Richard Arnold ‘to leave’ Man Utd after Sir Jim Ratcliffe deal as successor eyed
Man Utd reveal Premier League record annual revenue but still make loss
Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold is likely to leave his role if Sir Jim Ratcliffe completes a £1.4billion deal for 25 per cent of the club, according to reports. Sir Jim and INEOS are expected to make changes to United’s football department if they reach an agreement with the Glazer family, and Arnold is set to fall victim.
According to The Athletic, Arnold’s future has been discussed as Sir Jim closes in on investment into United, which is expected to include total sporting control at Old Trafford.
Sir Jim plans to overhaul the club’s structure, and Arnold is said to understand that the writing is on the wall less than two years after replacing Ed Woodward as CEO in February 2022.
Arnold will continue to lead the club while the 71-year-old businessman remains locked in talks with the Glazers over starting what he hopes will be a phased takeover.
And it’s claimed that the timeline of his departure remains unclear once INEOS takes hold of United’s football decisions.
But the report adds that Jean-Claude Blanc, who joined INEOS to oversee the petrochemical giant’s sporting projects, is being considered as Arnold’s replacement, permanently or on an interim basis.
Click here to join our Man Utd WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive Red Devils news.
READ MORE Man Utd’s Jadon Sancho showed true colours after being left out of Bayern trip[NEWS]
Blanc is Juventus’ former chief executive, who left a high-ranking role at Paris Saint-Germain last December to join Sir Jim’s team striving for sporting excellence.
Woodward left his role as United’s CEO amid severe backlash following the European Super League’s collapse in April 2021.
Arnold, who has heavily contributed to United’s commercial growth since 2007, replaced him and took steps to make the club more Manchester-based, working from Old Trafford compared to Woodward’s London office.
After years of mismanagement under Woodward, he vowed to allow football people to make football decisions, naming John Murtough United’s first football director.
- Advert-free experience without interruptions.
- Rocket-fast speedy loading pages.
- Exclusive & Unlimited access to all our content.
Murtough’s role will also be under threat if Sir Jim and INEOS take sporting control, with replacements already reportedly being lined up.
Paul Mitchell is being touted as the frontrunner to replace Murtough, having returned to Manchester earlier this year after leaving his role at AS Monaco.
Former Liverpool chiefs Michael Edwards and Julian Ward have also been discussed, with Sir Jim keen to further streamline United’s operations.
The Failsworth-born businessman hasn’t reached an agreement with the Glazers yet, though, with face-to-face talks between the two parties over the complicated deal continuing.
Source: Read Full Article