The rumours that had emerged in recent days have been confirmed: Bobby Gardiner will take on a more operational and central role within Milan’s organisational structure. A name that many people have probably never heard before, but who has in fact been working at the club for seven seasons and has climbed the hierarchy year after year. Having started as a data analyst, from this season he will work within the transfer department as Director of Football Intelligence, a newly created role for him, under the supervision of the new Sporting Director, Hendrik Almstadt.
Bobby Gardiner's career
Bobby Gardiner can be described in one sentence as a great enthusiast of data: his story speaks for itself. Born in 1994 and of British nationality, from a young age he collaborated with several English sports websites, covering football through data and statistical analysis. At the same time, he studied Philosophy, Economics and Politics at Durham University. The vast majority of his earliest articles (some of which can still be found online) focused on Swansea City, the club he supported as a boy. It was precisely these analytical studies and experiences that brought him into the circle of Hendrik Almstadt, now Milan’s new Sporting Director, or, as Cardinale would put it, Director of Player Trading.
Almstadt, who was brought to Milan in 2019 by former CEO Ivan Gazidis to oversee the club’s entire data analytics department, in turn brought Gardiner with him. Gardiner’s name first appeared in connection with Milan in an article by The Athletic: he was praised alongside colleagues Ben Torvaney and Tiago Estevao, two other members of Almstadt’s team, as key figures in the Rossoneri’s revival, which culminated in winning the Serie A title in 2022.
Gardiner's rise at Milan
As confirmed by sources within the Rossoneri club itself, and as mentioned earlier, Bobby Gardiner will become Director of Football Intelligence from next season. Essentially, together with the new Head Scout Donato Lomonte, he will support Almstadt in trying to meet the requests of the new head coach, Ruben Amorim, by working on and investigating the various player profiles under consideration.
The Portuguese coach himself will have a much more central role than Allegri, Conceição or Fonseca had: he will interpret his position more as that of a manager. Naturally, everyone will still report to Gerry Cardinale, who remains at the top of the pyramid, but with greater decision-making authority than in the past.
In this way, Gardiner completes his rise within Milan. Until now, he had served as Head of Performance Analytics after originally joining the club as a simple scout. Gardiner is already working with the rest of the team to make up for the time lost over the past month.
In a 2023 interview with StatsBomb, a website he had previously collaborated with and in which he stated that he had had “the enormous good fortune to work for AC Milan for more than four years”, Bobby Gardiner explained part of his scouting philosophy based on data analysis:
"I am on my knees begging for someone to prove that not only do coaches matter, they can matter more than the players. I’m also really looking forward to spatial data becoming more available for player recruitment..."
His dream is certainly beginning to take on the shape of reality, considering how and with which people Cardinale has chosen to reorganise Milan’s structure.
Source: Milan News
