The structure on the football side of the club at Man City was put in place by Brian Marwood. He joined City in 2009, from Nike, and as the football administrator/director, he developed the strategy where the scouting and data analytics side grew to what it is today. Three years after his arrival, City had won the league. The Barcelona chaps only arrived later and due to Marwood stepping away after being in the role for several years. Soriano who is the CEO currently at City was fired from Barcelona and joined City after overseeing the demise of Catalan Airlines who went bankrupt. He didn't join from Barcelona.
Whoever the new owners are, they must engage with the fans and not look at the fans like customers to bleed dry.