erkut Sogut — Managing Director, DC United (USA)
• Dr. Mustafa Erogut — Sporting Director, (Türkiye)
• Fuat Capa — Football Director, Yilport Samsunspor (Türkiye)
• Les Reed — Sporting Director, (United Kingdom)
• Nicola Innocentin — Sporting Director, (Italy)
• Steven Vanharen — Sporting Director, ETO Gyor (Hungary)
Chief Scouts
• Dehan Ogetbil — Chief Scout, Beerschot, (Belgium)
• Eduardo Henrique Chavare — Head Scout, Juventude, (Brazil)
• Fernando Matos — Chief Scout, FC Famalicao, (Portugal)
• Jahid Asgarov — Chief Scout, Neftchi Baku, (Azerbaijan)
• Jiro Kitahara — Head of Scouting & Method Director, FC Tokyo, (Japan)
• Riccardo Polacco — Chief Scout, Olympique Marseille, (France)
Coaches
• Marco Pedroso — Assistant Manager, FC Famalicao, (Portugal)
• Jessica Silva — Head Coach, (Canada)
• Peter Cklamovski — Head Coach, Malaysia National Team (Malaysia)
• Rudi Verkempinck — Head Coach, (Belgium)
Player Agents
• Hunor Dudas — Player Agent, (Hungary)
• Mark Coonen — Player Agent, (The Netherlands)
• Omer Koray Uzun — Player Agent, (Türkiye)
International Media
• Christopher Beesley — Liverpool Echo, (United Kingdom)
• David Novo — Record, (Portugal)
• Emanuel Rosu — Guardian & International Media, (Romania)
• Miguel Angel Garcia — Marca, (Spain)
• Vasilis Sambrakos — Sport24, (Greece)
Amazon Order Link:
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0GTLCP8N2
