Manchester United’s underwhelming CEO Richard Arnold is set to leave the club at the end of this calendar year, according to reports.
The news comes as Sir Jim Ratcliffe is on the brink of completing his 25 per cent acquisition of Manchester United with his Ineos team set to have control over sporting matters at the club.
Richard Arnold and John Murtough’s future always looked to be in question when the news emerged about Ratcliffe’s acquisition of the club, and now Arnold’s exit is a step closer to becoming a formality.
Paul Mitchell and Jean-Claude Blanc have been linked with roles at the club if Murtough and Arnold are to leave Old Trafford come the end of 2023.
Arnold to leave
It has been reported by Mark Kleinmann of Sky News, as well as Adam Crafton of The Athletic among others, that Arnold will leave his position as CEO of the club at the end of this year.
The announcement that Arnold will leave the club is set to come within the next few hours according to Kleinmann which brings to an end a miserable stewardship of the club.
The Athletic’s report on the matter states that Patrick Stewart will take the role of United’s interim chief executive when Arnold departs the club.
Stewart, the Old Trafford club’s legal counsel and a member of the board, will take up the position on an interim basis.
Jean-Claude Blanc is a name that could be on his way to Old Trafford to replace Arnold in what would be be the club’s biggest change within the boardroom since the Glazer family took the reins in 2005.
Arnold had to go
It always seemed likely that when Ratcliffe had agreed to purchase 25 per cent of the Old Trafford club it was a matter of time before Arnold would be out the door.
He came under high pressure to due his botched handling of the Mason Greenwood situation.
The future remains unclear for Murtough, the club’s first football director appointed in 2021. But if the situation with Arnold is any indication, he could well be on borrowed time.
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