Barcelona director doubles down on emerging talent strategy with new staff appointment | OneFootball

Barcelona sporting director Deco continues to reshape the club’s recruitment structure, with a growing emphasis on identifying and signing the game’s brightest young prospects.

While much of the attention this summer has focused on reinforcements for Hansi Flick’s first team and Juliano Belletti’s Barça Atletic, the club is also investing behind the scenes to strengthen its long-term scouting network.

Daniele Placido joins Barcelona

Barcelona have appointed Daniele Placido as the club’s new Head of Emerging Talent, reports SPORT.

Placido arrives after serving as sporting director and head of international scouting at Italian side Modena and confirmed his move through his own social media channels.

Deco shaping the future of Barcelona’s recruitment strategy (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

His appointment reflects Barcelona’s determination to become one of Europe’s leading clubs in the recruitment of elite young players before they become established stars.

Focus on future stars

According to club sources, the Emerging Talent department will oversee players ranging from those eligible to sign their first professional contracts at 16 years old through to footballers aged 21, who are approaching first-team level.

The objective is to identify and secure top prospects before competition from Europe’s biggest clubs intensifies.

Placido brings significant experience in youth development and talent identification. Before joining Modena, he was responsible for AS Roma’s academy structure, where he oversaw youth football and built a reputation for spotting emerging players.

During that period, he also established contacts with Barcelona, relationships that have now resulted in his move to the Catalan club.

More changes expected

Placido’s appointment is one of the many changes Deco has planned. (Photo by Friedemann Vogel/Getty Images)

Barcelona expect further additions to the sporting department in the coming weeks as Deco continues to expand the club’s recruitment operation.

The overall scouting structure remains under the direction of Joao Amaral, who leads Barcelona’s global scouting network.

The ambition is to build one of football’s most comprehensive systems for monitoring the world’s top young prospects.

Barcelona’s recent recruitment strategy has already demonstrated this approach. Over the past two seasons, the club hves invested heavily in identifying and signing promising young players, including several emerging talents from Africa.

The appointment of Placido is intended to strengthen that strategy even further.

As Head of Emerging Talent, he will coordinate what is increasingly viewed as one of the most important departments within Barcelona’s sporting structure, helping ensure the club remains at the forefront of discovering the next generation of elite footballers.