How Manchester City rebuilt their squad using a 650,000-player database
On 24 September 2026 Manchester City outlined how they have used a 650,000-player database at their Etihad data operation to reshape the squad built around their 2023 Treble. The club says the system drives recruitment, player evaluation and development across an extensive three-year revamp.
City’s internal mantra—“What does it take to win?”—is divided into identifying players, evaluating them and assessing how the club could improve them, with the explicit aim of raising the statistical probability of winning the Premier League. Last season the data operation projected City would be “there or thereabouts” in the title race but identified Arsenal as favourites; the assessment proved accurate. This season five wins from five in the Premier League have intensified talk that City will be Arsenal’s closest challengers, and the club has kept many of its projections private.
The recruitment process begins with the 650,000-player database and a detailed brief of the profile required, often starting from a positional role that is then refined — for example City divide full-backs into three types: defensive, those who come inside, and those who play high and wide. Filters that grade overall ability reduce the universe to a longlist of roughly 20-50 names; Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso was highlighted by the data for his inward movement and two-footedness but was not pursued in the previous window and remains under monitoring.
That data longlist is cross-checked against the scouting longlist before further metrics prioritise candidates and scouts perform additional diligence to cut numbers to a maximum of about six. Deeper checks then cover injury records, athletic performance and behavioural habits, assembled into acquisition packs that include a radar chart, a utilisation chart recording three-year usage, a scouting grade, a “current impact score” and a “potential impact score.” When Jeremy Doku was signed in 2023, Guardiola’s brief required a direct winger; City applied measures such as making the box, pressure regains, take-on percentage and opposition-half pressure, and note that Doku’s “making the box” rating was among his lowest readings on arrival but has improved since joining.
Players are also given an “action value score” which ranks them alongside City players and rivals in similar roles, and valuations are produced as ranges rather than single figures. Lists are narrowed to 2-3 priority targets once price ranges are factored in, but multiple targets are worked on simultaneously so the club can adapt if circumstances change. City point to the sudden emergence of Yan Diomande last season — which led them to complete checks on him before he joined Real Madrid from RB Leipzig — and to the monitoring of Eduardo Camavinga’s metrics in case Real elected to sell a midfielder.
The club’s handling of the £116m signing of Elliot Anderson illustrates the interplay between data and scouting. Anderson, 23, had emerged as a key player for Nottingham Forest, was English and had cemented his place in the national team, and City fought off other clubs including Manchester United to sign him. Anderson’s metrics did not initially leap out because Forest play differently to City, so analysts modelled how his actions might translate to a City side that dominates possession; his radar chart included defensive regains, duel success, line‑breaking passes, aerial‑duel success and defensive errors. "Just because a player doesn't have the opportunity to perform a particular action on a regular basis because of the team he is playing doesn't mean he can't do it," said a source. Anderson’s readings improved as the season progressed, prompting regular scouting, and City sporting director Hugo Viana said: "Elliot Anderson is a great example of how the process works. The data was positive for Elliot and gave us real confidence in his profile, but it was the insight from our scouts and wider performance team that helped us understand the player and his attributes and this proved our belief that he was the right fit for the club." Earlier Viana had stressed: "Data plays a role in our decision-making, but it is just one part of the overall picture. We know data cannot tell us everything about a player. It cannot fully show a person's character, mentality or behaviour. That is why we study data insights but focus on the expertise of our scouts and other specialists."
Other signings reveal different applications of the model. Julian Alvarez was signed from River Plate for £14m in 2022 after scouts recommended him and data teams dug deeper because the Argentine league produces lower raw metric ceilings; City’s model valued him between £26m and £40m, projected a £70m value after three years and he was later sold to Atletico Madrid in 2024 for £81m. Abdukodir Khusanov, signed from Lens in January 2025, did not initially appear in City’s 50-man longlist but was flagged on physical metrics such as covering runs; City say his on-ball metrics have improved significantly since signing. The club have also recruited players such as Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marc Guehi, Enzo Fernandez and Anderson to blend youth with experience, and they brought in Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille this summer with the view he will contribute more substantially within two years.
City’s data operation helped plan a wider overhaul after the Treble season, identifying when established players were entering decline and informing sales of figures such as Kevin de Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan. The recruitment remit after the Treble was to lower the squad’s average age while maintaining competitiveness; City say they now have the third youngest squad in the Premier League behind Newcastle and Chelsea. The departure of Pep Guardiola and the appointment of Enzo Maresca is not expected to alter the data approach significantly, with Maresca reportedly favouring more direct full-backs but broadly seeking similar core metrics in players.
City’s internal models indicate the current squad will not peak for another two to three years but also project the team is likely to be among the title challengers this season.
