DeFreitas leaves Man City to take up role at Derby County

Ryan DeFreitas has left his role as First Team Performance Analyst at Manchester City to become First Team Opposition Analyst at Derby County.

DeFreitas had been in the role at City for three years having previously spent more than nine years at Leicester City as Lead Academy Performance Analyst. He arrives at Pride Park as the latest new appointment by John Eustace, who was appointed as Head Coach in February 2025.

DeFreitas’s departure is the latest in a string of changes in City’s backroom team over the summer.

They include former Liverpool Assistant Pepijn Lijnders being named Pep Guardiola’s new number two, and James French following him from Anfield to become Set Piece Coach, while Assistants Juanma Lillo and Carlos Vicens and First Team Coach Inigo Dominguez all left the club.

Chris Elderkin was promoted to Head of Physical Performance to replace Donough Holohan, and Federico Genovesi was promoted to Director of Performance in other changes.