Such is the need always to be ahead of the game, scouting in the football industry is a non-stop business.
Scouts from clubs up and down the country are regularly at games across Europe, hoping to spot the next big talent or keep an eye on a player they think might do a job.
Spain has been a regular hunting ground for many years and last week was no different as far as Norwich City, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur were concerned.
According to Fussballeck, all three clubs took in Osasuna vs Real Betis at El Sadar on Friday night, something the outlet knows because Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt were there as well.
Now there’s no mention of who those clubs were there to have a look at, perhaps they weren’t scouting anyone in particular, but it’s easy to guess.
Tottenham would be interested in Nabil Fekir, they’ve been linked to the Frenchman in the past, and it would make sense for them to check on him given Christian Eriksen’s contract situation.
Likewise, Aïssa Mandi is a player who they’ve been linked to before and would be a suitable replacement for Toby Alderweireld or Jan Vertonghen in the near future.
Southampton and Norwich are a little more tricky. The Saints were linked with Zouhair Feddal back in 2017, but that interest was because Mauricio Pellegrino wanted the player and he’s long since departed the club.
The Saints could also do with adding a right-winger to the squad given it’s currently full with players for the left-wing, but who they’d be looking at in these two squads is hard to work out.
Norwich City, meanwhile, don’t need any reinforcements at this moment in time, so there’s every chance they were there to see if there were any potential bargains that fit their smart buying strategy.
Either way, we know that Norwich, Southampton and Tottenham were there, so it’s one to keep an eye on for the future.
