MOST Premier League clubs now have a Sporting Director or equivalent. What do they do? And what makes a good one? David Slemen, founder of Elite Performance Partners, explains.

FIVE key roles are are having a transformational effect on high-performance teams.

AS many as seven Academy products could feature for Colchester in their League Two play-off semi-final against Exeter tonight. Academy Recruitment Officer Sam Thompson outlines how the club identifies and develops players in a highly competitive catchment.

PAUL MITCHELL, who has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, has been appointed Sporting Director of AS Monaco.

THE third and final stage of Project Restart gets underway tomorrow, with Aston Villa taking on Sheffield United to mark the return of Premier League action after the coronavirus pandemic.

DAMIAN RODEN has been appointed Director of Performance at Anderlecht, where he will be reunited with manager Vincent Kompany.

LIVERPOOL Director of Research Ian Graham says that although manager Jürgen Klopp “intuitively understands the numbers”, he does not have "day-to-day or week-to-week" contact with the club's data team.

MANCHESTER UNITED Academy Manager Nick Cox lays out the key tenets of the club's youth programme, including the belief that there is a higher purpose than just producing professional footballers.

DAVID WEBB shares lessons from two decades in recruitment - including the story of how he discovered Wilfred Zaha for Crystal Palace.

MANCHESTER CITY have appointed Juan Manuel Lillo - described by Pep Guardiola as “the best coach I ever had” - as the club’s new assistant manager.

BURNLEY have appointed 29-year-old German Fabian Otte as assistant goalkeeper coach to act as a link between the Academy and first team.

STUDENTSHIPS are becoming increasingly popular in pro football. Sofie Kent-Ryan reflects on her experiences with a Category One Academy and offers advice to those following in her footsteps.