Reed says there are moves afoot at the Premier League to formalise the role – but Southampton already have their chain of command worked out, with a “slim” organisation of specialists all working as one. “I’m basically responsible for everything to do with football at the club. That goes from the academy right down to the U-7s and U-8s, right through to the first team,” Reed says. “We don’t call it the training ground any more. We call it the Staplewood Campus – and that’s because it envelops everything to do with football development, football research and football support.”