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Manchester United are set to take the unusual approach of targeting an analyst from a different sport to “turbocharge” the data department at Old Trafford, according to the Daily Mail.
Mike Keegan reveals the Red Devils are in in “advanced talks” to capture highly-regarded data analyst Michael Sansoni from Formula 1 team, Mercedes.
INEOS, who gained full control over the football operation at Old Trafford last year, also hold a 33% ownership stake in Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 and are believed to hold Sansoni in high regard.
Sansoni, who graduated from Southampton University with a BEng in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2015, is essentially tasked with ensuring Mercedes’ race cars “deliver the best performance possible”.
His current title is “senior performance simulation engineer” but there is belief amongst INEOS officials that his skillset “can be transferred from Formula One to football,” despite the lack of experience.
As such, Keegan reports, the move is seen as more of a switch within the world of INEOS Sport, than a dramatic transition from one sport to another – “a ‘move between the family’, according to insiders.”
Data has taken on an integral role within football department over the past decade. It enables clubs to analyse thousands of players with precise parameters and specifications to then filter down into a more manageable list of targets to scout.
Clubs such as Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion have found great success in the Premier League, at a time when United have struggled, by relying on a data-heavy approach to recruitment.
Similarly, Liverpool have streamlined their business in the transfer market by incorporating data analysts alongside scouts to create a symbiotic approach, which has yielded brilliant results in recent years.
INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who was ratified as minority owner of United last February, has previously referenced the need for significant improvements in data analysis at Old Trafford.
“We must have the best recruitment in the world. Data analysis comes alongside recruitment. It doesn’t really exist here. We’re still in the last century on data analysis here,” the British billionaire conceded in an interview in December.
The capture of Sansoni, who had been “expected to leave” Mercedes, appears to be a major step in INEOS seeking to initiate this data revolution at United.
However, question marks are obviously raised by the fact it is an F1 analyst being targeted, with no professional experience in football. It feels doubtful Brentford, Brighton or Liverpool’s data departments were transformed in such a way.
Which begs the question, why will Manchester United be different?
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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