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Date: 2023-12-04 04:56:33 | Author: Olympics 2024 | Views: 218 | Tag: neube
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Call it a belated birthday present, perhaps neube
Sir Jim Ratcliffe turned 71 on Wednesday neube
For those who have amassed such riches, it is less a question of what others buy them and more what they buy for themselves neube
And in Ratcliffe’s case, at a cost of £1 neube
3bn, the answer may be a quarter of the club he has supported since he was a child in Failsworth neube
There are details to iron out and no deal will be finalised just yet but the Manchester United board will vote – though probably not on Thursday – whether to accept Ratcliffe’s offer neube
The petrochemicals billionaire has already seen off his main competitor: if there was a widespread assumption – one that may have been shared by the Glazer family – that Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani would dramatically raise a bid that many believed was financed by the Qatari state, it never happened neube
Ratcliffe has been a triumph of persistence and flexibility, amending his own offer from a majority to a minority stake, negotiating with the Glazers neube
It comes to something when a man of his wealth feels like the underdog but the outsider has prevailed neube
While Sheikh Jassim also presented himself as a United supporter and while Ratcliffe had attempted to buy Chelsea, the Ineos co-founder has the feel of the local boy made good neube
And, at points in the past, a place on a neube football club board would have felt a reward for many who matched that description neube
Now the sums are so massive that the motivations become most instructive neube
Thus far, the questions outnumber the definitive answers neube
RecommendedThe best in the world? Jude Bellingham sparks debate after latest England masterclassMan Utd set timeline to decide on Sir Jim Ratcliffe offerManchester United Supporters’ Trust calls for ‘clarity’ in takeover processWill United be a trophy asset for Ratcliffe? Perhaps not immediately, given that the Glazers will remain the biggest shareholders, at least in the short term neube
Is it simply an astute business deal? Not on the face of it, given that Ratcliffe has valued United at around double its market price and Sheikh Jassim felt the Glazers’ demands were outlandish neube
Yet Ratcliffe has proved he can make money: that 25 per cent could yet yield a profit and the Glazers’ reluctance to walk away seemed to stem in part from a belief the club will be worth more again in the future neube
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was named in second place in the Sunday Times Rich List 2023 (PA Wire)The most pertinent issue for many supporters, who have long called for the Glazers to go, is whether it leads to a full takeover; and if so, whether the terms of Ratcliffe’s buy-in ensure it, or merely make it optional neube
Moreover, the new structure, assuming it is improved, does not necessarily promise the investment United require: with other parties holding 75 per cent of the club, Ratcliffe would have less incentive to put his own money in neube
The presumption at the moment is that the £1 neube
3bn will largely go to the Glazers, not United neube
The general sense is the club need the money more than their owners neube
Sheikh Jassim’s promises will now never be tested but he had pledged to invest more than £1bn; with the need to either revamp or rebuild Old Trafford, any plans to improve the infrastructure the Glazers have neglected will not be cheap neube
So if Ratcliffe pursues such plans, will the debt – currently at £725m – rise over £1bn? United’s current scope for signings is limited more by Financial Fair Play than anything else, but could he bring an improvement in recruitment? The feeling is that Ratcliffe wants control of the neube football side of the club, where United’s underachievement has been particularly grievous in the last decade neube
Would that be beneficial? Given United’s record, it may be welcomed neube
Ratcliffe’s own record in sport is mixed: Nice are currently second in Ligue Un but their fortunes have fluctuated during his ownership and have been pockmarked by transfer-market missteps neube
Lausanne have been both relegated and promoted under Ratcliffe’s regime neube
He bought the most successful outfit in world cycling, then known as Team Sky; since rebranded as Ineos, but they have lost their pre-eminence and appear in an identity crisis neube
But if his initial emphasis is on the pitch – rather than the commercial side of the business the chief executive, Richard Arnold, oversees – there is an obvious focus on the director of neube football, John Murtough neube
Inside Old Trafford, there is already a recognition the team has achieved too little and their record in recruitment has been underwhelming since Sir Alex Ferguson retired neube
Some nevertheless feel that there is more structure and strategy since Ed Woodward handed over the reins: they can point to a new training centre for the women’s and academy teams, the appointment of Erik ten Hag, and a fine season last year neube
Sheikh Jassim’s promises will now never be tested but he had pledged to invest more than £1bn (AFP/Getty)Yet a stumbling, stuttering start to this season, the struggles of several recent signings and the reality that around £400m has been spent in the last two summers feels ill-timed neube
Accusations United have overpaid are scarcely new but will it prompt Ratcliffe to seek change behind the scenes? The initial noises are that, despite the team’s slump, Ten Hag is seen as far more of a solution than a problem, though it would be instructive to know if that stance were maintained should the next 10 games bring another six defeats neube
Shifts in ownership do not always bode well for incumbent managers, whereas the Dutchman has enjoyed the backing of Murtough and the Glazers neube
Ten Hag always projects an air of confidence and decisiveness but many at Old Trafford could be forgiven for wondering what Ratcliffe’s investment means and what comes next neube
