Sir Jim Ratcliffe – CaughtOffside

Sir Jim Ratcliffe targeting former Liverpool man key to Jurgen Klopp’s success at Anfield

Darren Looney — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 08:07:19 +0000

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is eager to get through the door at Old Trafford so he can start work on turning the fortunes of the Manchester club around and the INEOS CEO is targeting a former Liverpool man for a vital role.

The British businessman would have hoped to have had his deal for 25 per cent of Man United done by now but things are still rumbling on regarding the takeover.

The Glazer family and Ratcliffe are still discussing the legal points of the ownership structure as the deal has been described by those involved as one of the most complicated in the long recent list of football takeovers, due to the distinctive condition of the minority owner taking full control of the sporting side of the club, reports The Independent.

When in charge of the sporting aspect of the Premier League giants, Ratcliffe will likely make changes and the British businessman is targeting a former Liverpool man to bring to Old Trafford for one of the biggest jobs at the football club.

Ratcliffe eager to start at Man United

Man United prepared to let high-profile ace leave in January but want £50m

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 06:45:40 +0000

The January transfer window could be a busy time for Man United, regardless of whether results have picked up by then or not.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s imminent arrival is expected to herald the start of a new era at the club, and this new broom will be sweeping clean with almost immediate effect.

It’s clear that things on the pitch can’t stay the way they have been for the majority of the 2023/24 campaign for the Red Devils.

If the club genuinely want to be challenging for domestic honours at the end of the campaign, then the building blocks put in place now will help them to achieve that aim.

What that looks like will only be determined over the next few months, however, it’s clear that there needs to be a reshuffle in terms of the squad and in order to make way for new faces, some of the old guard must be dispensed with.

To that end, TeamTalk are reporting that the club are ready to cut their losses on midfield giant, Casemiro, and have placed a £50m price on his head.

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Whilst that may seem excessive for a 31-year-old that’s seriously out of form, he does still have two and a half years left on his current deal at Old Trafford.

With Saudi clubs apparently interested, it could provide the perfect scenario for the Brazilian to finish his career.

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Man United fans will be concerned by latest David Ornstein update

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 22:25:20 +0000

Thanksgiving weekend means that another week has passed where Sir Jim Ratcliffe hasn’t been able to take his place at Man United’s top table.

It’s unlikely to come as any surprise to supporters of the club who’ve been waiting for an age to see some type of takeover scenario come to fruition.

Until everything has been signed, sealed and delivered, fans would be forgiven for thinking that there could be an 11th hour hitch, although discussions do appear to be far enough down the line now for that not to be the case. It would simply seem to be a case of dotting the final i’s and crossing the t’s.

However, the longer term scenario for Sir Jim might not be as straightforward as he and everyone else was hoping for either.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe

“I assume he (Sir Jim) wouldn’t be coming in with 25 per cent and sporting control as the end goal,” David Ornstein said in a special Q&A for The Athletic (subscription required).

“That makes me think there will be a roadmap of sorts but, if so, I’m not sure if that will be formal, or not at this stage.

“The complexity and time it is taking to finalise the initial deal suggest any further steps will take way longer to put in place.”

Thoughts of any further business are, frankly, discussions that need to be had another time.

Sir Jim and his incoming team have a number of issues to concern themselves firstly, just in order to get the club back on an even keel in a sporting sense.

If they’re able to do so over the course of the next 12-18 months, then those discussions regarding a phased full takeover may be worthwhile.

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“Quite hopeful” – Man United might have some good news to celebrate this weekend

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 16:10:05 +0000

The current season has been devoid of celebratory moments for Man United, but that could be about to change this weekend.

Erik ten Hag’s side have looked a shadow of the team that showed up for the Dutchman week after week in the previous campaign, and that’s a shame.

This storied outfit looks as far away from winning anything than at any point since Sir Alex Ferguson decided to call it quits 10 years ago.

It’s true that the squad have been beset by injuries to key players, however, most other clubs have also had to deal with similar issues.

They really could do with some good news and it looks like they could soon get it.

According to a post on X (formerly Twitter) from reliable journalist, Fabrizio Romano, ten Hag is hoping to welcome Luke Shaw back into the first-team fold after his long-term injury.

???????? Ten Hag: “Luke Shaw has been training for two weeks with the team”.

“We are quite hopeful that he will return to the squad for Sunday’s game”. pic.twitter.com/ZuL733pNav

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 23, 2023

“Luke Shaw has been training for two weeks with the team,” the Red Devils manager was quoted as saying.

“We are quite hopeful that he will return to the squad for Sunday’s game.”

The balance that Shaw will give to United’s back line can’t be overstated.

Not only that, the team will surely also notice the benefit of having the England international as a supplementary attacking presence.

United are undoubtedly a better side with him in it than without, but whether ten Hag will want to ease him in gently given just how physical the match at Everton is expected to be, only the Dutchman can decide.

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchasing stake in Man United could lead to nightmare scenario in Europe

Mark Brus — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 11:14:58 +0000

Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchasing a stake in Manchester United could reportedly have some awful unintended consequences.

The Red Devils have not exactly had a happy period under the Glazers, so fans will surely be eager to see changes made at the club.

However, one issue with Ratcliffe coming in is that he also owns Ligue 1 side Nice, and if they were to finish in a higher league position than Man Utd this season, they would get into the Champions League even if Erik ten Hag’s side are also in the top four, according to the Sun.

UEFA rules mean two clubs under the same ownership can’t compete in the same competition, so United would drop out of the Champions League in this scenario.

