Ed Woodward spent 17 years at Manchester United but he will not be remembered fondly by supporters.
Manchester United’s decline since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 was largely overseen by Ed Woodward as the club’s executive vice-chairman.
Woodward played a big role in the Glazer takeover in 2005 before becoming vice-chairman in 2012 at Old Trafford. The damage caused during his tenure is now being felt by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos.
Ineos have modernised United’s boardroom, introducing new staff responsible for the footballing deparmtment. That was something Woodward and the Glazers were extremely hesitant to do.
Jose Mourinho said Woodward was “not prepared” to take charge of the footballing department, yet he refused to bring in a director of football.
Now, United are riddled with debt from the reckless spending under Woodward, and Ineos are taking the bullet for the Glazers by implementing extremely harsh cost-cutting methods.
Ed Woodward lined up for new Premier League job
Woodward resigned from his United role in 2022 and was replaced by Richard Arnold – who has now also left.
However, reports claim he could now return to a footballing role that involves Premier League rivals Crystal Palace.
Journalist Mark Kleinman has revealed that Woodward is being lined up to join Eagle Football Holdings – the ownership group that controls shares in Crystal Palace, Brazilian champions Botafogo and Olympique Lyonnais.
Woodward is being lined up for an independent director at Eagle Football Holdings as they prepare to be publicly listed in the US. United are also listed in the New York Stock Exchange following a decision made by Woodward and the Glazer family.
Ed Woodward can expect more fan protests
Protests from fans is something Woodward will be extremely familiar with from his time at United.
United fans protested the Europan Super League project, which Woodward was integral to creating. Supporters have also been very outspoken about their hatred for the Glazer ownership and the running of United under Woodward.
United fans plotted walk outs under Woodward, as well as several mass protests in and outside of Old Trafford.
If Woodward is appointed as a director at Eagle Football Holdings, he can expect more protests from Crystal Palace supporters.
READ MORE: David Gill makes Ed Woodward admission, fans may not be surprised by this
As pointed out by talkSPORT, Palace fans have organised several protests against their ownership. A banner against Arsenal read: “Wasted potential. On and off the pitch, weak decisions. Taking us backwards.”
Woodward is hardly the man Palace fans will want to see join the board to turn things around…
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