Barcelona have seen their scouting department undergo some significant changes over the past few years following the arrival of Deco, and that looks set to continue this year. Their latest recruit is a young Italian talent by the name of Daniele Placido.
Earlier this year, Chief Scout Paulo Araujo moved on to pastures new, with Joao Amaral being promoted to his spot. Since Deco came in the summer of 2023, replacing the tandem of Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff in the process, Barcelona have seen a pronounced focus placed on recruiting teenage talents from elsewhere, and bringing them to La Masia or blooding them at Barca Atletic.
Barcelona appoint Daniele Placido as Head of Youth Scouting
Image via Italwire. Daniele Placido at Modena.
As reported by MD, Barcelona have now brought in Daniele Placido as the new Head of their Youth Scouting. Placido will oversee the recruitment of players aged between 16 and 19, the stage between the youth academy and stepping up to the first team. His official title is ‘Head of Emerging Talent’, and he has confirmed the news himself, stating that he is “Incredibly happy and proud to announce my new assignment: Head of Emerging Talents at FC Barcelona,” on LinkedIn.
Image via LinkedIn/Daniele Placido.
Daniele Placido’s background
Placido began his career in professional football as a scout for Bologna in 2017, where he spent five years before moving to AS Roma in the same role. After a year, Placido was appointed as their academy director for a year, before in 2024, become Chief Scout and Head of International Relations at Modena. After two years, he now joins the Blaugrana. It is not the first time that Deco has brought in scouting help from Italy. Previously, Andrea Mancini, son of former Inter manager Roberto Mancini, was appointed to the recruitment team at Barcelona.