Manchester City recruitment report reveals how data and scouts shaped midfield rebuild

Manchester City use a database covering 650,000 footballers to help identify recruits, but traditional scouting remains central to their decisions, according to a BBC Sport report published on September 24. The report details how analysts and scouts worked together during the club's squad rebuild.

City first define the role they need, then narrow their database to between 20 and 50 players. That list is checked against scouting recommendations before further assessment reduces the options. Injury history, physical performance and behaviour are examined alongside footballing output.

Elliot Anderson's recruitment illustrated why raw statistics alone were insufficient. BBC Sport reported that analysts considered how Nottingham Forest's style affected his numbers, then modelled his potential contribution in City's more possession-heavy system. Sporting director Hugo Viana told the broadcaster that assessments from scouts and performance specialists helped establish that Anderson suited the club.

City's own announcement confirmed that Anderson joined from Forest on a five-year contract. The 23-year-old had started his career at Newcastle United before moving to Forest in 2024. According to the club, he missed only one Premier League match across his two seasons there. Viana highlighted his passing, energy and work rate, while describing further development as an important part of the signing.

Another addition, Ayyoub Bouaddi, had been monitored well before his arrival from Lille in late August. In a separate interview published by City, Viana said the club had followed the 18-year-old particularly closely over the previous year and spoken to Lille's president before the World Cup. He also cited positive information about Bouaddi's personality and the midfielder's desire to join.

Viana linked the recruitment of Enzo Fernandez to the departures of Rodri and Bernardo Silva, saying character mattered alongside technical quality. He noted that manager Enzo Maresca already knew Fernandez from working with him. The director expressed the belief that Fernandez, Bouaddi and Anderson could eventually become as important to City as the midfielders they replaced; that remains an ambition, not an established outcome.