July 31 – Manchester United are pulling out all the stops to drag themselves back to former glories – and they’re betting big on Formula One expertise to transform their fortunes after last season’s catastrophic campaign.
The Red Devils have appointed Mercedes F1 serial winner Mike Sansoni as their new director of data, hoping his championship-winning nous can finally bring some method to the madness at Old Trafford.
Sansoni arrives with serious pedigree, having contributed to eight world championship-winning seasons during an 11-year stint with Mercedes as their senior performance engineer. Now he’s tasked with applying that winning formula to a club that desperately needs it.
After Rubin Amorin’s side limped to their worst-ever Premier League finish last season, United are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to get back to the top table.
The appointment makes perfect sense when you consider the Sir Jim Ratcliffe connection. United’s co-owner knows Sansoni well through Ineos’s minority stake in Mercedes, and clearly believes the data guru can work his magic in Manchester.
Sansoni, who replaces departed Dominic Jordan, will report directly to chief executive Omar Berrada and has been handed a massive brief “establishing Manchester United as a data-led organisation, embedding predictive and AI-driven decision-making across football and the wider club.”
Despite making 450 staff redundant in cost-cutting measures, United are backing Sansoni with resources to build his own team – a sign of how seriously they’re taking this data revolution.
The club have also strengthened their off-field structure by appointing former Channel 4 director Kirstin Furber as people director. Furber brings broadcasting experience from BBC Worldwide and 20th Century Fox, plus board experience at British Wheelchair Basketball and the London Football Association.
For a club that’s been making wrong turns since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club, these appointments represent hope that finally, someone might have the roadmap to get United back where they belong.