Speaking to the right decision-maker at the right time

VfB Stuttgart are no strangers to the top of German football. Five-time Bundesliga champions, 2023/24 runners up and winners of the 2024/25 DFB-Pokal for the first time in nearly three decades, the club continues to blend tradition with innovation to maintain its competitive edge.

At the heart of their modern approach to recruitment is TransferRoom.

TransferRoom is world football’s transfer marketplace, used by over 800 clubs and 550 Trusted Agencies. Getting access to the right contacts at the right time is crucial.

“TransferRoom is like proof that we are speaking to the right agent at the right time,” says Daniel Ebbert (pictured below), Manager Player Recruiting at VfB Stuttgart. “There are a lot of agents running around telling us they have the perfect player for us with the right information that fits. Due to the amount of agents that already exist, it's good to have a specific filter so we know we can really trust them.”

Ebbert, who joined the club in April 2024 after senior scouting roles at Vitesse Arnhem and SV Wehen Wiesbaden, has wasted no time in embedding the platform into Stuttgart’s recruitment strategy.

“We do benefit in a lot of ways,” Ebbert said. “Most of all to widen and strengthen our networks, not only here in South America, but all over the world. That's the biggest benefit for us.”

With a clear focus on growing VfB Stuttgart’s international footprint, Ebbert and his team see TransferRoom as a central hub to manage and act on real-time market intelligence.

“We do profit a lot from the fact that we know a lot of clubs and agents but we choose TransferRoom to speak to them directly,” Ebbert explains. “But on the other side we have a lot of guys in our offices checking the latest information and updates so we can get a lot out of it.”

That global connectivity was on full display at the TransferRoom Summit in Buenos Aires, where VfB Stuttgart took the opportunity to re-establish their presence in South America.

What happened at the Buenos Aires Summit

“We as a club are looking to re-strengthen our position in the South America market, we haven't done a lot there in the past two or three years,” Ebbert says. “So the TransferRoom Summit in Buenos Aires was perfect for us to get in touch with a lot of good people, clubs and agents. So the perfect time for us to get back into the South American market.”

For Ebbert, the value of the Summit and the platform itself is measured in access, to both people and information.

“Football is a business of information, so to have access to the information is very important to me. It has a huge impact on me on my daily basis,” Ebbert adds.

And with a clear recruitment strategy in place, Ebbert made the most of the Summit’s structure and reach.

Ebbert says: “We have a strategy to get in touch and speak to as many people as possible. We weren't picky in just speaking to specific agents and clubs but it was to get in touch with people all over South America. So this Summit in this beautiful stadium was perfectly organised and a huge success for us.”

His message to clubs, agents and players not yet on TransferRoom is simple: “I think it makes a lot of sense to join. Football is a business of information and you need as much access as you can. It's a very close community already, TransferRoom brings all of football together and not being on the platform means losing a potential opportunity so I would recommend everybody, players, agents, clubs to be part of it.”

There are over 800 clubs worldwide using TransferRoom, including over 40 from Germany. You can find out how to join them here.

Agents, get access to the decision-makers at top clubs in over 130 leagues worldwide and land the best deal opportunities as a TransferRoom Trusted Agent. Find out more here.