Neil Dewsnip on the Recruitment Process
Argyle Director of Football Neil Dewsnip has explained some of the processes that went into The Pilgrims’ summer recruitment.
During the close season, seven players joined Argyle – two permanently, five on loan deals – with Dewsnip declaring himself very pleased with all of the acquisitions.
The most recent, Sam Cosgrove, scored twice on this debut on Saturday, helping Argyle to a come-from-behind 3-2 victory at Derby County. The other goalscorer at Pride Park was Morgan Whittaker, another attacking loanee, scoring his second goal of the season.
Attacking midfielder Finn Azaz has three goals to his name; Bali Mumba has captured the imagination with a series of energetic wing-back displays; Matt Butcher has added some depth, versatility and steel to the Argyle midfield; and Nigel Lonwijk has slotted nicely into the Pilgrims’ back-line.
Only wing-back Mickel Miller is yet to feature in first-team action, because of injury. Before that, he was possibly as eye-catching as anyone in pre-season.
Speaking to Charlie Price on the latest episode of the Argyle Podcast, Dewsnip spoke at length about the recruitment setup within the club, identification of players and much more.
“We planned very early,” said Neil, speaking about Argyle’s summer business. “We knew who our targets were. Some were to be signed, some we knew that it would be fantastic if we could get them, but their parents clubs were unlikely, because of their age and, quite frankly, their talent, to consider selling them at this stage.
“Loans are a way of maintaining and increasing the standard of the squad for a smaller outlay, but there is the caveat that they are not ours.
“We have a budget which [Argyle CEO] Andrew Parkinson makes sure we work within. In the four years I have been here we have never gone outside the budget. If we wanted to go out and buy seven players, our budget is not going to cover that. It’s not just about signing them, but the wages too, of course.
“The key is the planning process, and it isn’t done in one morning and then we forget about it. It is an ongoing discussion. It is a top table of Steven [Schumacher], myself, Andrew, Zac [Newton, Club Secretary] and now Jimmy Dickinson, who has recently been appointed as Head of Recruitment, who will greatly assist in the process and make us more efficient.
“We also deal with a data analytical company who play a really important role. We have just taken on a Head of Football Data, Ross Goodwin, who will, as time goes on, play an important role in our recruitment process.
“There are a lot of key people, a lot of meetings and ongoing discussion for us to get to the plan that we think is the best plan to take Argyle forward. It must take us forward. We have a clear vision of getting to the Championship, so we need to take on players who will help us go forward on the journey, not keep us in the same place.
“All the players who have come in, in our opinion, can help us on that journey.”
Listen to the full episode of the Argyle Podcast via pafc.co.uk by clicking here. Alternatively, it is available via all podcast outlets, including Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon.
