Transfer mechanics: Inside the strategy at Israel-Premier Tech
Exclusive interview with general manager Kjell Carlström on the inner workings of the squad’s plans
Israel-Premier Tech are arguably one of the most improved squads in men’s pro cycling over the last 12 months and much of that is down to savvy transfer deals and the development of young talent within the squad.
Central to their strategy has been former rider and now general manager Kjell Carlström, who has overseen a team go from 15 and then 12 victories in the last two seasons to 20 so far in 2024.
In this exclusive interview, we talk to Carlström about the team’s transfer policy, rider identification, red flags, cutting riders, and the importance of meshing short and long-term plans.
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DB: One of the questions I had was about the direction of the team. I look around, and I know that you signed some experienced riders in the last year, such as George Bennett, but you’ve also signed a lot of young riders. That seems like a change in philosophy that we’ve seen over the last two years or so. Would that be fair to say?
Kjell Carlström: I would say it’s been a process that’s been in place a bit longer than that. The reality is that it’s started to show in the last couple of years but we initiated the process earlier. It’s been our idea to start looking at young riders first of all and then making sure that we can bring value to the development team, and that’s by fostering our own talent and not just going out on the market and trying to buy or attract riders who are already established. That’s something that we’re working on and we can see that it’s bearing fruit as we take riders up to the big team each year.