Ferran Soriano’s belief is that every football club should have a “Dr No” – someone with decision-making power who is willing to make unpopular decisions and can only be effective if he or she has the respect of colleagues. He has, arguably, fulfilled this role himself sometimes at Manchester City, refusing to sanction the £80million transfer fee in 2019 that would have made Harry Maguire, then at Leicester City, the most expensive defender in the world. Pep Guardiola had made it clear behind the scenes that he wanted the England international. But Soriano took the Dr No position and Maguire moved to Manchester United instead. In other ways, Soriano is not what you would perhaps consider a classic fit for a man in his position. He used to drive a Nissan, rather than a more high-powered vehicle, when City had a sponsorship deal with the Japanese car company. He is described as meticulously, almost obsessively, micromanaging to the point that he has been known to read match reports on the club’s website, in English, Spanish and Catalan, and ring staff to correct even the smallest of errors.   submitted by   /u/TheAthletic [link]   [comments]