Organized by FootEx, Powered by Comparisonator and Supported by The Book of Scouting, Football Conference Istanbul will take place on 26–27 September 2026 at Fairmont Quasar Istanbul | Luna Ballroom, bringing together leading professionals from across international football.
Under the theme BEYOND 90 MINUTES, the conference will explore the decisions, structures and technologies shaping the modern game.
The transfer market is changing. Clubs are under increasing pressure to identify the right players earlier, move efficiently and find value before the wider market reacts.
So where will the next opportunities come from?
The Next Transfer Market: Where Will Clubs Find Value?
27 September | 13:00–13:45 | Session 7
Finding value in the transfer market is no longer only about discovering an unknown player.
Clubs must understand performance, context, squad needs, market timing and future potential while also evaluating whether a player can adapt to a new sporting environment.
Which leagues and markets may offer the next opportunities? How can clubs identify undervalued players before their market value rises? And how should traditional scouting, data and football experience work together when evaluating transfer targets?
These questions are becoming increasingly important as recruitment departments operate across a more global and competitive market.
This session brings together perspectives from scouting, recruitment, elite first-team environments and football intelligence to explore how clubs can identify value and make better transfer decisions.
Riccardo Polacco — Chief Scout, Olympique de Marseille
Riccardo Polacco is Chief Scout at Olympique de Marseille and an experienced professional in international scouting, recruitment and player evaluation.
His approach combines traditional football observation with data and modern analytical methods to support player identification and recruitment decisions. Polacco is also a contributor to The Book of Scouting – Volume One, where he shares his perspective on the evolution of scouting and the growing importance of combining football knowledge with data and emerging technologies.
Barry Simmonds — Former Sports Director, Crystal Palace & Fulham
Barry Simmonds is an experienced football executive and recruitment specialist with senior experience in English professional football.
His career has included leadership responsibilities at Crystal Palace and Fulham, giving him extensive experience in player identification, recruitment strategy, squad planning and transfer decision-making. Simmonds is also a contributor to The Book of Scouting – Volume One, bringing his perspective on modern recruitment and the importance of combining experienced human judgement with reliable evidence and data.
Matteo Fabris — Team Manager, Juventus
Matteo Fabris is Team Manager at Juventus and an experienced football professional with a long-standing career inside one of Europe’s leading clubs.
His work provides him with extensive experience in the operational environment surrounding an elite first team, including coordination between players, coaching staff and the wider football organisation. His perspective adds an important dimension to the discussion around how transfer decisions connect with player integration and the demands of a top-level football environment.
Moderated by Tarkan Batgun
The session will be moderated by Tarkan Batgun — CEO of Comparisonator and Author of The Book of Scouting.
His work focuses on the intersection of football scouting, recruitment, data and artificial intelligence. Through Comparisonator, he works with professional football organisations around the world to support player evaluation and transfer decision-making.
His book, The Book of Scouting – Volume One: From Intuition to Evidence, brings together perspectives from Sporting Directors, Chief Scouts, coaches, agents, analysts and executives to examine how human judgement, live scouting, video, data and AI can work together in modern recruitment.
Together, the panel will explore where the next transfer opportunities may come from and how clubs can identify value before the market fully recognises it.
Because successful recruitment is not only about finding good players.
It is about finding the right player, in the right market, at the right moment.
That conversation continues with The Next Transfer Market: Where Will Clubs Find Value?
Football Conference Istanbul by FootEx
26–27 September 2026
Fairmont Quasar Istanbul | Luna Ballroom
BEYOND 90 MINUTES
