FM21: What Makes a Good Director of Football?

The Director of Football has been part of Football Manager for a few versions now. The role has been fleshed out to incorporate their responsibilities throughout the game. The Director of Football forms part of your Recruitment Team on Football Manager which consists of the staff member responsible for player scouting and contracts.

In days gone by, it used to be that the manager was the supreme leader of a football club. They would be directly involved in almost every aspect of the club, be it training sessions, working on transfers and contracts or laying foundations for the future. The buck stopped with them. The presence of a director of football acts as an intermediary between the manager and the board and may relieve pressure on a manager by handling aspects away from day-to-day coaching, allowing a manager to focus on on-pitch performance. Those who take up roles as directors of football usually have a history in the sport and a wide network of contacts, while others simply have a background in similar administrative roles.

Compared to the Technical Director who has more responsibility regarding staff recruitment, the Director of Football has responsibilities linked to players. If you have the luxury of being able to recruit or your club already has a Technical Director and Director of Football recruited then it is vital that you disseminate their responsibilities in a way that uses the roles to their full effect.

The Director of Football can undertake numerous roles on Football Manager including:

• Recruiting players
• Handling incoming transfer offers
• Negotiating player contracts
• Assigning scouts assignments
• Attending press conferences
• Support with tactical decisions including opposition instructions
• Support with touchline instructions during matches

Understanding staff responsibilities can be difficult if you do not know where to look. In order to assign the Director of Football to the roles that you would like to undertake navigate to the following page on Football Manager:
Staff > Responsibilities

Within the staff responsibilities, if you have a Director of Football recruited you'll be able to assign certain responsibilities.

Historically, the recruitment of a Director of Football and how effective the role is has mixed results. Arguably, the most successful Director of Football is Manchester City's Txiki Begiristain. Begiristain is the man responsible for some great Barcelona signings, including Dani Alves, Rafa Marquez, Yaya Toure and Eric Abidal. At Manchester City he has been responsible for many successful transfers since being their Director of Football.

What staff attributes should I look for when recruiting a Director of Football?

Given the responsibilities that can be assigned to a Director of Football, it stands to reason that Judging Player Ability, Judging Player Potential and Negotiating are the main staff attributes to look for.

See table below which includes staff with the recommended staff attributes rated at least 15.

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