Striking gold: Peterborough's latest wave of forwards has scouts flocking

28 November 2019 10:41
Club with knack for spotting talent have England’s most prolific strikeforce in Ivan Toney, Mohamed Eisa and Marcus Maddison“We’ve probably got the greatest scout in the country in our chairman, Darragh MacAnthony,” says Barry Fry, the Peterborough United director of football. Fry’s trademark booming laugh follows but, while there is a hint of hyperbole, part of him is not joking; it is impossible to ignore the League One club’s track record when it comes to recruitment. MacAnthony and Fry have a penchant for polishing a rough diamond or two, particularly strikers and, since selling Aaron McLean, now the first-team coach, nine years ago they have sold more than £40m-worth of players, including Britt Assombalonga, Dwight Gayle and Jack Marriott.Twenty-goal-a-season strikers are priceless commodities but Peterborough have made unearthing them look easy. Between MacAnthony, an Irish multimillionaire property investor, Fry and Darren Ferguson, in his third spell as manager after returning in January, they scour the leagues for talent. MacAnthony, who became the Football League’s youngest chairman in 2007 at the age of 30, is based in Florida but watches endless footage on Wyscout, bringing names to the attention of Fry and Ferguson, who search for “flawed geniuses” to coach and improve, usually for a healthy profit. MacAnthony says Brentford, Barnsley and Preston have followed their recruitment model. “Because of our reputation, there’s 20 scouts in our directors’ box every week,” Fry says. “If you’re good enough, you’ll get spotted, that’s for sure.” Related: Championship: West Brom back on top and lowly Middlesbrough get rare win Continue readingreadfullarticle

Source: TheGuardian