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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Ed Aarons

Schooled for success: how English lessons power Midtjylland’s talent factory

Crystal Palace’s Darío Osorio
Crystal Palace’s Darío Osorio is one of the poster boys of Midtjylland’s successful transfer strategy. Photograph: Sebastian Frej/Getty Images

If there is a secret to Midtjylland’s success in the transfer market then it starts in the classroom. Before this summer the Danish club renowned for an innovative approach had banked more than €200m (£170m) in sales since 2018, and they have just enjoyed the most profitable window in their short history.

The departure of the Guinea-Bissau striker Franculino Djú for Trabzonspor and the Chile forward Darío Osorio’s move to Crystal Palace on loan with an obligation to buy will potentially bring in €62m (£53.2m), with both deals completed in 48 hours at the end of the window. That followed the departures of the homegrown winger Aral Simsir and South Korean defender Lee Han-beom for Club Brugge for another €25m. The next batch of recruits included David Martínez, a 20-year-old Venezuela international from the MLS side LAFC. “I think hectic will be a good word,” says the technical director, Kristian Kjær, of the past couple of months.

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