The Ineos Group, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has secured a deal to purchase a quarter of Manchester United. Despite the majority of shares remaining with the Glazer family, Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group now takes control of the club’s football operations. It is the first time since 2005 that a group outside of the family has held such a significant stake. BBC Sport has been told it will be six-to-eight weeks before the shareholding is ratified and Ratcliffe can make his presence felt.
Aside from managing recent controversies, Ratcliffe’s areas of focus will include transfer market strategy, the future of United manager Erik ten Hag, and the Jadon Sancho issue. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, club owners have been less willing to invest their own money into buying players, and so Ratcliffe may need to make more frugal decisions in the January transfer window. While ten Hag’s position has not yet been called into question, the team’s recent struggles have highlighted the manager’s need for results.
Perhaps the most pressing issue, however, is the stadium’s environment itself. United’s home games have faced significant criticism for a variety of reasons, including netting over certain seats and protests by the club’s supporters. Additionally, damage to the pitch sometimes even impacts the play. These are not simply cosmetic concerns; they can contribute to the team’s morale as well.
United’s position in the Premier League only exacerbates these issues. The club has already lost as many matches as they did in the entirety of the 2020-21 season and is 12 points behind league leaders Arsenal. The team will play top-four clubs Tottenham and Aston Villa in their next three matches, offering the best chance to see whether ten Hag has created a cohesive team from the £400m worth of transfers in his three years as manager. With the bulk of shares still remaining with the Glazers, Ratcliffe’s tenure at Manchester United is unlikely to drastically change the club’s long-embedded issues overnight
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