Touchline Signal — Soccer scouting research
Share your expertise
Expert Q&A

15. What evidence would make you recommend “buy nothing”—and what must be written into a purchase if we proceed?

Touchline Signal research deskSection 06Page 19 of 22Last updated 3 Nov 2026
Desk with calculator, financial report, and pen, suggesting business analysis.

Interview objective: Turn the findings into a defensible decision, including refusal or a narrower contract.

Put to: Tyler Heaps, Sarah Rudd, Daniel Geey and the club’s final approvers.

Why it matters to buyers: Our proposed decision standard requires the evidence for purchase to survive the same scrutiny as the evidence for cancellation. Neither a persuasive expert nor a strong aggregate score should override a failed essential requirement.

A strong answer should cover:

  • The specific gap closed and the evidence supporting that conclusion.
  • Cases where the incumbent is sufficient, the sample is inconclusive or internal work is the better route.
  • Non-negotiables that cannot be averaged away by attractive features.
  • Commercial commitments tied to the tested scope, rather than the demonstration’s broader capabilities.
  • Remedies for material coverage loss, delivery failures or unfulfilled implementation commitments, subject to negotiation and legal review.
  • Exit, export and continuity arrangements before dependency grows.

Sharp follow-up: Which unresolved item would stop you signing today, and what exact evidence would change your answer?

Request this artefact: A one-page decision memo with the recommendation, baseline, incremental findings, failed gates, untested areas, costs, responsibilities and review date. Separate “add now” from “reconsider when a promised feature becomes available”.

Proposed expert interview; not yet conducted. No expert quotation is attributed.


Download research