January 7, 2026
Gradient Is Bringing Player Grades to Major League Soccer
Player Grades
AJ Auxerre Selects Gradient Sports to Strengthen Data-Driven Recruitment and Performance Intelligence
December 12, 2025
Gradient Sports is pleased to announce AJ Auxerre as the newest club to adopt Gradient’s advanced physical data and broadcast tracking solutions. Operating in one of Europe’s most demanding competitive environments, AJ Auxerre identified Gradient as the partner best equipped to align with the club’s long-term strategic approach to recruitment, performance assessment, and data innovation.
A Purpose-Built Solution for Modern Scouting
A central factor in AJ Auxerre’s decision was Gradient’s flexibility and willingness to co-develop features that match the club’s day-to-day workflows. As Salim Tabarani, Head of Data at AJ Auxerre, explained, “One of the key reasons was Gradient’s openness to adapt the product to our concrete scouting needs. During our evaluation, it was clear that Gradient was willing to evolve with us and build features that directly matched our workflows rather than offering a rigid, one-size-fits-all solution.”
This collaborative approach positioned Gradient as a scalable partner capable of supporting the club’s evolving data infrastructure rather than offering static, pre-defined integrations.
Access to the Granularity That Modern Recruitment Requires
Beyond flexibility, AJ Auxerre placed significant value on Gradient’s access to raw physical event data. Unlike traditional providers that deliver only high-level summaries, Gradient enables clubs to analyze each visible sprint with full context. Tabarani highlighted that “the level of control offered on the raw physical data” was a critical differentiator, noting that “unlike other providers, who only supply aggregated statistics such as number of sprints, Gradient allows us to access the timestamp, speed, and start or end coordinates of each visible sprint.”
This granularity supports a deeper understanding of player behavior in match-real situations. As Tabarani stated, “Being able to connect physical outputs directly to on-pitch situations gives us a much more reliable view of a player’s suitability for our game model and for the demands of Ligue 1.”
A Service Model Defined by Transparency and Responsiveness
Throughout the evaluation, Gradient’s client service team played a pivotal role in helping AJ Auxerre navigate budget considerations and data-provider renewals. Tabarani emphasized that “Gradient’s customer service played a significant role. The team was transparent, solution-oriented and highly responsive, especially as we were simultaneously renewing our event-data provider.” He added that “with a limited budget, aligning competition coverage between both data sources was challenging, but Gradient worked collaboratively with us to reach an agreement that made the project feasible.”
This partnership-first mindset provided the stability and predictability required to move the project forward.
Supporting Recruitment Standards Aligned to Ligue 1 Demands
Gradient’s physical data is directly aligned with AJ Auxerre’s recruitment strategy, enabling the club to identify players who meet the physical thresholds required for top-flight competition. According to Tabarani, “Ligue 1 is a demanding league with high intensity requirements, and it is essential for us to identify players who meet the physical criteria defined by our head coach and who rank in the top percentiles for their position. Gradient helps us quantify these requirements objectively and consistently.”
The data-driven clarity enhances the club’s ability to execute its recruitment philosophy with confidence and precision.
Integration Into Proprietary Metrics and Internal Processes
AJ Auxerre will integrate Gradient’s data exclusively through the club’s internal recruitment systems, leveraging API-based access to build custom metrics that reinforce its competitive edge. Tabarani explained that “Gradient’s Physical Data is used exclusively in our recruitment process. All analyses are conducted through their API, where we work directly with the raw data. This approach is essential for us, as we build all our metrics internally to maintain a competitive edge over other clubs.”
Looking ahead, AJ Auxerre plans to incorporate new Gradient metrics as soon as they launch. “The upcoming metrics such as acceleration metrics and off-ball runs will be integrated into our internal scouting processes as soon as they become available, and will further strengthen the physical evaluation layer of our recruitment workflow,” Tabarani added.
AJ Auxerre’s adoption of Gradient Sports underscores the club’s commitment to innovation in player evaluation and recruitment strategy. Gradient looks forward to supporting AJ Auxerre through continued product evolution, high-touch service, and best-in-class physical performance intelligence.
