- By Luca Joseph
- Half-Time Orange
Luis Campos, has recently been linked to Newcastle, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, but what does his role actually consist of?
The 55 year old is currently the director of football at Lille OSC and his aptitude for finding talent has attracted the biggest European clubs. Campos has exceeded expectations on multiple occasions, most notably at AS Monaco and Lille OSC. During the 2012/13 season, he also worked under José Mourinho as a scout and tactical analyst.
In 2013, Luis Campos was appointed as an advisor to club president Vadim Vasilyev at AS Monaco in Ligue 1. Armed with the library of data on young players on his computer, an iPad and a hefty transfer budget, Campos looked to help Monaco reach the top of Ligue 1. Vasilyev embarked on impressive player investments amounting to €150million, buying proven talents including the likes of:
Radamel Falcao (€50million from Atlético Madrid), James Rodriguez (€45million from Porto) and Joao Moutinho (€25million from Porto).
It was clear that this lavish spending was not sustainable which in turn allowed Campos the opportunity to shine. With his armoury of player profiles, he began to assemble a large roster of young unknown players, who now are regarded as superstars across Europe. These players all went on to be sold for significant fees reasserting how accomplished Campos is at his job. Throughout his tenure at AS Monaco he brought in various youngsters including:
Fabinho (19 year old for €6 million from Rio Ave), Bernardo Silva (19 year old for €15.75million from Benfica), Tiemoue Bakayoko (19 year old for €8million from Rennes), Thomas Lemar (20 year old for €4million from Caen), Anthony Martial (17 year old for €5million from Lyon), Benjamin Mendy (21 year old for €13million from Marseille).
These young players, aided by experienced talents brought in for cheap fees, took Ligue 1 by storm, finishing 2nd in their return to the league. However, in the 2016/17 season, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Youri Tielemans joining the squad, the project came together and AS Monaco pipped giants Paris Saint Germain to the Ligue 1 title. They were also the fairytale story of the Champions League, reaching the semi-final knocking out Tottenham Hotspur, Borussia Dortmund and most memorably Manchester City in a thrilling 6-6 game, won on away goals.
Although Campos had already left for Lille, it was clear that his blueprints for the team were an integral factor to AS Monaco’s success. The talents he brought in generated almost €1billion in player sales most notably:
James Rodriguez (€80million to Real Madrid), Thomas Lemar (€70million to Atletico Madrid), Anthony Martial (€60million to Manchester United) and Benjamin Mendy (€55million to Manchester City). In player sales, the club generated a profit of roughly €350million from just those investments.
Campos says that finding Fabinho gave him the most personal pleasure due to his continued success so far in his career. He explained “I remember Fabinho at a small club in Brazil at 18 years old and now he is a champion of Europe.”
Campos later in 2017 went on to work as the director of football for struggling Lille OSC. At the time, the Northern based French club had scraped survival in Ligue 1, finishing only one place above the relegation zone. The Portuguese maestro then began to work his magic.
Given Lille OSC’s financial status, they would not be able to spend as freely as AS Monaco, which gave Campos a new challenge. He looked to bring in cheaper players, focusing on youngsters. He brought in many talents that are now known around the world and are attracting top European clubs. This group of players include:
Nicolas Pepe (22 year old for €10million from Angers), Boubakary Soumare (18 year old for free from Paris Saint Germain B), Rafael Leão (18 year old for free from Sporting Lisbon) and Victor Osimhen (20 year old for €12million from RSC Charleroi). The team experienced a massive resurgence and in the 2018/19 season they finished second behind Paris Saint Germain and qualified for the UEFA Champions League. This feat was extremely impressive considering they were almost relegated the season before.
Campos described his time at Lille so far with a positive reflection, saying “My time at Lille has given me big pleasure, we were struggle and two years later we were playing Champions League football, even making a profit with great young players.”
Already, Lille OSC have made enormous profits on Campos’ signings, most notably Nicolas Pepe. The winger was sold for €80million to Premier League giants Arsenal. Victor Osimhen is also an impressive find, his market value has increased to €60million after just one season at Lille OSC. The young striker is attracting the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
It looks increasingly likely that Campos will join the Portuguese revolution at Tottenham Hotspur. He describes Spurs boss, José Mourinho as “the best manager in the world” and explains that “José is like a brother to me”. Recently, Campos explained that he loves doing cheap deals which makes him a perfect fit for the North London based club, given their financial situation.
As one of the most prized possessions in Europe, Lille OSC fans know that they are lucky to have him. His mantra is that “Videos are very important but seeing players live, the emotion and getting a sense of the player makes the difference”. Given this, his job demands worldwide travel and last year his hard work was recognised by his airline that gave him a prize for travelling the equivalent distance of 10 times around the globe in 12 months!
Half-Time Orange 