Jake's Road Report is Gemini Sports founder Jake Schuster’s weekly update from professional football's frontlines. He travels globally, meeting club executives to share candid insights on AI's role in football. These raw, actionable thoughts are delivered weekly, with meeting details kept confidential and specific intel omitted.

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I was in Milan this fall with a Serie A Sporting Director when his phone rang. An agent told him a player he'd been tracking for months had unexpectedly become available. The window to act was 48 hours, maybe less.

“I need to think about this,” he told the agent. “Let me get back to you in a few hours.”

We got into a taxi. He had 20 minutes before his next meeting. I watched him try to make a decision.

He searched his email for the scout report from three months ago. Found it. The PDF wouldn't render properly on his phone—text too small, formatting broken. He squinted at it anyway.

He texted his analyst: “Hey, can you pull the latest numbers on [Player X]? How does he compare to our shortlist?”

The reply: “I'm traveling today. Can get this to you tomorrow morning.”

Tomorrow morning the player would likely already be gone.

He tried opening the club's internal dashboard. It loaded, technically. But it was built for a 24-inch monitor. On his phone, it was virtually unusable.

By the time we reached his office, he'd made his decision: he couldn't make a decision. Not without more information.

He called the agent back. “I need a couple of days to evaluate properly.”

Three days later, the player signed with a French club.

Here's what kills me: that club had everything they needed to make an informed decision. Comprehensive scout reports. Detailed analytics. Video. A shortlist with comparable players already evaluated.

What they didn't have was access to any of it when and where the decision actually needed to be made.

This isn't unique. I see it everywhere. Sporting directors making million-pound decisions from airports, training grounds, stadiums, cars—anywhere except the office where their "systems" actually work.

The industry loves to talk about being “mobile-first.” But here's the true test: Can you, as a Sporting Director, make an informed decision about a player while in a taxi between meetings?

Not a gut-feel decision. An actually informed decision, based on complete information that you’re confident enough to act on.

If the answer is no, you're not mobile-first. You're desktop-dependent with a mobile app bolted on as an afterthought.

Real mobile-first means you can pull up a player profile in 3 taps and see everything that matters: the latest scout reports, comparable analytics, injury history, contract situation, market value—all formatted for the device you’re actually using.

It means when you’re negotiating with an agent, you can access real-time valuations without being at their desk.

It means when a player becomes unexpectedly available, you can compare him to their existing shortlist and make a decision before the opportunity evaporates.

The difference between mobile-accessible and mobile-first is the difference between “technically possible” and “actually usable.”

So here’s a quick test.

Pick up your phone. Pick a player from your shortlist. Ask yourself: What did our scouts say about him in their most recent report? How do his numbers compare to other options at his position? What's our valuation model say he's worth? What are the red flags we've identified?

If you can answer these questions in under two minutes, from your phone, without calling anyone—you're mobile-first.

If you can't, you're not. And every day you stay that way is another day your competitors are making decisions while you're still gathering information.

The transfer market moves at the speed of WhatsApp. Your systems need to move faster.

Because somewhere right now, a Sporting Director is in a taxi, making a decision that will define their next three seasons with complete information.

So, the question remains. 

Can you pass the taxi test?