WHO IS GERRARDO GUZMAN, MAN UNITED'S NEW SCOUT?- THE SUN REVEALS ALL.

 Apparently, the whole world's eyes were riveted on Jim White's  Skysports crew to even notice a major transfer coup.... well, sort of.. in the red half of Manchester before the window slammed shut. Sun Sports exclusively reported the capture of Gerrardo Guzman from  Atletico Madrid engaged by Jose Mourinho to re-jig the club's floundering scouting system. Below is a comprehensive report of the deal by Sun UK.

WHILE the eyes of the football world were watching clubs scrambling for last minute deadline day deals, Manchester United may have pulled off the biggest signing – completely under the radar.

Old Trafford fans were left disappointed when a top-class central defender was not pictured arriving at Carrington on Wednesday night.

But it is a less high-profile signing – the went completely unnoticed by the Jim White and Co. on Sky Sports News – who is set to have a far greater impact than any potential replacement for dodgy Phil Jones.

Or Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for that matter.

The deal Jose Mourinho got over the line in the dying embers of the transfer window was one for Gerardo Guzman – the super-scout who is the secret of Atletico Madrid’s success.

But who is United’s new chief talent spotter? And is he the man to bring the Premier League crown back to the Red half of Manchester?

 

Madrid miracle worker

GUZMAN has been credited with unearthing the talent that has helped Atletico rise from mid-table mediocrity to European heavyweights in the last decade.

In two spells with the club, he has plucked the likes of Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann out of relative obscurity – and seen them become La Liga winners and Champions League finalists.

The Andalusian was employed by Atletico in 2008, and composed a scouting plan to restore past glories of Spanish football’s fallen giant.

Fast forward eight years and Atletico have won two Europa League crowns, two European Super Cups, a Copa Del Rey, reached TWO Champions League finals and, incredibly, beaten Barcelona and Real Madrid to the La Liga title.

 

Guzman's best finds

Santi Cazorla
Marcos Senna
Diego Forlan
Diego Costa
Diego Godin
Filipe Luis
Arda Turan
Radamel Falcao
Isco
Antoine Griezmann
Koke
Saul Niguez

And all on a, relatively, shoe-string budget. Well at least until the trophies started rolling in.

Costa was signed from Valladolid for just £850,000 in 2010. A domestic title, a Cup win and a Champions League final later he joined Chelsea for £32million.

Current vice-captain Diego Godin – who Guzman had previously scouted for Villarreal – cost just £6.6m in 2010.

Club hero Filipe Luis was poached from Deportivo La Coruna the same year.

Now-Barcelona star Arda Turan was scooped from Turkey for under £10million the following season.

And prolific Falcao was signed from Porto before being sold for a massive profit to Monaco two years later.

A three-year spell at Malaga – where, incidentally, Real Madrid and Spain midfielder Isco was bought for just £1m from Valencia B – saw the side assembled by Guzman win La Liga win for the first time in two decades in his absence.