A lot of behind-the-scene changes are expected at Manchester United as Sir Jim Ratcliffe edges closer to acquiring a 25 percent stake of the club.
The deeply unpopular Glazer family had announced a strategic review last November and now after a year, the fans are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
While most supporters would have wanted to see a complete sale, the INEOS chairman decided to break the impasse with a minority bid first with the view of taking complete control within the next two years.
Ratcliffe might not get the chance to salvage United’s season in January
The British billionaire is expected to take control of sporting matters once the deal gets ratified by the United board and once that is done, a lot of old personnel are expected to leave with INEOS bringing in their own set of people.
United’s transfer activity has been largely hit-and-miss under the American family with different managers assembling an expensive but dysfunctional bunch of players.
Ratcliffe’s entry is scheduled to change that with a core team in place that will handle matters from now on with many outlets reporting United are eyeing multiple additions to the squad as early as January.
However, as per The Telegraph, the INEOS chairman is set to face yet another delay thanks to the Premier League before he can pump in money to help the club.
And the latest report suggests he might not get a chance to help manager Erik ten Hag with the delay set to be anything between six to eight weeks.
Personnel changes in order once Ratcliffe enters
“There will be a gap of between six to eight weeks between the Ratcliffe deal being announced by United and then ratified by the Premier League, during which time the Oldham-born billionaire will be unable to contribute to club operations.”
The Telegraph also revealed that once the deal gets ratified, the Glazers are set to pocket around £650 million after selling their Class B shares to Ratcliffe.
Among the likely personnel changes at the club, Jean-Claude Blanc, a leading figure at INEOS Sport and formerly chief executive at Juventus and a senior member of the Paris St-Germain board, is in the running to succeed Richard Arnold.
Football director John Murtough is also skating on thin ice with former Crystal Palace man Dougie Freedman and ex-Monaco chief Paul Mitchell among the early contenders.