Footballer Kevin De Bruyne uses data analytics in new contract negotiations

Kevin De Bruyne has done something never seen in professional football, eschewing an agent and hiring data analysts instead.

In negotiating his latest contract, Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne has done something that's never been seen in professional football, eschewing an agent and hiring data analysts instead.

Expected Goals (xG) and Expected Assists (xA) are two metrics which take into account the likelihood of a goal being scored or an assist being provided, based on in-game variables.

With the right metrics and reliable data-capture, like-for-like comparisons are easy and less open to subjective interpretation. This is great for building a sound argument for a negotiation.

It's likely that with increasingly sophisticated metrics and greater acceptance of these data in sport, we will see more and more contracts negotiated in this way.