Wolves talentspotter praised for quality additions

Wolves chief talentspotter today identified one of the club's unsung heroes in recruiting the stars of tomorrow.

Stuart Webber, the man who has led a transformation of Wolves' scouting operation, believes his academy counterpart Kieran Scott is the key component who could end up saving the club a fortune in years to come.

The process has already begun to bear fruit, with the £200,000 acquisition of Lee Evans from Newport County in January 2013 now looking like a bargain with the 19-year-old having made 26 appearances last season.

Other similar-aged signings have been snapped up such as Eusbeio Bancessi, Carlo Erdei, Albert Torras and Bradley Reid last August and Kortney Hause from Wycombe in January.

"Kieran's remit is probably more important than mine, in terms of the long-term stability of the club," said Webber, who made his name as Liverpool's academy recruitment director before his appointment at Molineux via QPR in January 2013.

"Kieran has to bring in players to potentially save the club money at the top end, but also players who have come in at such an age that they're part of the club, understand the make-up of it, know the people and care for the club.

"Kieran has done a great job since he came in, as have all the scouts, including the eight part-time scouts who are the unsung heroes really, out and about every weekend and midweek watching games and watching players."

Webber added: "For us as a department probably the pinnacle in terms of what people see is who we sign for the first team.

"But there is a bigger picture of also filling the Under-21 group up and the 18s and the 16s.

"The ideal situation for us is we don't sign a player at first-team level, he comes up through the academy or Under-21s.

"That's the aim of our model.

"Whether you're the owner or a supporter there's nothing better than seeing one of your own make it and this year has been a proud year in that respect."

Webber revealed that far from being about to hit the beaches at this time of year, Scott's department are entering their most critical period of the year.

"For Kieran and the guys in the academy all the tournaments are starting now and players are out of contract from other clubs who we can start talking to," he said.

"And from our Under-21s group a lot of those lads have gone into the first-team set-up so there's a need to replace those players as well.

"Some of the Under-18s will filter up but we'll also maybe have to add two or three as well."

Webber believes the key to scouting youngsters is often something that's a rare virtue in football – patience.

"Hause who was a great example of good scouting," he said.

"We watched him for the first time on January 3, 2013, and signed him on January 31, 2014.

"There was a full year watching him and following him.

"I remember one night we saw him play in the Carling Cup against Leicester and David Nugent and Chris Wood which was a good test for him.

"And then there was a match at Rochdale when he played at left-back and had a really bad game and was taken off at half-time.

"We had a year to paint a real picture of what he is and hopefully we've signed a very good player for the future.

"Eusebio got close to playing this season which is a good achievement given he is only 18.

"When he arrived last summer he didn't speak English so he's done very well to progress and for the majority of the time has been training with the first team.

"I think he scored 13 goals for the Under-21s from a wide position which is excellent.

"Carlo and Albert are younger than Eusebio and next season they'll be playing in the Under21s a lot more.

"With foreign players you have to be more patient because they need to settle into a new language and culture and play a totally different style of football.

"Those lads have done that quite well and I think it's good to supplement the homegrown players and those we bring in with players from abroad who are different to what we have."

Webber added: "Albert has spent a lot of time training with the first team this year.

"Because he's such a good footballer he can handle it and the first-team players have no problem with passing to him because they know he'll keep it.

"But for him it's a case of getting used to the physical side and the pace of the game which is new to him."

But along with the encouraging recent recruitment of players from abroad, there are other examples closer to home of how being patient has paid off.

"Sometimes you have to take your time with players and Jack Price is a great example," he said.

"He's almost like a foreign player in his style and physique and he's a great example of how a player can develop.

"Leon Osman at Everton was 22 before he really came in and, now he's 33 and has been playing in the Premier League for many years, everyone forgets he came through a bit later.

"That's where I think we do well in giving these boys that bit longer and show that key word which rarely exists in football – patience.

"The coaches here can identify these players and how they develop and are good judges that sometimes they may just need a bit longer.

"The realism is if you want a young midfielder who's physically fantastic, technically fantastic and clever – the truth is unless you're going to spend a hell of a lot of money, you're not getting him.

"So we have to bring in players where we can see a bit more into the future and say 'he's not quite there yet but in a year or two he might be'.

"It's been an exciting year from that point of view."