Chesterfield’s head of recruitment, Neil Hornby, has revealed the club are exploring a new way of identifying talented players ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Spireites, who won the National League title last season, are currently 14th in the League Two table following Saturday afternoon’s defeat to Swindon Town.

But despite the fact they plied their trade in non-league just last season, Spireites boss Paul Cook boasts some notable talent among his ranks, such as ex-Sheffield United midfielder John Fleck and creative ace Armando Dobra, formerly of Ipswich Town.

But Chesterfield recruitment chief Hornby has recently revealed that the Derbyshire outfit will be keeping tabs on potential signings from across Europe, as they look to win promotion to League One in the coming years.

Hornby makes Chesterfield transfer revelation

He told the club’s in-house Weekend Warm-up podcast: “We’ve had discussions, we’ve reached out to people and spoken to them, and they are the leagues we are going to look at to get a real gauge of the level and whether it is suitable or not for us.

“Ash and Phil (the Kirk brothers, who own the football club) are backing us 100% to get out there and have a look.

“We are trying to think out of the box, think a bit clever, think smart and the gaffer is saying we have got to think out of the box a little bit.

“It is exciting for us as a recruitment department, and it is exciting for the club because we have not done it before.”

As reported by the Derbyshire Times, the Kirk brothers heavily invested in data platform StatsBomb last summer, which has provided them with detailed stats and analysis.

The report also revealed that Hornby is going to the Netherlands for three days to watch four games, while scout Kieran Cook, whose father is Spireites boss Paul, will be searching for talent in either Denmark or Belgium.

Chesterfield’s new scouting method should excite Spireites supporters

After spending four successive seasons in the National League, the Spireites have operated comfortably in League Two this season, and still have an outside chance of landing a play-off spot.

Cook’s men are currently 10 points adrift of the play-off places with 15 fourth-tier fixtures remaining, while they also have two games in hand on seventh place Crewe Alexandra.

But the Spireites were also relegated from League One back in 2017, and supporters of the Derbyshire club will still be keen on witnessing their side make a third-tier return.

The club’s new recruitment strategy demonstrates their commitment to strengthening Cook’s squad ahead of next season, which will surely excite supporters.

Chesterfield FC transfer revelation emerges