Pep Guardiola has bid farewell to Omar Berrada following the CEO’s shock switch from Man City to Premier League rivals Manchester United.
The Red Devils might not have kicked off the INEOS era with a marquee, big-money signing, but the appointment of Omar Berrada could yet prove to be far more transformative than any on-field acquisition.
Berrada, after all, has been operating at the top level for well over a decade, a key part of Barcelona’s success before helping lay the foundations for Man City’s recent domination of the English football landscape.
According to The Athletic, some at the Etihad saw Berrada as the natural successor to director of football Txiki Begiristain too, with his sudden defection to bitter rivals Manchester United raising eyebrows all across the Premier League.
Manchester United snatch Omar Berrada from Man City
“Wish him all the best and good luck,” Guardiola, who worked with Berrada at both Barcelona and at City, says at his Thursday press conference (via Simon Stone and Sam Lee on X).
“He was an important person for the organisation, was at the right-hand of Ferran (Soriano, managing director of the City Football Group).
“He decided to move. The club will find the right person to move forward. Wish him all the best. We try to keep the best people here but it happens.”
Berrada’s vast experience and his superb track record in both the sporting and commercial aspects of the role should give United some much-needed direction behind the scenes, Sir Jim Ratcliffe making good on his promise to tear up a flawed blueprint and put a clear, coherent and long-overdue strategy in place.
‘A top acquisition for United’
“Manchester United hiring Omar Berrada from Manchester City as their new chief executive looks like a masterstroke,” Jolean Lescott, a two-time Premier League winner at the Etihad, tells LiveScore of a man who played a key role in the signing of Erling Haaland in 2022.
“Omar is a very impressive guy. He’s a great person to work with and someone I’ve shared a lot of insightful conversations with during his time at the Etihad.
“His background is more business-based and focused around the structure of a club, so he will provide stability in that sense where it is needed. He’s been a big part of the progression and growth of City Football Group, so this is a top acquisition for United.
“And a sensible one.
“This is what’s needed at Old Trafford,” the former England international adds. “In terms of the bigger picture, Omar is the perfect man to oversee that and give United a sustained chance at being successful.”
According to The Athletic, one unnamed Premier League executive feels that Berrada could be United’s most inspired hire since Cristiano Ronaldo arrived as a buck-toothed, blonde-tipped teenager 21 years ago.
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