On Monday, the Premier League will be confronted by a legal challenge from Manchester City, bolstered by statements of support from around a dozen clubs. At issue are the league’s tightened rules on associated party transactions, which City believes are an unlawful attempt to hinder their success and dominance. While many accuse City of cheating their way to the top, rivals have nonetheless raided their staff, players, and coaches.

Mail Sport examines the “Cityfication” of the Premier League, a term used by City officials to describe the growing trend of their staff being hired by other clubs. This includes the recent appointment of Omar Berrada as Manchester United’s CEO, joining other former City employees like Toby Craig and Jason Wilcox. The City alumni network extends beyond United, with Liverpool and Chelsea also employing ex-City staff.

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak sees this as a sign of their success and a validation of their methods. The club has come under scrutiny for its multi-club ownership and allegations of financial doping, but their impact on the Premier League is undeniable. With their success on and off the field, City has set a standard that other clubs are eager to emulate.

Al Mubarak expressed pride in seeing former City staff and players flourish elsewhere, stating that it confirms they are “doing it right.” As the legal battle looms, the impact of City’s methods on the Premier League landscape is undeniable, and their influence is set to continue shaping the competition.

The Premier League has already charged Man City with 115 alleged breaches of financial rules.

Manchester City have dominated English football in recent years, winning six Premier League titles in seven seasons.

Next month, Omar Berrada will take on one of the most prestigious jobs in English football when he becomes the chief executive of Manchester United. However, when the highly-regarded 46-year-old arrives at Old Trafford, he will be greeted by a host of familiar faces. Toby Craig, United’s newly-appointed chief of communications, and Jason Wilcox, the former Blackburn Rovers winger and now United technical director, are both former colleagues from Berrada’s time at Manchester City.

Berrada, Craig, and Wilcox are not the only ones to have crossed the divide between the two Manchester clubs. When Berrada enters United’s recruitment department, he will encounter no fewer than five staff members with previous experience at City. Additionally, in the marketing department, he is likely to cross paths with global partnerships manager Josh Dawkins, who began his career as an intern at the Etihad Stadium.

Some may argue that this is only natural, given the high turnover and transient nature of the football industry, especially in a city with two prominent clubs. However, the reach of the City alumni network extends far beyond their local rivals, spanning Premier League clubs and even Europe.

This phenomenon has not gone unnoticed by City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who recently expressed his pride in the exodus of talent from the club. While certain rivals and the league itself may view City’s practices as questionable, Al Mubarak sees their actions as a validation of the club’s success and a sign that they are “doing things the right way.”

In particular, the influx of former City employees at Manchester United since the arrival of new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos has been notable. Ratcliffe, a lifelong United fan who grew up within walking distance of the Etihad Stadium, has openly acknowledged City’s achievements and even joked about them setting the “blueprint.” He once stated, “We have a lot to learn from our noisy neighbour” before adding that he would like to see United knock City off their perch.

The growing rivalry between City and Liverpool has not deterred those in positions of power at Anfield from following suit. In May, Pedro Marques, the former global lead for football performance at City Football Group (CFG), was appointed as the director of football development for Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group. Marques played a key role in implementing CFG’s vision when they began expanding their portfolio of clubs worldwide, and Liverpool has now brought him on board as they explore adopting a similar multi-club model.

Omar Berrada will take on the role of chief executive at Manchester United next month.

Etihad chiefs view the influx of former City staff at Ratcliffe’s United as a sign of their progress.

These clubs around the world have managers, coaches, executives, groundsmen, and backroom staff who previously worked for clubs owned by City Football Group.

Liverpool’s appointment of Pedro Marques is indicative of a broader trend among Premier League clubs. In recent years, City has come under scrutiny for their multi-club ownership structure, which includes moves for players and staff between clubs within the same ownership group. These transactions fall under the Associated Party Transaction rules, which were tightened in February and have now triggered City’s legal challenge.

Another notable example of the City alumni network is Justice Ellis, who spent close to six years at City and rose to the position of head of marketing. Ellis now serves as the director of strategy for Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group. Additionally, Lee Nobes, one of the most important members of Liverpool’s bench, spent 11 years at City working with managers from Sven Goran-Eriksson to Pep Guardiola. Nobes is currently the head of physiotherapy at Liverpool, responsible for the wellbeing of star players like Mo Salah, Luis Diaz, and Darwin Nunez.

Among the 115 charges leveled against City is the allegation that they falsely inflated sponsorship deals with companies linked to their Abu Dhabi owners, allowing them to inject extra cash into their coffers and sign top players. However, this has not stopped rivals like Everton from hiring staff from City’s commercial department.

The list of former City employees now working at other Premier League clubs goes on. At Arsenal, manager Mikel Arteta is joined by no fewer than six ex-City staff members. Meanwhile, at Tottenham, manager Ange Postecoglou works alongside chief football officer Scott Munn, who previously served as the chief executive of CFG China.

The influence of City’s methods extends to west London as well. Chelsea co-sporting director Lawrence Stewart spent two years as the head of performance analysis at City before joining the Blues. Stewart will soon be working with new manager Enzo Maresca, who joined from Leicester after a year away from his role as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at City. Chelsea is believed to be one of the clubs sympathetic to City’s position in the ongoing legal dispute.

Vincent Kompany, Pep Guardiola’s iconic captain at Man City, has taken over as manager of Bayern Munich.

Mikel Arteta, former assistant manager at Man City, is joined by six other former City staff members at Arsenal.

Tottenham’s chief football officer, Scott Munn, previously served as the chief executive of CFG China.

Al Mubarak (right) stated that seeing former City staff and players succeed elsewhere is ‘testament that we’re on the right track’

While City officials declined to comment publicly due to the ongoing legal situation, they view the presence of their former staff at other clubs as evidence of their success and a validation of their methods. They believe that their achievements on and off the field, rather than financial doping, have been the driving force behind their era of dominance in Manchester and that their approach is sought after by other clubs.

In his end-of-season address, Khaldoon Al Mubarak alluded to this sentiment, stating, “Frankly, [it makes me feel] proud… When you see… players at the academy level, players at the first-team level leave and go and have successful careers. Coaching staff, medical staff, physios, senior executives that are being sought after by the best teams in the world. I think if anything, that’s testament that we’re on the right track.”

Al Mubarak’s final words on the matter were particularly poignant: “It confirms that we’re doing it right.” As the legal battle between City and the Premier League looms, the impact of City’s methods on the Premier League landscape is undeniable, and their influence is set to continue shaping the competition for years to come.