13-03-2025
'Great vision behind this project'
Southampton technical director Johannes Spors is committed to "taking responsibility and taking decisions" in his new role overseeing football at St Mary's is experienced in European football, having held similar leadership roles at RB Leipzig, Vitesse Arnhem and Genoa and succeeds Jason Wilcox who left for Manchester United in April 2024."There is a great vision behind this project and the football club," he told BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore. "I am here to execute and make sure we have a good structure in communication from one department to another and have a clear structure of who is doing what with clear responsibilities."That is the priority in the beginning - to make sure we have a setup that has a punch for the future."I'm here to help with every decision in the football [side of the club] and ultimately they are my responsibility. Scouting and recruitment of course are very relevant and they are some of my very first priorities."Spors was keen to stress the importance of synergy across departments within the club but acknowledged key decisions on the football side of the club will fall to him."I am here to take responsibility and take decisions," he said. "The way I work and lead is in a very integrated model. "I have been fortunate to work in many different cultures and every culture has a different way to come to decision-making. My experience is that we need a clear responsibility under my umbrella. "I make sure that every internal stakeholder is very close to me, is heard, and can have an opinion. That includes the manager, the scouting, the recruitment, our CEO and the ownership."I include everyone who has a say in this football club and then ultimately it's my responsibility."Listen now on BBC Sounds
