Manchester United have hit the headlines as Sir Jim Ratcliffe continues to be in the frame to purchase a portion of the club and reports suggest that he has big plans at Old Trafford.
Man Utd’s takeover update
Red Devils fans may feel like the takeover saga at Old Trafford has dragged on for an age as they close in on the one-year anniversary since the Premier League giants were put up for sale. Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani and Ratcliffe were both rival bidders in the hunt to inject fresh investment into Manchester United; however, as we all know, the Qatari businessman has since withdrawn from proceedings.
The Glazer family deemed his bid for 100% control, which was reported to be over £5 billion, not to be near enough to relinquish their hold on the Red Devils, leaving Ratcliffe, who heads up petrochemicals firm Ineos, in pole position to enter the helm, albeit only taking command of 25% of the club.
According to The Times, Ratcliffe will commit £245 million of his own personal wealth to upgrade infrastructure at Manchester United, including plans to upgrade Old Trafford, with the stadium’s condition becoming a major point of contention during the takeover process. On the pitch, United resemble a club in need of change. Despite winning four of their last six matches across all competitions, the Red Devils have lost five Premier League fixtures alongside being knocked out of the EFL Cup by Newcastle United.
In the Champions League, one win from three against Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen have put their hopes of qualifying for the Round of 16 in jeopardy, prompting questions surrounding recruitment procedures around the club and increasing the pressure on boss Erik ten Hag. Nevertheless, one latest report lays bare some of Ratcliffe’s other plans once his bid to claim a stake in Manchester United is ratified.
Manchester United's next five fixtures – all competitions
Competition
Opponent
Venue
Champions League
Copenhagen (A)
Parken Stadium
Premier League
Luton Town (H)
Old Trafford
Premier League
Everton (A)
Goodison Park
Champions League
Galatasaray (A)
RAMS Park
Premier League
Newcastle United (A)
St James' Park
Ratcliffe plans at Man Utd multi-club model
According to Football Insider, Manchester United and Ratcliffe plan to cultivate a multi-club model at Old Trafford similar to that of Manchester City’s City Football Group enterprise. The report states that Man United will ‘lay the foundations’ to buy smaller clubs as a way of compensating for their difficulties in recruiting elite Under-18 talents. Compiling young stars abroad would be seen as an ideal pipeline to supplement the Red Devils’ academy.
Ratcliffe, who also owns Ligue 1 side Nice and Swiss-based outfit Lausanne Sport, could use both clubs as destinations to send youngsters out on loan to gain experience. Feeder clubs and external relationships aren’t a new phenomenon to Manchester United, who have previously held deep links with Belgian side Royal Antwerp and Copa Libertadores holders Fluminense in the past, as cited by 90min.
John O'Shea, Darren Gibson and Rafael and Fabio da Silva are some successful previous examples of the positivity feeder clubs of some description could bring to Manchester United, though it remains to be seen how any new arrangements would operate.