Dale O’Donnell, Stretty News
The biggest concern Manchester United fans have with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority stake proposal is that the Glazers will remain. I don’t believe the sporting side can be successful without the right people managing the financial side.
Should Ratcliffe’s £1.3bn offer be ratified at the board meeting on Thursday, the real negotiations will follow, which means it could still go either way for the multi-billionaire Ineos founder.
That is why I would urge fans to be patient and wait for the specifics to be announced before completely losing faith in what Ratcliffe’s intentions are for the club.
Fans were happy when the Glazers announced a strategic review almost 11 months ago, but they didn’t get the quick sale they wanted. Now, with Qatar completely out of the race, we can only hope Ratcliffe’s attempt to buy a 25% stake is the beginning of the end for the American family at Old Trafford.
United have become more idle than before during this takeover process and, after 18 years of Glazer ownership, many full-time employees are unhappy about the uncertainty surrounding their futures.
Moreover, manager Erik ten Hag has had to deal with a lot of off-field issues since joining the club, but the ownership situation has been nothing but a hindrance given the lack of clarity over targets and budgets.
Is this a new dawn for Manchester United? I hope so, but a cultural reset cannot be implemented until the Glazers are run out of town.
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