Tamás Hajnal: Ferencváros’ primary mission is success!

– Was the last transfer period intense?
– Very intense – Tamás Hajnal, the sporting director of Ferencváros, began his interview with our newspaper. – And the World Cup in December made it rather long(er). The Hungarian league ended at the end of November, and we immediately tried to look ahead. Myenty Abena's and Owusu Kwabena's arrival were pretty much certain then already. We had to negotiate with their clubs whether they could join us now in the winter or only in the summer. Fortunately, we found common ground with both clubs.

– Was Aissa Laidouni's leave certain?
– After his successful World Cup participation, it would have been difficult to keep him, and we have never denied that we would have been willing to part with him if the right offer had come along. In the end, Union Berlin was the winner, and it was an important transaction for us. We were looking to replace him in the period that followed, but transfer periods like this always have surprises in store. There were several deals that did not work out. Three parties' consent are needed for a transfer, but often only two of them have the will

THEY CAN'T EVEN COMPETE WITH AJAX, LET ALONE GENT

– Which European club's model is Ferencváros' exemplar? Can it follow the example of big clubs such as Ajax in the Netherlands or FC Porto in Portugal, which are traditionally clubs for youth training and selling players?
– At Ferencváros, the primary mission is success! We are the number one club in Hungary, and our mission cannot be anything other than to represent Hungarian football properly at the international level. I also study the various statistics and rankings, and while five years ago NB I was thirty-third in terms of league rankings, it has now moved up to twenty-fourth. This too must be appreciated. That is why I often say that we need one or two more Hungarian teams that can achieve results at the European level: reaching the group stage and doing relatively well there. Then we would have a chanceof qualifying for the top fifteen. We are not a farm team, and we do not want to finish between fifth and eighth place. And Ajax's potential is nothing compared to ours. The Dutch club pays very substantial sums of money for young kids. But I can give you other examples: Czech club Slavia Praha recently bought a 20-year-old from Norway for 2.6 million euros, and Belgian club Gent - which is not even a top team there - bought a 19-year-old for 3.5 million euros. We don't have such opportunities...

– After retiring from your playing career, you attended several training courses and obtained international diplomas. How much do these help you now?
– My studies have really helped me a lot, as I have now built up a considerable network of contacts. To give you another example: during the winter, I heard that French club Lyon was interested in Aissa Laidouni, and after Lyon's chief scout graduated a year before me, I was able to check in no time how true the rumor was.

– And was it true?
– Aissa was in the picture at Lyon, but no offer was made in the end.

WORKING ON SETTING UP A DATA ANALYSIS GROUP

– Do you have a role model as a sporting director?
– I have spent most of my life in Germany, so it's not surprising if I mention a few names from the Bundesliga. At Borussia Dortmund, I trust Michael Zorc a lot, and when I was a player at Stuttgart, Fredi Bobic was the sporting director, with whom I also have a good relationship. But I would also include Ben Manga, who is nicknamed 'The Diamond Eye' for a reason. He used to be the lead scout in Germany and is now sporting director at Watford in England. I can always call them for advice.

– European clubs are building an increasingly diverse network of scouts. How big is Ferencváros' player monitoring system now?
– As the market is rapidly changing and is in a constant state of flux, adaptation is necessary, and evolving in all areas is a must. Our network certainly cannot compete with that of a Bundesliga club, which often has fifteen to twenty scouts, not to mention the extra people. Leandro's and Gábor Gyömbér's roles are important for us, but we also have a scout in South America. We scout players there too, but that continent has become very expensive now that Argentina won the World Cup, and clubs are queuing up for good footballers there. President Gábor Kubatov always says that we have to be more creative than the others for a reason.

– Is it true that you are working on setting up a data analysis group?
– Yes, the club has big plans to set up such a group. The whole world is covered by data, numbers, and statistics, and they are extremely important nowadays. It is perhaps no coincidence that the really big federations involve former NASA staff, experts who worked for the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. We'd like to put together a good team too.

– What is the role of the player agent in today's world? Are they bombarded with messages and emails?
– They have an important role but there is no problem with that. They have an influence on the players, and I've always considered them as partners. Some of them are 'complicated cases,' but they are all part of football. And there are also companies that we work with.

– What characteristics do they monitor while scouting? Do they check the footballers' Facebook and Instagram profiles?
– We obviously try to check the players as thoroughly as possible which includes looking at these kinds of pages in the age of social media. It's important to know the lifestyle and work ethic of the athlete.

LESS WAS PAID FOR LAIDOUNI THAN WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FOR BARÁTH

– NB I clubs have spent significantly less money this winter than a year ago. Last year €6.2 million was spent on players, this year the figure is just €2.4 million. Does this number surprise you?
– Not at all. I am experiencing and our club is also "feeling" that the extremely difficult economic situation is affecting football as well. England is perhaps the only exception. Aissa Laidouni's case showed that other clubs from the Bundesliga were interested in him but none of them could make a worthwhile offer for him...

– How attractive is it for European players that Ferencváros already has some Champions League and Europa League experience?
– It's a difficult question... We are interesting for the players to a certain level, and Ferencváros is definitely more attractive now than it was a few years ago. But we simply wouldn't be able to bring in a top footballer from a top league. The NB I is not very attractive, even though we are doing relatively well in international cups. And the financial demands are completely different as well, so our position has not changed radically in recent years.

– And what is the reason why Hungarian players from abroad don't want to come home even for the sake of Ferencváros? Do they earn so much more abroad?
– There are financial and professional aspects involved for sure. László Kleinheisler chose Panathinaikos in Greece, András Németh went to Hamburg, which is only in the German second division but has a chance of getting into the Bundesliga, so there was no question which was the more attractive option. But then there is the case of Ádám Nagy, who we try to lure home from time to time, but there was never any willingness or openness to doing so.

– Why is Péter Baráth only on loan from DVSC?
– We had been trying to get him for a long time, but the asking price was too high. We actually paid significantly less for Aissa Laidouni back then. We are glad that we managed to find a structure that allows us to minimize the risk and acquire Péter permanently at a later stage

– Youth training is always a perennial topic. Are there any young people you would like to draw attention to?
– There are four or five of them, but let's face it, getting into the starting line-up at Fradi requires a different level! With home-grown players, we try to find characters who can cope with the pressure mentally. We've done a good job in recent years with our youth team, we're the only club among the top academies to have all age groups in the top eight of the league, in the top flight. We have a lot of talents: Krisztián Lisztes is making great progress, and NB III was a good step for him. He is in sight, and he recently extended his contract. It is a pity that he suffered an ankle injury in the first game in Soroksár because he had a very good preparation with the senior team. He is very talented, and it's up to him to take it to the next level.

– Have you really thought about becoming a coach?
– Sure, why not?! I'm doing the pro license course now, and I'll get my diploma in the summer. I like being close to the team and feeling the atmosphere in the dressing room. I'm not the type to sit in the office all day, so I'm at Népliget for almost every training session. I like action! I'm young, so I want to give myself the opportunity to do everything by getting the highest possible qualification. It is possible that I would try myself out as a head coach one day.

– Do you have any wishes for the final eight of the Europa League? Who would you like as the opponent?
– Whoever we face, we will do our best to take the chance. We want to surprise the opponent, and if we advance, it would be the greatest surprise. Especially as there are some really big clubs among our rivals, and we are by far the club with the smallest budget at this stage of the Europa League. But the players believed that we could defeat anyone!

Translated by Vanda Orosz.