Welcome to issue #011 of Contemporary Football, your inside look at how the game really works behind the scenes.
Monday to Friday, you’ll uncover a new perspective on football business, and sometimes a deeper story that sharpens your thinking and gives you an edge in the beautiful game.
If you need support on your football journey, just write me.
Hey everyone,
Hope you had a great weekend.
Every year, several clubs repeat the same mistake.
They sign players they don’t really understand.
And then everyone acts surprised when the transfer doesn’t work.
Warren Buffett has a line I love:
“Don’t buy a business you don’t understand.”
In football, the rule is the same.
Don’t sign a player you don’t understand.
Why this matters
Sometimes, clubs still make decisions because:
A few clips look amazing
Someone influential whispers “he’s one for the future”
The market gets hot
Everyone else seems interested in the player
It’s late August, and the team feels incomplete to the coach
But if you don’t know why he’s good, where he’s good, and for whom he’s good…
You’re not investing.
You’re guessing.
And guessing is where clubs quietly lose money.
Four examples everyone knows
Football is full of players who were “not good enough” in the wrong context…
and world-class in the right one.
Mohamed Salah
Not convincing at Chelsea.
Perfect at Roma.
A phenomenon at Liverpool.
Kevin De Bruyne
Barely used at Chelsea.
Superstar at Wolfsburg.
Generational at Man City.
Serge Gnabry
Failed at Arsenal, invisible at West Brom (only 1 goal in Premier).
Exploded at Werder Bremen.
Became elite at Bayern.
Victor Osimhen
Underwhelming at Wolfsburg (zero goals!).
Powerful at Lille.
A star at Napoli.
Same players.
Different clubs.
Different understanding.
These aren’t “flops turned good.”
These are players who landed in a system that actually understood them.
The simple rule you can use
If you can’t explain in one minute:
what makes the player valuable
how he fits your team
where he improves you right now
and what his realistic resale range is…
…you shouldn’t sign him.
Transfers aren’t magic.
They’re decisions.
And good decisions come from clarity, not hope
Here’s the free 40-page guide I wrote on player trading, in case this week you want to dive deeper into the topic.
See you tomorrow,
Federico