In 2020, Kevin De Bruyne became the first player to turn to data and analytics to negotiate his contract renewal with Manchester City. Sidelines meets the consultancy behind the move that introduced data-driven decisions to some of football’s biggest contracts. 

The role of data and analytics in football has grown exponentially in recent years, with the industry’s decision-makers increasingly turning to numbers to advise their choices. 

If ‘Moneyball’ has taught us anything, it’s that data can redefine sports, and Analytics FC is a leading force in this. They work with elite players and clubs in over 25 countries.

CEO Alex Stewart says, “The simplest way to describe what we do as a company is we use data and analytics to help people in football make better decisions.”

Analytics FC is a data-driven sports consultancy that supports clubs, players and coaches through analytics to optimise decision-making in transfers, contract negotiations, scouting and strategy. They also do courses with the Professional Footballers Association (PFA).

“Analytics takes data and draws predictive inferences from it,” Stewart says. “It can be really important in stripping away biases. For example, scouting by eye, scouts will often overemphasise the ability of blonde players because it’s easier to see them on a football pitch.” 

Their first flagship service, ‘TransferLab’, revolutionised the way clubs scouted players, offering such ‘predictive inferences’ through evaluating players based on how much value they added to making their team more or less likely to score a goal. 

This tool is just one example of how Analytics FC has reshaped the industry. 

Analytics FC also prides itself on assisting players in contract negotiations, something they unveiled to the footballing world for the first time in 2020.

Kevin De Bruyne’s imminent departure from Manchester City has dominated recent headlines but back in 2020, his name was put in the limelight for a very different reason.

While the word ‘data’ might spark fear in some, De Bruyne and his team opted for the analytical approach to his contract renewal, with his agent having just been arrested.

“His lawyers came to us and said, we’re in a position where we want to do this negotiation, but we need expertise around the player assessment and we want your impartial view.”

It was a landmark moment, not only for De Bruyne and Analytics FC, but also the football community, as it saw one of its top players turn to data and analytics to secure his future. 

“He wanted to stay at [Manchester] City, but he wanted to ensure that under those circumstances, his value to the club and the likelihood of winning the Champions League aligned with what he wanted.”

In the end, without an agent, the consultancy provided a report that helped demonstrate De Bruyne’s value to the side, leading to his new five-year, £104 million deal. 

Their ‘Signature’ service analyses a player’s performance and assesses the factors which have predictive value. 

And whilst they don’t actively sit in on contract negotiations, they often provide reports up to 50 pages long which demonstrate a players worth. 

Stewart says, “Data can help put a definitive value on why a player going into a negotiation and asking for £2,000,000 a year is not actually that outrageous. 

“We can bring the big guns of analytics into meetings and say ‘we know our player is responsible for (x) proportion of how well the team is doing. And so we feel their wages should reflect the importance of that contribution.”

Beyond major contracts, ‘Signature’ has also helped players with major, title-achieving, career moves. 

“We worked with a player who moved to a club in Italy, where we were able to say, don’t consider those clubs because there’s a clash with how you and they play. Whereas if you go to this club, we think it will be more successful. 

“He went on to win Serie A with the team.”

Stewart particularly enjoys working on negotiations in women’s football, an area where Analytics FC is helping tackle the significant pay disparity. Recently they worked with Alex Greenwood to secure her deal at Manchester City. 

“It can make a huge impact for players, particularly in the women’s game because of how badly paid they can be,” he says. “We can present information to a club and really force them to take accountability.

“They have to take a more serious approach to how they’re dealing with these players once we bring our work to them. You can really change a player’s life with a fairer evaluation of what they bring to a team.”

The consultancy also offers a service called ‘Coach ID’, tailored to help clubs find an appropriate head coach for their team. 

“We worked with the South African club, Orlando Pirates, and used data to find them a Spanish coach who was working in Finland at the time.

“It was a proper hail Mary. We knew the numbers said he was a good fit, and the club took a leap of faith on a guy who’d not really won anything before. He’s now won them five domestic cups.”

From contract negotiations with De Bruyne to scouting managers in Finland, Analytics FC is changing the footballing landscape, but will others follow suit?