Ratcliffe £1.4bn Man Utd investment hits delay as ‘sacked’ director is told he’s moving sideways
Sir Jim Ratcliffe will have to wait a little while longer to finalise his £1.4bn purchase into Manchester United after the saga hit another unexpected delay – while the British billionaire is also planning a new role at the club for John Murtough.
The Red Devils were first put up for sale a year ago and over 12 months on, the saga has still not reached a conclusion. And while the wholesale takeover of the Glazers’ shareholdings that many supporters had dreamt about did not prevail, the 25 per cent investment of Ratcliffe into Manchester United is certainly a step in the right direction.
The 71-year-old tycoon is determined to help restore his beloved United to their former glories – and it seems Ratcliffe will leave no stone unturned in his quest to get the club back to the pinnacle of English and European football.
To that end, Ratcliffe will be granted a major role in the running of the club – and will start by overseeing an area which many feel has let them down over a number of years: transfers.
As a result, every piece of incoming and outgoing signing at Old Trafford will go through the INEOS tycoon.
And while it is reported that Ratcliffe unofficially got to work at United on Monday 13 November, the officially documentation formalising his 25 per cent purchase has still not gone through.
That was initially expected this week before a new date was set for Tuesday 21 November. However, the Daily Telegraph reports that Ratcliffe’s investment into the club is now unlikely to go through before the start of the Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States – set to get underway on Thursday.
Ratcliffe to move John Murtough into new role at Man Utd
As a result, his purchase of a quarter of the Glazers’ shares is now likely to be delayed until Tuesday 28 November – still, however, with plenty of time to spare before the January window opens for business.
Ratcliffe, though, has wasted no time in making his mark at the club with a number of changes made behind the scenes.
The Red Devils announced the exit of the long-serving Richard Arnold last week, with the 52-year-old spending the last 22 months as chief executive.
However, he is unlikely to be the last of the big-name casualties with United football director John Murtough and director of football operations David Harrison widely reported to also lose their positions as part of the widespread changes.
Murtough was appointed by the club in March 2021 and he has overseen five transfer windows since then.
But with the club parting with well over £750m on his watch, the jury remains out over some of those purchases.
Indeed, Ratcliffe is openly thought to have criticised the decision to sanction the £70m signing of Casemiro, with many at his previous club, Real Madrid, reportedly feeling the ‘star’s legs had gone’.
To that end, it was widely suggested that Murtough would be given his marching orders by Ratcliffe and will replaced by Paul Mitchell, currently of AS Monaco and formerly of Tottenham and RB Leipzig, in a new sporting director role.
Murtough to still play a leading role in Man Utd transfers
However, the Telegraph reports that, rather than sacking Murtough, the 52-year-old will discuss a new role in Ratcliffe’s regime.
They claim he is still expecting to contribute to the club’s new era and is currently talking with the British billionaire over a new role within the club.
That could yet see him work alongside Mitchell or, at the very least, contributing towards what is seen by Ratcliffe as a transitional period.
With the January window opening for business in just 41 days, Murtough was already thought to be well down the line with planning for the club’s winter window.
Initially that had expected to be a relatively quiet affair for the club.
However, speculation that both Casemiro and Raphael Varane want out means Murtough could help negotiate their sales, as well as in the club’s plans to recruit their replacements.
As previously stated, though, any final decisions will now have to go through Ratcliffe, who will have the ultimate say over who goes and who leaves Old Trafford.
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