Aberdeen chairman's sly jab at Hearts as Dons chief says they have been using analytics for years

Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack has made a claim over the Dons use of statistical data in the transfer market.

Hearts have making the most of new shareholder Tony Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics systems in recent transfer windows- but the chairman of Premiership rivals Aberdeen has insisted his club were the frontrunners of the use of data in the transfer market.

The Jambos entered into an ‘exclusive’ agreement with Jamestown Analytics last November as they looked to steal a march on their competitors with access to player data and that move preceded an investment at Tynecastle from Brighton and Hove Albion chairman Tony Bloom that was officially ratified last month. Jamestown is described as an offshoot of Bloom’s company Starlizard as it seems the use of analytics will play a leading role in Hearts recruitment over the current and coming transfer windows.

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However, Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack has claimed the Dons have been using analytics for ‘five or six years now’ and pointed to the successful signings of Macedonian striker Bojan Miovski and Albanian midfielder Ylber Ramadani as examples of the impact data has made on recruitment at Pittodrie.

He said: “We have got a squad planning and recruitment team in place now which I think will stand us in good stead. Everyone is talking about these analytics and algorithms which everybody is using. But we have been using those for five or six years now. Miovski, Ramadani, a number of players, have come through that. We have tapped in to that.

After the likes of Miovski, Scott McKenna and Lewis Ferguson were moved on for big fees in recent seasons after impressing at Pittodrie, Finnish winger is expected to be the next high profile departure from the club. The 22-year-old joined the Dons from HJK Helsinki for a fee of around £1m last August and scored six goals and provided three assists in 45 appearances in all competitions last season.

Cormack believes the signing and potential sale of the Finland Under-21 star shows the club are able to ‘unearth and get value’ from additions to their ranks.

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“There is a reason we have paid £1m for Topi. Listen, in the last five years we have managed to sell just over £20m worth of players. That is significant income for us. The trick is balancing that with being competitive. Our scouting needs to be excellent so we can unearth and get value from players. But people want to come to Aberdeen now because they know they will get an opportunity to move on to a bigger club.”

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