Manchester United have officially received confirmation of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 27.7% acquisition of the club. The new minority owner is expected to bring with him a number of changes including the senior management of the club. His arrival has been reported as the first stage of a slow and steady phasing out of the Glazers over the coming years.
Ratcliffe has claimed to be a Manchester United fan for a long time, and as Britain’s richest man, he will be able to provide a significant amount of resources to try and restore the club to their former glory.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe officially acquires minority stake in Manchester United
“We have to look at the organisation of the club, because it is not good at the moment,” Sir Jim Ratcliffe told the Belgian newspaper De Tijd. “Take the head coach [Erik ten Hag] for example: he must report directly to the CEO. That is no longer possible in a modern football organisation.
“We then have to ensure that the right people end up in the right positions. Every person in management must be world-class. And then it is important to create a positive, supportive, friendly and high-quality environment. That culture was missing before. Only in such an environment can you get the best out of sportsmen. If successful, the results will follow automatically. That’s the plan and I believe in it.”
Erik Ten Hag’s season has been rather shaky, with the club only recently showing signs of improvement. They are currently sixth in the table, but are out of the Champions League and the EFL Cup. However, they are still competing in the FA Cup and have a fifth round fixture against Nottingham Forest coming up.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival has already started having implications behind the scenes. Newcastle United’s director Dan Ashworth is already set to make the move to the club, while Chelsea data analyst Kyle Macaulay has also been shortlisted by the club as a potential recruit.
It now remains to be seen whether United can regain their status as one of the best clubs in the world, or whether they will continue to stay a level behind.
How much is the takeover worth?
A little over £1 billion.
