Sir Jim Ratcliffe described Manchester United as being ‘the dumb money’ when discussing a potential bid for the club in 2019, but his language might have been more colourful with the recorder switched off.
There has been over £1billion spent on transfers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and Richard Arnold said it best himself in his chat with supporters in a pub: “We have f***ing burned through cash.”
United have been football’s worst buyers for a decade and there has been a catalogue of errors committed, with a culture of incompetence deep-rooted in the corridors of Old Trafford.
The Glazers have been negligent custodians and they’ve employed the wrong people at board room level. Arnold and Ed Woodward should have never been given such power and the latter was a complete disaster.
Arnold will leave his position as CEO in the next five weeks and his departure was always expected when Ratcliffe’s investment was ratified, with the British billionaire set to acquire a 25 per cent stake for around £1.25bn.
The 52-year-old has improved United commercially during his time at the club and he’s been responsible for significant sponsorship deals, but his handling of the Mason Greenwood situation made his position untenable.
Arnold is a symbol of the Glazers’ reign and Ratcliffe was always understood to want his own people to oversee footballing matters, which he will have a large influence on when the minority stake is confirmed.
Jean-Claude Blanc, who left a senior role at Paris Saintt-Germain last December to look after INEOS’ sporting portfolio, could succeed Arnold, and John Murtough’s position as football director is also vulnerable.
Murtough is expected to follow Arnold through the exit door as the boardroom shake-up continues and appointing his replacement could be the most important decision since appointing Sir Alex Ferguson in 1986.
United’s spending has still been poor with Murtough orchestrating deals and the signing of Antony for £86m has proved Erik ten Hag has been given too much influence over the recruitment strategy.
Ten Hag has spent over £400m during his tenure. Many of his signings have Eredivisie pedigree and a manager at an elite club should be guided by the sporting director, not given everything he wants in the sweet shop.
Securing a world-class sporting director could ultimately decide whether another 10 years of failure or success lies ahead and pace is gathering behind Paul Mitchell and Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman for the role.
The names that are being considered by Ratcliffe for the roles of CEO and sporting director are encouraging and it shows Ratcliffe’s intent to do something fans have been desperate for: have leading footballing minds at United.
Ratcliffe has famously pursued ‘marginal gains’ in sport with INEOS and his desire to employ the best decision-makers in the industry will give United the best possible chance of success on the pitch.
There were some fans who wanted the Qatari bid to prevail and those supporters suggested Ratcliffe was not suitable and that nothing would change with his investment.
Only time will judge whether Ratcliffe is able to make a difference, but the early signs are positive, especially when considering the red flags that were attached to Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani’s proposal.
The Qatari bid was for total control of the club, it pledged significant investment and promised to clear the debt, which would have been excellent, but the details of how the footballing side would be operated were vague.
Sheikh Jassim has no prior experience in football and his camp indicated some of United’s greatest players would be given opportunities to return in prominent roles, perhaps even at boardroom level.
United need someone with vast experience in such a role, and the Qatari proposal had the potential to employ the wrong people in an attempt to please fans.
Ratcliffe could still hire the wrong people himself, of course, but his record in elite sport speaks for itself. INEOS have tended to be successful with every venture into sport and it’s hoped they can extend that to Manchester.
Employing former players in key positions is for optics instead of giving the club the best possible chance to succeed.
United need the best in the industry in the boardroom if they don’t want to be the ‘dumb money’ anymore.