Manchester United fans are waiting for the ultimate gift, for the club’s mini-takeover to be approved.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to buy 25 per cent of Manchester United, per BBC Sport, with the key condition he will have a major say over football matters.
Just how much say exactly, was unclear. A previous report from The Mail had claimed there would be a three-man committee formed of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Dave Brailsford and… Joel Glazer.
This was a worrying set up. Nobody wants Joel Glazer to have a controlling say, including, you suspect, Ratcliffe himself. Fortunately there appears to be good news on this front.
Ratcliffe control not Glazer
According to a new report in The Times, Sir Jim Ratcliffe will have total say on football operations and not have to defer to any of the Glazers.
The report references the previous suggestions of Joel Glazer’s involvement, writing ‘there had been suggestions of a three-man board of Ratcliffe, Joel Glazer and Sir Dave Brailsford’, but concludes, ‘the final settlement is likely to give the petrochemicals billionaire full say on any major football decisions.’
These major decisions include transfers, and the right to hire and fire managers.
This is great news for Manchester United. The Glazers have had control for too long and not used it to send the club in any positive direction, displaying both a lack of interest and know-how.
Ratcliffe is a shrewd operator, and he would not be spending more than £1.25 billion on a stake to have a vote without the final say.
If there was a matter Glazer felt strongly on, he would surely get the chance to raise his concerns, yet, when have they ever cared doing about anything to United’s benefit without looking at the commercial opportunity first?
Allowing an outside investor like Ratcliffe to come in and take control of football operations is a remarkable self-own from the Glazers, who are in the process admitting they don’t care enough or have the skill set to run the club themselves any longer.
It is positive news to hear Ratcliffe will have the final say. Nobody wants him to be constrained by the Glazers making life difficult from the inside.
No quick timeframe
There are still reportedly a few boxes to be ticked before the Ineos takeover goes through. There are reportedly discussions ongoing about how staff will be assigned between football and commercial departments.
The deal has to be approved by the Premier League and also by UEFA, due to the fact Ineos own Nice and Lausanne. While there are no concerns it will be blocked, it is still a process which could take weeks.
This means Ineos may not have full control of football matters until after the transfer window, although, it’s possible there could be lobbying behind the scenes to try and steer the club in the right direction.
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