Who are the Premier League's most powerful figures?
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Manager/Sporting Director friction
Ruben Amorim's final press conference was very bullish. It suggested there was some form of disagreement between him and the sporting director, Jason Wilcox, over player recruitment.
Tactical analysis/Data
There's a close correlation between wage bill and your finishing position. Managers don't really move the needle that much; most are grouped around the middle, adding or taking away a point.
Managerial impact data
Sir Alex Ferguson is an outlier, plus eight points on his wage bill. Pep Guardiola and Arteta are about plus four. Mourinho is like minus three or four.
Club hierarchy and influence
If we're having a debate about who's the most important person at your club, we're talking about businesses that have been around for 100 years. None of those people are players. Not one.
Managerial longevity
The Premier League for better or worse now has essentially too much money to be patient. The average manager now is in charge for two and a half seasons.
Sporting Director recruitment
Dan Ashworth first and foremost is a very methodical person and his strength is admin. Apparently, in one meeting he was asked about data and was more on the 'maybe' side rather than giving definitive answers, which didn't work for a billionaire.
Club ownership
Most of the time, the most important person is the owner. If that person stops because they get bored, get divorced, die, or their business falls apart, the club has an immediate short-term cash flow issue.
Club infrastructure evolution
Manchester United right now hire more people in charge of their academy than they had across their entire club in their treble-winning season.
Player influence/Social media
Cristiano Ronaldo is not so much a football player as he is an institution or a phenomenon, particularly in social media. His impact on football clubs when he arrives and when he leaves is really interesting.
Manchester United structure
In the short term, the most important person at Manchester United is Bruno Fernandes. In the medium term, it might be Jason Wilcox. In the long term, it might be Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Modern football management
The manager role is too big for one person to do, and you've got to compartmentalize that by having a sporting director, a technical director, and so on.
