Ludovic Paradinas gave a long interview last week. He looks back on his career and his time at ASSE. The former Greens recruiter answers questions and gives his vision of the profession.
Ludovic Paradinas, former ASSE recruiter: “In 2003, I left for Saint-Etienne and stayed until 2018. I did a 15-year cycle. Interspersed, because I disagreed with the Director at the time. We did not agree on the player profiles to observe. But six months later, Roland Romeyer, president of ASSE and Gérard Fernandez, Head of Recruitment at the Center, came back for me. So I took out a 15-year lease in Saint-Etienne. A real pleasure.”
Coach and recruiter, two perspectives
Ludovic Paradinas, former ASSE recruiter: The coach is in the moment, he wants to win matches. The recruiter sees further. He is looking for players who will progress over several years. This is often the problem when you bring a player on trial. Coaches would like players who bring immediate added value. The vision of recruiters is longer term.”
Comolli at the origin of his arrival at ASSE
Ludovic Paradinas, former ASSE recruiter: In Saint-Etienne, I was full-time. It was the condition for me to join the club. It’s Damien Comolli and Gérard Fernandez who come to pick me up. Damien arrived from Arsenal. There was a partnership with ASSE at that time. He arrives as Sports Director. We knew each other a little, because Arsenal wanted to attract Jérémy Menez, whom I had trained. I started recruiting for the training center by following L2 and National.
The partnership with Arsenal? We can say that it did not only have advantages. We must not forget that it remains the player and the family who decide. You can have as many partnerships or agreements, it’s the player who decides.”
The importance of the surroundings
Ludovic Paradinas, former ASSE recruiter: “A Saint-Etienne, we did not have a typical profile. There are two positions that we pay attention to, those were goalkeeper and central defenders. We were asked to be careful about size. But those were the only constraints we were given. Initially, I only wanted to go for the best player. Without looking at what was around. With experience, I learned that it was especially important to look at those around you. There are many very good players. And real players. But I noticed that it is the player’s entourage that accounts for 50 or 60% of the child’s success. This is the most important thing to evaluate today.”
After an experience at OM which ended in June 2025, Ludovic Paradinas is looking for his next professional project.
Source : ARFF
