Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to assume a “hands on” role in the restructure of Manchester United‘s football department – but any move for Newcastle United director of football Dan Ashworth will be met with fierce resistance at St James’ Park.
United’s board will meet on Thursday morning to vote on proceeding with Ratcliffe’s proposal to take a 25 per cent stake in the club in return for control over its football operations.
No issues are anticipated as the ten-month takeover process finally reaches a conclusion, even if it is one that comes with the contentious prospect of the Glazers remaining in majority control.
“We are in the end game now,” one source close to the process told i. But in reality, the hard work starts here for Ratcliffe and his team of football advisors.
Although the INEOS camp are reticent to get drawn on the exact details of the agreement or how much work remains to be done on the structure of the deal, there is an acknowledgement that Ratcliffe has done his homework ahead of becoming a co-owner. And he has strong ideas about what needs to be done at Old Trafford to make them competitive again.
While faith remains in manager Erik ten Hag despite a downturn in results this season, there are expected to be wholesale changes at executive level.
Ratcliffe’s due diligence on where the Red Devils are falling behind will have identified recruitment as a major failing and the spotlight will undoubtedly fall on director of football John Murtough and chief executive Richard Arnold.
The squad looks unbalanced and disjointed, the result of several different managers being backed expensively in the transfer market. Worse still, many of those no longer in favour are on long contracts that interested clubs are not prepared to match. Ratcliffe himself accused the club of being the “dumb money” in 2019 and in truth little has changed since then.
A proposed restructure of football operations is one potential solution with a new director of football possible.
Likely candidates include Paul Mitchell, who has recently left Monaco and is based in Manchester, and former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards.
And Ratcliffe has been greatly impressed by the work done by Ashworth, who has overseen the second phase of Newcastle’s development after their 2021 takeover by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.
Any approach would most likely fail, i understands. The Magpies no longer see themselves as a stepping stone club and in addition to huge compensation that any rival would need to pay to poach Ashworth, there is confidence he would not be interested in leaving Newcastle at such an important stage in their development.
Indeed i understands that Ashworth is committed to his role in the North East and is “fully invested” in a sporting project that aims to secure the club a place in Europe’s elite.
Although Newcastle are playing Champions League football this season they remain – in relative terms – in the early stages of the club’s transformation.
Ashworth is engaged in a huge and well-financed restructure of Newcastle’s football operations, including a total overhaul of scouting systems and the integration of a new data department into decision-making.
He is also putting a new overseas scouting network into place. As i reported last week, a new partnership with Northern Irish side Larne FC is a model the club are looking to replicate in other countries.
It is typical of the sort of challenges Ratcliffe and INEOS are set to face when they finally get the keys to Old Trafford. There are no easy wins and a pack of well-funded, smart rivals who have overtaken United in recent years are not likely to take any approaches for key men lying down.
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