Manchester City and England defender Alex Greenwood signed a new contract with her club in December, the three-year extension keeps her at City until the summer of 2026.
She was in the final year of her previous deal, but the 29-year-old's desire was to remain at the Manchester club. However, in order to ensure she got the best possible deal, The Athletic has revealed she enlisted the services of football data company Analytics FC.
City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne used the same service when he signed a contract extension in 2021. The company has worked with teams across a number of Europe's top leagues, as well as Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg and West Ham ''s women's teams.
The Athletic claims Greenwood sought to demonstrate her value both on and off the pitch and the data report was based on her statistics from the 2019-20 and 2020-2021 seasons. She was compared to the profile of City's men's team, as well as some of the top defenders in the game, including Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk.
Greenwood was also compared to her peers in the women's game and the report addressed some key questions, including how much it would cost City to replace her with regards to transfer fees, salaries and bonuses. It also outlined what she'd offer other clubs in Europe if she was to move at the end of her contract.
After signing her new contract last month, Greenwood told the club website : “I’m really pleased to have my new deal sorted and it’s come at the perfect time – after a strong first half to the season, I can now just focus on the remainder of the campaign and the next three years.
“Feeling settled at a club for me is so important and I absolutely have that here at City, which is why I’ve signed such a long-term deal - I just love being here. I hold myself to such high standards on a personal level, and I will go out and give 100% in every single game I play for this football club which I hope has been clear to see over the past two-and-a-half years.
City boss Gareth Taylor added: “We’re thrilled to have Alex sign a new deal here at the Club. She is an incredibly important member of the squad, and her experience has proven invaluable to not only herself, but those around her in the team over the past few seasons.
“Alex is a consummate professional and has proven throughout her career what a talent and asset she is to every team that she has played in. She is a key part of our plans for the future, and we look forward to continuing to work with her over the coming years.”
