Manchester United are set to poach youth recruitment specialist Stephen Ajewole from neighbours and rivals City.
He is set to become United’s lead scout the under -15 to under 18 age bracket, and the move has aroused concerns at City that he could be taking valuable information with him.
City have invested significant resources in their scouring network and youth development in recent years, and their academy has become one of the most successful in year.
Key to that success has been the vast mount of data that have collected on potential players, and there are now fears that some of this may walk out to door with Ajewole, in terms of the knowledge he has gained working within the system.
United were traditionally renowned as leaders when it came to academy recruitment, and the move is being regarded as a step to regaining their pre-eminence, with a successful youth policy saving a club millions in transfer fees.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.