Erik ten Hag insists he would not have accepted the Manchester United manager's role if the structure at the club was not right.
15.10.2023 - 10:11 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Finally, after almost 12 months of speculation, there appears to be an end in sight to the Manchester United takeover saga.
After Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani pulled out of the bidding race on Saturday evening, British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is now in pole position to invest in the club. He wants to secure a minority stake, amounting to 25 per cent.
For United's fans, however, it means the Glazers will retain full control of the club. Ratcliffe, though, will be hoping to make his mark by pouring money into the club and giving the supporters a much-needed boost.
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Over the course of the last 11 months, United's supporters, understandably, have demanded that only a full sale would suffice. They are desperate for the Glazers' time in office, which has spanned more than 18 years, to come to an end as soon as possible.
But now Sheikh Jassim is out of the running, Ratcliffe, certainly currently, is United's only hope of fresh investment, even though it will not be on the same level as the Qatari was promising. Though Sheikh Jassim's bid, certainly on paper, appeared promising, there was no guarantee that simply throwing billions of pounds at the project would have resulted in success.
The same goes for Ratcliffe and the likelihood of him wanting to loosen the purse strings. United, regardless of who is in charge of the money box, need to be sensible in their approach.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has spent north of £1billion on transfers in just three windows. The Londoners are currently 11th in the Premier League table.
It goes to show that simply throwing money around willy-nilly
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