CRYSTAL PALACE Recruitment Manager Omar Yabroudi, once described as the richest scout in the world, has returned home to Dubai to join the UAE Football Association.

BREXIT has shut the door to English football for a lot of European players, but it has also opened one for the rest of the world. Dan Altman, founder of smarterscout, explains how clubs can properly evaluate players from far-flung leagues.

THE Football Association has started the process of replacing Head of Performance Insights Kate Baker, who left the organisation in February to join UK Sport.

SUNDERLAND have made two major hires, with James Young appointed Head of Data and Analysis and Stuart Harvey as Head of Recruitment.

MONACO have made another major off-field hire as they continue to pursue the “Red Bull model of success.”

A PLAYER'S position only tells us so much about them - as a comparison of Roberto Firmino and Robert Lewandowski shows. Paul Power of Stats Perform explains how we can carry out some more sophisticated analysis of a player.

EVERTON have revamped their analysis department, with Paul Graley moving into a new Head of Performance Insights role at the club.

LAST summer Arsenal made their senior scouts redundant and announced a more video and data-driven approach. Now those changes are starting to take effect.

A PhD in computational astrophysics, developing trading systems for a £30bn hedge fund and policy advisor for the British government: not your typical CV for a member of backroom staff. However, these are just some of the credentials of Laurie Shaw, who has been appointed Lead AI Scientist by Manchester City.

SAM STANTON, who was Head of Analysis at Bristol City for seven years, has joined the new Player Insights team at Southampton.

SOUTHAMPTON'S Lead Data Scientist, Alex Kleyn, explains how the club use data to ensure the new B team is tactically aligned with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first team.

FORMER Manchester United player and coach Tony Coton has returned to the club after 12 years to become Chief Goalkeeping Scout.