Red Flags Coaches Hate At Trials, According To 4 Professional Clubs

Players always ask me the same question.

“What are the biggest mistakes players make on trial? What will get me sent home?”

As an agent, my opinion is useful, but at the end of the day, I am not the one deciding who stays and who goes.

So instead of guessing, I went straight to the source.

I sat down with staff from four professional clubs in Spain
two from the lower divisions and two from the first division
and asked them one simple question:

“What are the red flags that make you close the door on a player?”

What they said should change the way you approach every trial from now on.

Club 1, Torrejón U19 coach, “Talent is useless if your attitude is rubbish”

The first coach I spoke to was from the under 19s at AD Torrejón.

When I asked what makes him shut the door on a player, he did not start with technique. He started with behaviour.

He told me, translated to English:

“First he needs good football qualities to compete at this level. But from there, his behaviour day to day is everything.

A player who is not disciplined, who arrives late, who walks around at training, who is lazy, even if he has a lot of talent, I do not like that at all.

I prefer a player with less talent and less technique who works hard, arrives on time and is a good teammate. Effort and work come first. If he also has talent, even better, but it is not enough on its own.”

He also shared something important.

There were players with “brutal” talent who never progressed because they were inconsistent and did not train properly. At the same time, others with less natural ability kept climbing because of effort, attitude and consistency.

Takeaway for you

At this level, turning up late, jogging through sessions and acting like you do not care will destroy your chances, no matter how good you think you are.

Coaches would rather work with a slightly less talented player who:

• turns up on time

• works every session

• competes in every drill

• supports his teammates

over a gifted player with a poor attitude.

Club 2, Levante academy, “Selfish players get found out fast”

Next, I spoke with a staff member from Levante, a first division club.

When I asked about red flags, he focused heavily on team mentality.

His answer, in English:

“What we do not like is when a player is not a real teammate. When he is only here for himself.

We want players who think about the team, not just as individuals. They need to understand that to grow, they have to think of the collective.

We also like players who are technically and tactically good, who ask questions, who want to understand what they can improve to reach higher levels.”

He added that a good player:

• thinks about how to make his teammates better

• turns competition into mutual growth

• wants the whole group to improve, not just himself

He also said they spend a lot of time educating players who arrive with the wrong mindset, using communication and a close relationship so players feel comfortable and not crushed by pressure.

Takeaway for you

If you turn up acting like:

• you are above the team

• you only care about your own minutes

• you never ask questions

• you are not interested in making others better

you are not going to last long.

Being a good teammate is not optional at this level. Clubs are looking for players who fit the group, not individualists chasing their own story.

Club 3, international programme staff, “The worst is a player who thinks he knows everything”

One of the coaches working in an international programme linked to a top club gave me this straight answer in English:

“For me, a red flag is a player who does not want to learn from the coaches. He believes he already knows everything.

If from the first moment he is not playing or he thinks the training is not ‘good enough’ for him, he gets annoyed instead of trying to understand the purpose of the programme. That is a big problem.”

So it is not just about your level, it is about whether you are coachable.

Takeaway for you

If you are the type who:

• rolls your eyes at exercises

• complains about the quality of training

• thinks you should already be starting

• ignores instructions because “you know better”

you are a walking red flag.

At professional clubs, being uncoachable is one of the fastest ways to be sent home.

Club 4, RC Celta academy, “A player who does not want to learn goes home”

At Celta, I asked one of the coaches what behaviours make him send a player home.

His answer, translated to English:

“A player who is careless, who acts like he does not care, who is just here to pass the time, who shows bad gestures or body language, those are big red flags.

If he does not show interest in being here or learning, he is not taking the opportunity seriously. Being here is an opportunity given by the people around him and by us.”

He gave a clear example.

There was a player who was asked to train in a different position during a session. It was not even a game, just training. The player pulled faces, reacted badly and resisted the change.

“When you put him somewhere and say, ‘We are going to work here today,’ he reacts with a bad face. That tells you he does not want to learn.”

Then he explained why that attitude is such a problem.

Often, they move players into different positions so they understand the game better. A midfielder who spends time at centre back, for example, learns:

• how tight the passing lines are

• where the pressure comes from

• what options defenders really have

This makes him a smarter midfielder, even if he never plays centre back in matches.

A player who wants to improve understands this and is willing. A player who only cares about himself thinks:

“They do not like me. They are putting me there to punish me.”

That mentality is a red flag.

Takeaway for you

Being flexible and open minded is a massive advantage.

If you:

• sulk when asked to play or train in a different role

• think it is always a punishment

• refuse to see the learning opportunity

you are signalling to the staff that you are not serious about growth.

What about Australian players specifically?

I also asked them what they think about Australian players.

At Levante, the answer was simple:

“Anyone from anywhere is welcome. We would love a strong relationship with Australia. There are players there who can succeed here. Football is growing everywhere, including Australia, and it would be great to see Australians playing for Levante one day.”

At Celta, the feedback on Aussies was very positive:

“We have been lucky to have many this year. They fit a profile we like.

They are very strong defensively, very good in duels and defending crosses, which is rare here. Their intensity is often higher than local players.

In terms of commitment, work rate and desire to learn, they are usually among the best. Sometimes they are missing the tactical rhythm of Spanish football or some technical details, but intensity and attitude are very strong, and we value that a lot.”

From my side as an agent, that lines up perfectly with what I see.

Australian players might not grow up in the same tactical environment as Spain, but:

• intensity

• effort

• commitment

• willingness to learn

are big assets that Spanish clubs genuinely respect.

What all four clubs had in common

Across lower division and first division clubs, the pattern was clear.

The biggest red flags at trials are:

• laziness

• lack of discipline

• turning up late

• bad body language

• acting like you do not care

• refusing to learn

• thinking you are above the team

• complaining about positions or exercises

• chasing your own career and ignoring the collective

The biggest green flags are:

• work rate

• punctuality

• being coachable

• asking questions

• being a good teammate

• wanting to make others better

• intensity in every duel

• genuine interest in learning the local football culture

Talent is still important. But talent without these behaviours will not keep you at a professional club for long.

How to use this in your next trial

If you have a trial coming up, ask yourself honestly:

• Do I act like someone they would want in their dressing room?

• Do I listen, ask questions and try to understand the coach?

• Do I show up early, prepare properly and compete in every drill?

• Do I help my teammates or just chase my own highlight reel?

• Do I react well when I am moved to a different position or given a new role?

Because now you know, straight from the clubs themselves, what they are looking for and what makes them quietly write your name off.

The good news, all of this is under your control.

If you fix your red flags before you arrive, your talent has a chance to actually be seen.