How Emenalo's hiring maintains Monaco's modest youth movement
From a distance, reigning Ligue 1 champ Monaco's footballing ethos would appear as opulent as the luxurious surroundings that envelop the Stade Louis II.
Looks can be deceiving, and while Paris Saint-Germain is riding a seemingly endless wave of Qatari money to a fifth French crown in six seasons, Monaco is looking to keep pace using more modest means.
On Monday, the principality lot appointed Michael Emenalo as its new sporting director, and after a decade of running Chelsea's international and domestic scouting network while monitoring the growth of the club's academy, the Nigerian's appointment is the latest step in Monaco's youth-fueled scheme.
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With rules in place that prohibit French clubs from recruiting players younger than 14 from outside of a club's region, Monaco has faced an uphill climb. A sparse population distracted by pristine beaches and an abundance of casinos hasn't helped either, but with time, Les Monegasgues have built an accomplished academy. The youth set-up, La Turbie, has seen the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Nicolas N'Koulou, Stephane Ruffier, Nampalys Mendy, and Layvin Kurzawa use it as a stepping stone to senior football. Before them, it was Thierry Henry, Emmanuel Petit, and Lilian Thuram, forging a tradition of emerging stars plying their trades in Monaco's academy before securing high-profile moves abroad.
Monaco's emphasis on youth development prompted the signing of celebrated former PSG academy director Bertrand Reuzeau last June after 11 years in the capital. With Reuzeau, Monaco has begun to compile data on players using a broad structure of scouting and coaching where specialisation and technical diversity is at the forefront of the club's desires. Reuzeau also values feedback from players.
"Clubs all have similar data on their players, but we try to differentiate ourselves in the way we present it to players," Reuzeau said. "Our academy graduates provide feedback on their training loads."
Emenalo's appointment and his astute knowledge of the loan system and a continent-wide scouting network will only assist this process.
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The emergence of Monaco's academy has been the perfect complement to Les Monegasques' vice president and chief executive officer Vadim Vasilyev's resourceful transfer policies. With a slew of young players finding form under Leonardo Jardim, Monaco has been selling its stars for massive profits while replacing them with modest moves. It all started in 2014 when Vasilyev slashed Monaco's transfer budget. Anthony Martial, Geoffrey Kondogbia, and James Rodriguez were subsequently sold for significant proceeds, and the trend continued this past summer.
Benjamin Mendy and Bernardo Silva were sold to Manchester City for a total of €107.5 million, a €78.75-million profit from the respective fees paid to Marseille and Benfica. Brazilian full-back Jorge and free transfer Rachid Ghezzal were brought in as inexpensive replacements while Rony Lopes returned from a loan spell at Lille. Tiemoue Bakayoko, Allan Saint-Maximin, and Valere Germain were also sold for close to €60 million, and Monaco is set to receive a reported €145 million plus an additional €35 million for performance-related bonuses once Mbappe's Financial Fair Play skirting loan move ends in June. Highly-touted youngsters like Keita Balde, Youri Tielemans, Jordy Gaspar, Adama Diakhaby and Jordi Mboula have been brought in for modest fees, and with it, Jardim has a squad rife with emerging talent set for stardom with a melange of veteran cornerstones like Kamil Glik and Radamel Falcao.
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It will ultimately be up to Vasilyev whether this young core is offloaded for further profits or if they form the foundations of a perennial contender. Either way, Monaco's approach has an eye on both the present and the future, and when competing with PSG's blank-cheque-boosted procedures, it's a prudent means of remaining relevant.
When PSG topped Monaco 2-1 on Sunday at the Stade Louis II to create a nine-point gap, the principality side symbolically handed its Ligue 1 title back to the capital club. One season does not define an era, and while Monaco may have conceded this campaign to its rival to the north, Les Monegasques are creating a system for perennial success to challenge its well-heeled nemesis.
From the sounds of it, Emenalo has underwritten this mentality and is ready to sustain it, saying "AS Monaco has shown a great evolution in the past few seasons and I am convinced that the club will keep being successful."
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)