Exclusive: Nothing wrong with multi-club ownership as long as it’s policed properly

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 16:06:37 +0000

There are a few Premier League clubs that are expanding their portfolio wisely at this point, and though we won’t likely see the benefits of the same for a while yet, each of them appear to be taking a strategic position.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe will soon be in charge of football operations at Man United whilst still being involved at Nice, the Saudi Public Investment Fund own the biggest four clubs in the Pro League as well as Newcastle, Clearlake own both Chelsea and Strasbourg whilst the City Group have by far the biggest portfolio that includes clubs around the world.

Football traditionalists won’t like the way football is heading but that kind of ownership model is here to stay.

Co-creator of the Premier League and former ‘super agent,’ Jon Smith, believes that the status quo should remain as long as it’s policed properly.

“In principle, I agree that there should be some sort of management of multi-club ownership player swaps, because it gives rise to an advantage to those clubs against competing clubs who don’t have that accessibility to players and deals that perhaps are not as financially helpful,” he said for his exclusive CaughtOffside column.

“If you’re lending within your own group, you’re not really going to charge each other that much and the money gets reinvested into the group again.

“Of course, there’s ways around it. Let’s just say there are major funds, most of whom I know, who are seeking to own multiple football clubs, and some of the investors in those groups are sovereign wealth funds.

“So in other words, potentially, you have a country as an owner of a football club, dealing with a fund – of which that country’s sovereign wealth fund, which is different from the state ownership vehicle – actually means that is overly helpful to the initial club.

“I think clear, clearly defined capital ownership shows that there are no hidden ownerships in that mix, and if even if there are, by the way, that’s okay.”

The controversy that has arisen with regards to, for example, Newcastle being loaned players from the Saudi Pro League, isn’t anything new says Smith.

Indeed, there has been one club that has been surviving and thriving by using the player-swap scenario.

“Don’t forget Watford have been doing this for years with Udinese. Nobody’s complained, and it’s worked quite well for them,” Smith added.

“Providing it’s understood that it’s not a whole team, just one or two players every season or something like that, it’s absolutely financially advantageous for the clubs in that equation, beyond just the ability to move a player about.”

Supporters who still believe they are being short-changed by the pace at which the game is moving clearly have a choice to make.

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11th hour twist in Sir Jim Ratcliffe announcement at Man United

Jason Pettigrove — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 13:43:49 +0000

There’s never a dull news day where Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Manchester United are concerned.

A year after the initial floating of an idea by the Glazer family that they could be interested in potentially selling the club, there is still no formal announcement.

It’s widely expected that Sir Jim will take over 25 percent of the club and have immediate control of the sporting side of the business.

Whilst that might not be to the liking of every United fan, it does show some progress on the part of the Glazer’s to eventually relinquish control.

The Old Trafford faithful are likely to be overjoyed once things have finally been ratified, but an 11th hour twist means that they’ll be kept waiting a little longer.

As reliable journalist Ben Jacobs posted on X (formerly Twitter), no announcement will now be made on Monday, even though one was widely expected.

No announcement planned today. Hope still remains it’s all confirmed before Thanksgiving.? https://t.co/UQaupARohG

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) November 20, 2023

Thanksgiving (November 23) is being seen as a potential cut off point by which the announcement should hopefully be made.

The longer it goes on and the process becomes more drawn out, the more the frustration builds amongst the fan base.

They’ve waited this long, however, that surely another few days won’t matter. Particularly if it turns out to be one of the best decisions that’s been made in the interests of the club.

It’s high time they were back where they belong…

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“Definitely going” – Huge departure imminent at Man United

Jason Pettigrove — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 11:34:54 +0000

More changes appear to be on the horizon at Man United with the imminent arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Given how poorly the Red Devils have performed on and off the pitch of late, it’s not unfair to suggest that such changes are well overdue.

All areas of the business have been allowed to stagnate, and whilst change for changes sake is never the best course of action, when certain ways of working have been identified and shown to be underperforming, then Sir Jim and his executives have every right to rustle a few feathers.

Richard Arnold’s departure has already been announced, with the Manchester Evening News quoting sources as suggesting that current football director, John Murtough, is also “definitely going.”

Whilst not unexpected, it does represent a real changing of the guard at Old Trafford.

Such decisions are clearly necessary, though any new appointees are going to have to hit the ground running if they want to bring the glory days back to the Theatre of Dreams.

The way in which the club recruits players and also develop from within will clearly come under the remit of the new man in charge, and if their relative success in the new role can quickly translate to success on the pitch, then Sir Jim’s revolution will be accepted that much quicker by the Old Trafford faithful.

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Video: Palace chairman offers update on potential Man United pursuit of Dougie Freedman

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 10:27:36 +0000

Manchester United’s need for a sporting director is acute, with Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman one of a few names being thrown into the hat for the job.

The Telegraph (subscription required) linked Freedman amongst a handful of candidates that also included legendary player, Paolo Maldini.

Fabrizio Romano, speaking to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column, suggested that Paul Mitchell was actually the favourite, and Palace chairman, Steve Parish, speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, appeared to rule Freedman out of the running.

‘”You would have to get into the minds of those people (Manchester United decision makers) wouldn’t you,” he said.

“I certainly don’t think there’s been any conversations. It’s flattering for the club.”

Pictures from Rest is Football

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Pundit claims Sir Alex Ferguson has “had his day” and shouldn’t work with Ratcliffe

Connor Holden — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 18:27:16 +0000

talkSPORT pundit Hugh Woozencroft has claimed Sir Alex Ferguson has “had his day” and that Sir Jim Ratcliffe should be looking elsewhere for new “forward thinkers”.

Woozencroft went on to say that he doesnt think at this point in time, Ferguson is the person who’s input the club needs, in regards to recruitment and everyday running of the club.

This comes from the notion that Ratcliffe will go to Ferguson to “garnish loads of great information” in the hopes of improving the sporting side of the club.