Executive within Manchester City’s ownership joins Salford City in high-ranking role | OneFootball

Executive within Manchester City’s ownership joins Salford City in high-ranking role | OneFootball

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·14 Juli 2025

Executive within Manchester City’s ownership joins Salford City in high-ranking role

Gambar artikel:Executive within Manchester City’s ownership joins Salford City in high-ranking role

An executive within the City Football Group has left his position to take on the role of CEO at Salford City, it has been revealed.

With the League Two club aiming to re-establish themselves as serious promotion contenders during the forthcoming campaign and continue to rise up the English football pyramid, they have turned to a name with elite-level experience in talent development and global strategy.


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Co-owned by David Beckham and Gary Neville, the club have made no secret of their ambitions since gaining Football League status in 2019. But after a string of managerial changes, the Greater Manchester outfit has looked beyond its usual channels in search of stronger leadership and a clearer long-term plan.

In a move that reflects both ambition and a recognition of the evolving demands of football operations, Salford City have appointed an executive with experience drawn from one of the most successful footballing networks in the world — the City Football Group.

The likely hope now is that this hire can bring elite-level structure, data-led planning, and improved development pathways to a club still largely finding its identity in the lower tiers of English football, but with one eye on rising up the divisions.

As revealed by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Salford City have opted to appoint City Football Group (CFG) executive Gavin Fleig as their new Chief Executive Officer after a lengthy recruitment process including multiple candidates.

The 45-year-old Englishman has spent the last 11 years working within the CFG, where he was responsible for overseeing talent strategy and player development pathways across their global network of clubs.

Fleig also spent time working directly within Manchester City, as well as at the likes of Newcastle United and Bolton Wanderers in performance analysis and scouting roles, but will take up his latest position in October attempting to lead and drive Salford’s strategic and operational direction.

The appointment seemingly marks a significant moment not just for Salford, but also for Fleig himself, offering an opportunity to take full executive control of a project and shape it with the insights gained from more than a decade at the forefront of global football innovation.

Salford City will likely also hope that Fleig’s knowledge of multi-club systems, performance metrics, and player development structures can help them establish more sustainable methods of recruitment and long-term planning.

It remains to be seen how much operational change Fleig will introduce, but one logical outcome may be stronger ties — formal or informal — with CFG or Manchester City, particularly around youth loans, scouting cooperation, or analytics support.

With Manchester City known for loaning young players to English clubs at various levels, Salford could benefit from that relationship under Fleig’s stewardship. More broadly, this move also raises intriguing questions about the reach and influence of CFG staff beyond the confines of the group itself.

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