With Richard Arnold’s tenure as CEO of Manchester United six weeks from ending, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS company are already moving swiftly to replace him.
Sir Jim’s 25% investment in United is expected to be announced any day now and it has been widely reported that he has insisted on full control over footballing matters, and it seems, on the hierarchy responsible.
The club announced Arnold’s departure today and although Patrick Stewart has been put in temporary charge, it is expected that Ratcliffe will install a permanent replacement of his own.
According to footmercato.com’s Par Santi Aouna, that will be “Jean Claude Blanc, current general manager of INEOS Sport and former manager of Juventus and PSG.”
Arnold’s head is not the only one expected to roll, however. Expectations are that director of football, John Murtough, will also be relieved of his duties, or at least moved sideways into a more administrative role.
As for who will take that vital role, the word on the street has been that former AS Monaco man, Paul Mitchell, is a shoo-in for the job. However, Santi Aouna also namedrops a very prestigious figure, Michael Edwards, as well.
“According to our information, the former sporting director of AS Monaco Paul Mitchell holds the rope just like Michael Edwards, the former sporting director of… and secret architect of Jurgen Klopp’s great Liverpool,” Aouna claims.
Edwards is probably considered one of the leading sporting directors in the world but Santi Aouna’s claim is something of a surprise as it has been, again, widely reported that he has ruled himself out of contention for the role within a single club.
Edwards has set up a consultancy firm and is understood to be keen on offering services to several clubs on that freelance basis.
Santi Aouna also believes that director of football operations at United, David Harrison, will also be receiving his P45 but the reporter does not offer a name set to replace him.
Questions will also be raised about Darren Fletcher’s role as technical director.
It would certainly be expected that Ratcliffe would want a new broom to sweep clean the corridors of power at Old Trafford, especially given the appalling track record on all footballing fronts in recent years. The names being cited by Aouna will certainly come as music to the ears of United fans who are used to theirc lub being run by people with no football pedigree.