The Glazer family has decided. Exit Sheikh Jassim, it is indeed Sir Jim Ratcliffe who should enter the capital of Manchester United. The American owners of the Red Devils are in the process of selling 25% of the club’s shares to the English billionaire. A transaction whose amount should amount to around 1.5 billion euros. Very happy to have overtaken his Qatari competitor, the English businessman now wants to move quickly, even if this buyout of shares must still be validated by a vote.
THE Times reveals that Ratcliffe and INEOS want to control the day-to-day affairs of the club before the winter transfer window in January 2024. The goal is simple: stop wasting time. Since the announcement of the possible takeover of the club, the Red Devils’ recruitment campaign has been slipping because no one knew which foot to dance on. And to manage the Premier League giant, Ratcliffe made two decisions. The first is to appoint a new sports director. And the latter would already have a short list in mind.
Ten Hag retained
The Athletic reveals in fact that several profiles are studied. There we find the former sporting director of AS Monaco Paul Mitchell, but also the architects of Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp, Michael Edwards and Julian Ward. Newcastle DS Dan Ashworth has also been contacted. Finally, Ratcliffe could fall back on a man from INEOS: Jean-Claude Blanc. Appointed executive director of the English company in December 2022, Blanc is well versed in the mysteries of football having been an administrator at Juventus and deputy general manager at PSG.
Finally, the Daily Mail assures that Ratcliffe’s second decision concerns the current team. The British billionaire has indeed ruled on the case of coach Erik ten Hag. Strengthened since the management of the Cristiano Ronaldo case, the Batavian has since seen his position weaken considerably. Between disappointing results and permanent conflicts with some of his players, Ten Hag also complained about the transfer window. But rest assured, the tabloid assures that INEOS wishes to maintain it.
