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Alex Král's agent, Karol Kisel, discusses his client's journey from the CEE Cup to Schalke 04

25.07.2022 09:00

The last time the CEE Cup was played, in 2019, before Covid, Adam Karabec caught many people’s eyes. In previous past editions, the likes of Adam Hložek, Joao Felipe, Tomáš Souček and Alex Král all displayed remarkable skills. Karol Kisel, current player agent and former indomitable midfielder of Trenčín, Bohemians, Sparta, Liberec, Slavia, champion of Australia with FC Sydney, not to mention a member of the Slovak national team, talks about the importance of a major international tournament for the development of soccer hopefuls at the end of their teenage years.

What is the significance of the CEE Cup from an agent’s point of view? Would you say this is one of the last chances for players who are almost 19-years-old to prove themselves?
I don’t really see it as a last chance per se, as they still have a lot of work to do on their road to professional adult football. The tournament certainly offers the possibility to confront themselves with some of the best teams from around the world, which in turn can reveal a lot about what concrete possibilities they have to make the transition to adult football. That being said, it is amazing that such a tournament is played here at all – for all football lovers, not just the players and coaches.

The tournament has certainly come to be well known, at least amongst the European clubs, if not worldwide, wouldn’t you agree?
All clubs follow the big tournaments, not just their actual seasons. Each player strives to leave his mark with each match, as these performances appear in their statistics. When clubs are looking for a player, they go through everything thoroughly, sometimes following him for six months or even a full year, collecting all the information. Frank Kramer, Schalke 04’s coach, also knew Alex (Král) from his days playing youth competitions to his appearances in the league with Teplice and Slavia. Sparta’s and Slavia’s teenagers play less demanding matches in their home country, but here they face stronger opponents and it is interesting to see how they cope with it.

What does one mainly look for, or monitor, at this age on the border between teenager and adult?
This is our know-how, the most important thing in our work. Everyone has a different eye, everyone thinks more about one thing or another. We believe in our methods and we are doing well, but I can’t reveal them.

Analytical platforms like Wyscout and the like continue to increase and get better, but just how significant are they?
Well, I’d say they are terribly important. Thanks to these platforms, one has access to a lot of information, from the best aspects of each player to their shortcomings – how they fulfill their defensive duties, how successful they are in shooting, passing, or one-on-one, etc. Everyone who knows and works in football is in need of all this precious data; these individual numbers tell us a lot.
However, football is so varied and multi-faceted that you cannot expect to evaluate a player based on statistics alone; it is only by seeing them play live that you will be able to get a comprehensive picture.

You will probably see many players playing live for the first time at the tournament; can you, as agents, talk to them outside, in private, or is that against the rules?
In order to really get to know a player, one tournament is not enough, you have to monitor and evaluate them continuously throughout the year. We believe one must dedicate their time to any given player daily. Slavia has some players that are of interest to us, such as striker Dan Toula or midfielder David Planka – we are very curious to see how they will perform. Of course, you need to get to know the players off the pitch, but I don’t do that at tournaments, the boys need to focus. Each club deals with their players’ time between matches and training in different ways, some try to make them spend more time together, while others give them time off; they certainly have a more relaxed regime than in the adult A class.

The first two editions were won by Mladá Boleslav, albeit with a somewhat weaker group of teams. Do other Czech clubs stand a chance given the higher level of clubs that are now participating?
It’s hard to tell, really. What I can say is that if more domestic teams could participate in the tournament, it would surely give the players a chance to grow in experience and further their progress.

What are your personal memories of the CEE Cup? Did you find it to be a good scouting ground?
There are always interesting players here. For Sparta and Slavia, the tournament is of great value in helping their young players get ready for adult football. As such, the end result is not what matters most, but rather how an individual player will fare against foreign players with different styles of football, how he will match up to it, what he will do to adapt and how he will react to such change. Boys from abroad tend to be more physically developed, they are taller. In time, ours will catch up and they will also increase in body mass, and the best can surpass them with a professional attitude and mentality, though what is important is to see how they will deal with it right now.

When you were in Lokomotiv Košice, a quarter of a century ago, you didn't have nearly as many opportunities to meet quality foreign footballers, did you?
For us, the highlight was the all-Slovak league, there were no such tournaments here at all. Maybe once a year we went somewhere. I have had international experience from the national team, also from the Czechoslovak U20 World Championship, and then I played at the U21 European Championship twice and at the Olympics in Sydney. However, such a tournament does not mean anything in itself, it is more of a hint as to where to go next, and then the only thing that matters is the next job. After all, not all of the guys who show up there end up in the league. That said, such an experience will remain in their memory, it creates a lifelong relationship with football, which they will transfer to their family and friends. The tournament has a wide scope and reach, so must appreciate that we have it.

Alex Král, one of your clients, also played the tournament. Have you noticed any significant change in him since?
He is a smart boy who is constantly working to better himself. He always took the best from every experience to improve. In our opinion, he has always read the game very well, that is his biggest asset, and we are glad that over time this has been confirmed at the highest level. How you see the game, how you think and how you solve situations – this requires the will to work on yourself. Recently, Joao Felipe shone here in the Palmeiras jersey, he was amazing, but in Slavia he did not make his mark in adult football, he did not fulfill the expectations. He returned to Brazil via Rakovník, played for the Azuríz, and now, at a mere twenty-one years of age, he is currently unemployed.

Král, on the other hand, is employed and now he has the chance to confirm all his worth in the Bundesliga.
It was a difficult and long process; we had a lot of conversations. It has been more than two months since Schalke 04's promotion from the second division; I'm so glad it worked out. The Bundesliga should suit him, I am convinced that he will get a chance to play as much as possible and prove himself.

Why do you think things did not go as planned at West Ham, and have you come to terms with it?
I believe it was just due to unfortunate circumstances. The presence of Souček and Rice, top level Premier League players who covered the same position, hindered his chances, especially given the fact that they were never out for injury. He was unlucky, simple as that. However, nobody ever questioned his work ethic and dedication, and he improved in all fitness parameters. The bottom line is that Alex is a professional and he will definitely make his mark in the Bundesliga.

Tagy: alex kral sparta shalke 04 2019

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