Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s stance on Erik ten Hag’s future and direct role in Man Utd decisions
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has beaten Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani in the race to strike a deal with the Glazers, as INEOS are set to buy 25 per cent of Manchester United
Erik ten Hag is under pressure at Manchester United
Sir Jim Ratcliffe won’t be putting Erik ten Hag’s future under the microscope once his company, INEOS, complete their 25 per cent acquisition of Manchester United.
Ratcliffe, 70, is poised to complete a £1.4billion deal to own a quarter of the club next week once United chiefs ratify the proposal at a board meeting. INEOS are then expected to be in control of football operations at Old Trafford, despite the Glazer family retaining majority ownership.
The success of Ratcliffe’s offer, which is the first step in what Britain’s second-richest man hopes to be a staged takeover, comes after rival bidder Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani formally pulled out of the race on Saturday. The Qatari banker’s final offer is reported to have been worth more than $6bn (£4.9bn) but the Glazers rejected it.
Sheikh Jassim’s withdrawal means that Ratcliffe is the only remaining bidder 11 months after United were put on the market in November 2022. The INEOS founder and chief executive appears to be wasting no time in his efforts to help bring the glory days back to Old Trafford, having insisted on being in charge of sporting matters should his petrochemical conglomerate become a minority but significant shareholder.
**Mirror Football ** understands that Ratcliffe - who’s been the owner of French side Nice and Swiss Super League team FC Lausanne-Sport through INEOS since 2019 and 2017 respectively - will soon oversee player incomings and departures, as well as that of the management, coaching and football staff.
Ten Hag’s job is understood to be safe, however, despite the Red Devils suffering their worst start to a season in 34 years. Ratcliffe met the Dutchman and shared a brief exchange while visiting United’s training base, Carrington, in March for detailed negotiations with club officials.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe will have control over Manchester United’s football operations (
Image:
PA)
Meanwhile, the Times report that Ratcliffe’s overall valuation of the club is higher than Sheikh Jassim’s, giving him the edge in what’s been an exhausting and complex takeover race. The INEOS deal has received backlash from supporters who are demanding a full sale, but Ratcliffe and co want to make significant changes at the club to reassure fans that United are being turned around.
A man who also made the trip to Manchester and is expected to play a key role in the changing of the guard at Old Trafford is INEOS’ director of sport, Sir David Brailsford.
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Having spent 11 highly successful years in charge of British cycling, Brailsford heads up INEOS’ sporting empire which includes being the principal partner of Mercedes in Formula 1 and the performance partner of New Zealand’s national rugby union teams.
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