Man City’s data method: from 650,000 profiles to “acquisition packs”

Manchester City are pushing their rebuild forward with a heavy reliance on internal analytics, and BBC Sport has given an unusual look at how the club’s data operation works. The club’s guiding idea, according to the report, is broken into three parts: spotting players, evaluating them, and assessing how City could improve them—ultimately to increase their odds of winning the Premier League.

From the database to the shortlist

The process starts with City’s database of 650,000 footballers worldwide. From there, the club turns what it wants to recruit into a specific “brief”, usually linked to position but with more detail. As an example, City classify full-backs into three types—defensive, inside-playing, or high-and-wide.

Once the brief is set, the data team applies filters to narrow the pool to 20-50 names. That list is then cross-referenced with the longlist built by scouts. More refined metrics follow to rank and prioritise, before the club drills down further on the remaining candidates, reducing it to a maximum of about six players.

At that stage, City’s “deeper dives” include injury history, athletic output and behavioural patterns. The information is compiled into individual reports called “acquisition packs”, which include tools such as a radar chart for on-pitch metrics. The packs also feature two forecasts: a “current impact score” (how much the player is expected to contribute immediately) and a “potential impact score” (their future contribution).

Data alongside the scouts

The report is clear that analytics doesn’t replace traditional scouting. Sporting director Hugo Viana is quoted saying: “Data plays a role in our decision-making, but it is just one part of the overall picture,” adding that numbers can’t fully capture a player’s character, mentality or behaviour. City also aim to limit the risk in any transfer decision, whether that involves signing or selling.

BBC Sport offers an example through Jeremy Doku, signed in 2023. The club wanted a direct winger and used criteria such as “making the box”, pressure recoveries, take-on success rate and pressure in the opposition half. It notes that Doku improved that “making the box” rating after joining, pointing to how City’s system can support development once players are at the Etihad.

The piece links all of this to City’s squad overhaul after winning the Treble in 2023, when only four players from that campaign remained, and it references the scale of recruitment changes, including the £116m signing of Elliot Anderson.