Genoa move for Vitesse's Spors as new GM
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People Moves
Genoa move for Vitesse's Spors as new GM
by Jonathan Rest

Johannes Spors, the highly-regarded German Sporting Director, has swapped Vitesse Arnhem of the Eredivisie for a new challenge in Serie A with Genoa CFC.

It is not easy to leave Vitesse, but for me it is a wonderful challenge to get started in Serie A. That does not alter the fact that Vitesse is a wonderful club... The club has developed a clear vision, strategy and way of playing and is now on the map in Europe thanks to this season. Although I will no longer be part of Vitesse's project, I am confident that the club's future looks bright.
Johannes Spors
General Manager, Genoa CFC

Spors (pictured) has been appointed General Manager of Genoa, which have been making a number of personnel changes since coming under the ownership of 777 Partners, the US investment fund, earlier this year.

 

Spors will work closely with Sporting Director Carlo Taldo, who was promoted from a similar role with the club's U19s to succeed Francesco Marroccu soon after 777 took charge.

 

The new owners have also installed former Ukraine national team manager Andriy Shevchenko as Head Coach.

 

Spors began his career producing video analysis for Hoffenheim, and then went onto key scouting roles at RB Leipzig and HSV Hamburg.

 

He joined Vitesse in April 2020, and in his first full season the club finished fourth to qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League and reached the KNVB Cup final.

 

However, despite only signing a new contract with Vitesse in June until the end of the 2023-24 season, he has now decided on a new challenge in Italy.

 

Spors said: "It is not easy to leave Vitesse, but for me it is a wonderful challenge to get started in Serie A. That does not alter the fact that Vitesse is a wonderful club, where I had a very good time. The club has developed a clear vision, strategy and way of playing and is now on the map in Europe thanks to this season. Although I will no longer be part of Vitesse's project, I am confident that the club's future looks bright. I would like to thank all staff members, players, board members and other colleagues for the great cooperation and wish them every success with Vitesse."

 

His deputy at Vitesse, Marcel Klos, will take on the Sporting Director duties on an interim basis until a succession plan is put in place. 

 

That should prove little problem for Klos, with Spors having spoken earlier this year of the importance of collaboration and team-work within the Vitesse recruitment division.

 

He told TransferRoom at the time: "To run a football club, for me as a Sporting Director it is never a one man show. It’s about my whole team - my Assistant, the Head of Scouting, the whole scouting team - in order to get a lot of information about players from data, from video, from scouting, but also from our network."

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