‘I know what it’s worth’ – Leeds United’s smart transfer addition after £24.5m deal with West Ham

It’s hard to say no to Leeds United. Jordan Miles can tell you that. Miles only joined Aberdeen last summer, but Leeds Live understands the club’s head of recruitment was “absolutely thrilled” to move to Elland Road.

Miles, who is in his thirties, is one of the youngest figures in football to operate in such a crucial role at a club of this size. However, little is known about the talent scout beyond the brief 51-word disclosure statement issued by Leeds to announce his arrival in February. Who better to provide the inside track than boyhood Leeds fan Mick McCarthy, who previously succeeded Miles as head of performance analysis at Ipswich Town in 2012.

“Jordan is very good at his job,” McCarthy told Leeds Live. “Very diligent. He doesn’t just watch games on his laptop, he goes outside and watches them. He has a very good eye for footballers.

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“He was excellent for us at Ipswich in every department. He sat in on all our team meetings. Whether we were discussing a game, strategy, tactics or recruiting, he was involved in it all.

“He was very organized and knew what he was doing. He knew what we were looking for and he had an eye for it. He wasn’t just driven by us – he had an opinion – and I appreciated that.”

As well as being McCarthy’s eye in the stands – handing out match footage and passing his observations on to former Ipswich boss and assistant manager Terry Connor at half-time – Miles also helped recruit the Tractor Boys. Having “no idea” of Miles when he took over at Ipswich, McCarthy “quickly realized his merits and what he was worth”.

Soon the Premier League beckoned. Miles joined West Ham United as a first-team performance analyst in 2016, before earning a promotion to head of recruitment analysis a year and a half later.

Leeds Live understands that Miles has been heavily involved in West Ham’s moves for Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal. The Czech Republic internationals, who weren’t necessarily household names at the time, cost West Ham £24.5m from Slavia Prague and have since made 362 appearances for the club.

You can see why Miles earned the trust of former boss David Moyes. Jack Lamb-Wilson, who worked with Miles as a first-team performance analyst at West Ham, recalled how Moyes “highlighted Jordan as someone he respected and wanted to put in a recruiting role”.

“Jordan is very calm and a normal, down-to-earth guy who doesn’t get carried away by his position,” he told Leeds Live. “I’ve met a lot of people in football, who’ve worked in the Premier League for eight years, who get a bit carried away with their power. Jordan doesn’t do that. He’s built up really good knowledge from the ground up, really. “

That knowledge will certainly be needed in what is a crucial summer window for Leeds. The Whites obviously didn’t know which league they would be playing in until the end of May, but the club prepared for both scenarios and a lot of work went into the weeks since it was confirmed that Daniel Farke’s side would be. resigned for another year in the championship. Once the new season starts, in Farke’s own words, everything will be “definitely ready”.

Farke will drive the club’s recruitment drive and have the final say once again, but the Leeds boss will once again work closely with CEO Angus Kinnear, technical director Gretar Steinsson and influential consultant Nick Hammond, who played a big part in a chaotic window per year. after.

Miles, who has bolstered the club’s recruitment department with a number of scouting appointments, slotted into that existing structure and was among those carrying out the groundwork before the window opened last week. When it comes to working with Farke and Co, a former colleague, who did not want to be named, tellingly described Miles as a “collaborative” operator who can “see how things fit”. So what will he bring to Leeds as a recruiter?

“Jordan’s knowledge was very good about the players there, what’s going on with their careers and their contracts, how they fit into a style of play and performances,” he told Leeds Live. “He’s constantly talking to people. He is a very knowledgeable guy.

“He had a keen eye and was very keen to pick up talented players, that’s for sure. Talk to the right people and get their opinions. Don’t listen to just anyone, get the right information about that person and double check the character.

“He was very attentive to detail and made sure he knew exactly what was going on. He was very thorough. Leeds are lucky to have him.”