According to a report from The Guardian, during his March visit to the club, Sir Jim Ratcliffe raised concerns about Manchester United’s recent approach to player transfers, highlighting the acquisition of Casemiro the previous summer as an instance of what he considers to be dubious recruitment.
Ratcliffe’s Proposal For Manchester United
Ratcliffe, whose proposal to acquire a 25% stake in the club is slated for a vote at an upcoming board meeting on Thursday, holds the belief that Man United effectively manage its commercial operations but could significantly enhance their investments in the squad.
His perspectives on recruitment may raise questions regarding the future roles of Arnold and Murtough. Arnold, the most influential executive at United, holds overall responsibility for recruitment, while Murtough leads the effort in identifying potential targets. As part of his £1.3 billion offer for a quarter share of United, Ratcliffe, the owner of Ineos, aims to gain control over the football department, specifically the transfer decisions being made by the club.
Will He Take Control Of The Football Department At Old Trafford?
The Ineos during his presentation in the Jimmy Murphy Centre at the club’s Carrington training base implied that United’s recent player acquisitions might not have always been the wisest decisions. To illustrate this, he cited the signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid for €60 million in the prior August as an example. Casemiro, a 30-year-old midfielder, was awarded a four-year contract worth approximately £350,000 per week.
Numerous decisions made by the leadership at Manchester United have raised doubts, including their choice to retain Fred, who failed to meet expectations and was only released last summer. Furthermore, the Red Devils only made a significant signing this year by acquiring Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount to strengthen their attack. Relying on players like Anthony Martial for the attack and the entrusting the midfield to Christian Eriksen, who have notably underperformed, also invites scrutiny.
Should Ratcliffe take control of the transfer decisions, then we could certainly see the Red Devils make some wise decisions at least financially. During the same summer that saw Casemiro join Manchester United, Nice, the club owned by Ratcliffe, made over 10 signings, including Aaron Ramsey, Kasper Schmeichel, and Ross Barkley.
Schmeichel, at the age of 35, signed a three-year contract in a £1 million transfer from Leicester, while Ramsey and Barkley joined on free transfers with one-year contracts. All three players departed from Nice this past summer. This proves that Ratcliffe is more than capable of making prudent transfer decisions. However, it is highly unlikely that the Glazers would entertain this possibility as they would still hold the majority of the shares at Old Trafford.
