Erik ten Hag will reportedly ‘welcome’ Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s plans of an overhaul at Manchester United, with the Dutch manager unhappy with how his side have recruited over the past 18 months. Following Sheikh Jassim’s withdrawal from the bidding process for the purchase of United, Ratcliffe is hopeful of acquiring a 25 per cent stake in the Red Devils and talks are set to continue with the Glazer family over the coming days.
The INEOS owner was previously keen to complete a full takeover of United but was not willing to match the valuation of £10 billion. Instead, the 70-year-old recently altered his bid in the hope of obtaining a minority share in the club for a fee of approximately £1.3bn.
As part of the negotiations with the Glazers, Ratcliffe is said to have made it clear that he would like to oversee the footballing side of the operation and allow the American family to take a backseat from focusing on on-field matters.
Ratcliffe will arrive with the intention of shaking up the ranks and bringing in his own members of staff, with a significant focus on improving the transfer dealings of the club. According to the Daily Mail, Ten Hag will give the plans his seal of approval after being left ‘frustrated’ by the club’s recruitment since his arrival in England.
The ex-Ajax manager has been aggravated by how his side have conducted their business over the last 18 months, with a lack of clarity from the higher powers at the club being a key factor in the frustrations.
No clear-cut budgets has been a major source of Ten Hag’s annoyance, with the lack of definite figures making it difficult for United to prepare for windows and identify attainable targets. The Glazers initially ruled that United would only be able to spend £60million over the summer but eventually splashed almost £180m on new recruits.
Thus, the prospect of Ratcliffe joining the club and bridging the gap between ownership and management is expected to be welcomed by Ten Hag. The potential investor is expected to bring in his own sporting director and build upon the foundations already in place to avoid recruitment being a cause for concern going forward.
Although United are ‘confident’ that their transfer set-up has improved over the past few years, performances on the pitch are yet to justify such claims and performances by new signings, such as Andre Onana, have only prompted further conversations recently about the strategies in place and the data being used to highlight targets.
