IMAGO

16 September 2024 - 11:50 AM

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IMAGO | City Football Group majority owner Sheikh Mansour (left) and Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the Champions League Final in Istanbul in 2023.

Are multi-club ownership transfers a myth? New research reveals limited intra-group activity

  • A detailed analysis by Off The Pitch has exposed the minimal internal trading between Multi Club Ownership (MCO) groups during the latest transfer window.
  • Despite promises of developing talent across networks, only a handful of transfers occurred within these groups.
  • Why it matters: With just a handful of transfers happening between MCO-linked clubs, the idea that these structures foster significant player development is being challenged.
  • The perspective: Player transfers between clubs that share common institutional investors threw up some unusual trading patterns.

Internal trading by Multi Club Ownership (MCOs) groups accounted for just a tiny portion of transfer activity during the most recent transfer window, new research by Off The Pitch reveals.

An Off The Pitch analysis of summer transfer deals of clubs with MCO connections in the “Big Five” leagues reveals that only six permanent and 15 loan moves took place within these groups. This accounts for just 0.33 per cen

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