Sabah Kerjota insists sliding door moments in football are now all about number-crunching and a supercomputer mastering your fate. The Hearts winger cites his own remarkable journey from Italy's Serie D to the Jambos as proof that data-driven recruitment can make dreams come true in a global game with no hiding place.
Kerjota is celebrating his first call-up to the Albanian national squad in his meteoric rise after helping US Sambenedettese to the league title and promotion to Serie C with 10 goals and 11 assists last summer. Now settled into life in Gorgie, the 25-year-old believes he has Jamestown Analytics and the appliance of science to thank for his move from Italy's fourth tier to Tynecastle.
Data as the norm for recruitment
He said: "I had never heard about Jamestown, data or analytics before I arrived at Hearts. It's being used by Hearts in a huge way and it's been good and now I feel that every club has to use data analysis on players as it's the norm for recruiting players.
"The evidence is there that if you use data to bring in the right profile of player then it can be successful and move a club forward to do well. Football is changing, you are never invisible no matter what league or country you are playing in. If you continue to do your best then the data for what you do is being tracked by a computer and someone will be looking at it. It's been shown with the move for me to Hearts that you must keep believing in what you are doing."
Kerjota added: "Data isn't the first thing I look at when gauging my own performances, first of all I look at the team and if we win then you are a better player. Now as a footballer you can't hide as everything is centered around data, goals, assists, minutes and so on. The bottom line is that if you want to reach a higher level then you need your statistics to be good. Everything has changed, it wasn't like this five years ago.
"Now a computer can change everything for you, if you do well and are lucky then you can get a good move but you now need to have good statistics behind you. Everything is online now, for good of for bad, you can do nothing about that. It's a message to every player to keep believing in yourself, work hard and do well as the statistics matter in a way like never before. I'm an example that you can reach the heights you want but I'm not saying this is my last station, I want to do more but we will see."
International call-up and adapting to Scottish football
Kerjota will now spend time in his homeland for a Nations League double-header against San Marino and clashes with Belarus and Finland before returning to Edinburgh. He admits he's still coming to terms with the call from his country which came out of the blue from Hearts boss Wouter Vrancken.
He said: "Making the international squad is a dream for me as it means I one of the best players in the country. For me that is a huge achievement. This is a dream come true and hopefully I'll get the chance to play. Two years ago when I was in Serie D, playing for such a huge club in Scotland was beyond my imagination. I would never have thought the national team would give the call so I have Hearts to thank for that.
"I never thought these days would ever arrive. We play Belarus and then San Marino home and away as well as Finland away. I'm just thrilled to be here, it's hard as there are players in the squad who have been here for 10 years or more. I'll be happy if I get to play one or two games. My manager at Hearts called me at home before the Kilmarnock game to tell me I'd been called up by Albania, it was one of the best moments of my career."
The Albanian arrived at Hearts under previous gaffer Derek McInnes who cited the need for his recruit to come to terms with the physical nature of Scottish football. The wideman now feels he's found his feet in the Premiership with a host of vital goals and assists.
He said: "I found Scottish football a lot different to what I was used to in Italy. The game in this country is much more physical so you need to adapt to that. Now I feel much more confident and ready to play a bigger part for Hearts. Last season is gone, this is a new season. When I first arrived I didn't feel ready for the first few months, it was so physical and you need to run for the full 90 minutes.
"I soon adapted but the team were doing so well, I have no complaints about the lack of time I had to play. I'm the type of player who tries to help the team when it needs me. I always give of my best, when I have the ball my team-mates know what I can do and I have a confidence now to help as I know we are a good team. Everyone knows what's expected of them, so I try to make the most of all of the minutes that I get.
"Becoming an international player with Albania puts you on a different level. Representing your country is a dream for every footballer and I'm going to fulfil that. Playing for your country is the highest level that you can reach and I'm so happy to be here but I when I get back to Hearts I will continue to do my best."
