THE football world has never been smaller. Sometimes, though, there is a danger that if you look too far on the horizon you miss what it is right in front of you closer to home.
Technology has made it easier than ever for managers to scout opposition teams or potential signing targets. Data drives the modern game in terms of analytics and assessment and deals are done at the click of a button after meetings that are now camera to camera rather than face to face.
You want to pluck an unknown striker out of Scandinavia or unearth a promising midfielder in the Far East? No problem. Set your metrics, hit search and then watch the good, the bad and the ugly online before you even have to buy a plane ticket to go and cast your eye over him in person.