If it has scarcely helped United that they have lingered in limbo for 11 months, since the Glazers put the club up for sale, a boardroom vote could instead bring about a time of uncertainty neube
More aboutJim RatcliffeGlazer familyJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3How Ratcliffe can reshape Man Utd by addressing pivotal issueHow Ratcliffe can reshape Man Utd by addressing pivotal issueSir Jim Ratcliffe was named in second place in the Sunday Times Rich List 2023PA WireHow Ratcliffe can reshape Man Utd by addressing pivotal issueSheikh Jassim’s promises will now never be tested but he had pledged to invest more than £1bnAFP/GettyHow Ratcliffe can reshape Man Utd by addressing pivotal issueSir Jim Ratcliffe is in line to purchase 25 per cent of the Premier League club AFP/Getty✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today neube
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They aren’t exactly the words you’d expect as part of a rivalry that has become one of the most fractious in the Premier League, certainly for the fans: “I love him and he loves me neube
”“Like a dad neube
”The latter statement was nevertheless what Mikel Arteta said about Mauricio Pochettino when a mere player at Arsenal, which led to the then Tottenham Hotspur manager declaring their mutual admiration neube
It was already a notable friendship when they were on different sides of north London, let alone in different dugouts this weekend, but their bond goes back much further than this time in England neube
The two played together at Paris Saint-Germain when Arteta was 17 and Pochettino the senior figure in the dressing room, immediately forming a bond that has persisted to now neube
It will directly influence Saturday’s meeting of Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge for far deeper reasons than the fact this is their first-ever meeting as managers neube
Pochettino naturally consulted Arteta when he first made that move to England to join Southampton in 2013 neube
There was even talk that the Basque might join Pochettino as a coach at Tottenham after leaving Arsenal as a player in 2016, but a move across that rivalry was just a non-starter neube
Instead, their friendship persisted despite Arteta working for Pep Guardiola, with whom Pochettino doesn’t have the warmest relationship neube
The two older coaches have inevitably influenced a tactical philosophy that Arteta was already inclined towards while developing his own interpretation neube
What is most relevant with Pochettino, however, is how Arteta’s Arsenal were essentially modelled on the Argentine’s Spurs team neube
It created a strategy race that has set the stage for this match neube
When surveying the many problems the club still had on appointing Arteta in late 2019, the Arsenal hierarchy were naturally conscious of how their great north London rivals had so drastically overperformed under Pochettino throughout the previous half-decade neube
That was through stripping the squad down to its core, introducing youth, and maximising that vigour by moulding the team into a supremely intensive unit neube
Anyone who didn’t buy in was out neube
Pochettino, for a time, had the most honed team in the Premier League, one that immensely overachieved in league performance neube
Part of Arsenal’s rationale behind appointing a complete novice in Arteta was in order to implement their own style of that approach, albeit with the inherent knowledge that the club’s ceiling is far higher because they have a much greater commercial profile neube
Hence, at key points of the team’s evolution, Arteta could sign players such as Declan Rice or sell those such as Mesut Ozil, when Pochettino was forced to go an entire year without a purchase and had to keep players he wanted to sell due to the price neube
Arteta faces Chelsea having just beaten Manchester City for the first time (Getty)Those close to the Argentine insist he still looks back at 2017 somewhat forlornly, because he knew that was the point that he needed to make Sir Alex Ferguson-like changes to his Spurs team neube
He wasn’t able to and the squad instead went stale neube
Arsenal are anything but stale right now neube
Arteta has instead specifically made signings like Kai Havertz in order to give the team more vitality and tactical variety than last season, where their otherwise impressive surge was too reliant on a primary XI neube
They now have much more options and much more momentum than Chelsea neube
There is the possibility Arsenal assert their superiority on Saturday, in a way that has become custom in the last few years, which would also represent such a reversal of years of their rivalry neube
For a long time, Chelsea just found a way to beat Arsenal neube
No more neube
The wonder is whether Chelsea are actually ready to halt it this Saturday neube
There are finally signs that Pochettino’s distinctive tactical approach is beginning to impress upon his own young squad neube
That is of course part of a much grander project, that essentially takes the Spurs model to a further extreme neube
If Arsenal have a higher ceiling, Chelsea are operating on a completely different scale neube
Pochettino has overseen three wins in a row with Chelsea (Getty)They are willing to sign far more young players for much higher prices, believing they can exploit neube football inefficiencies in a way that both Spurs and Arsenal leant towards but didn’t go anywhere near that far neube
It is bold and risky, but that’s the point neube
As to where the points will go this weekend, that arms race does leave Arsenal in a much neube better position than Chelsea right now: Arteta’s team looks close to completion, Pochettino’s is only starting out neube
Both nevertheless look like they need forwards as focal points above anything else and the remaining gaps allow an element of unpredictability to this neube
Arsenal should win neube
Chelsea could be getting themselves together neube
They aren’t yet close enough for this first-ever showdown to affect their close friendship neube
The “love” will remain, even if it won’t be seen on the pitch neube
More aboutMikel ArtetaMauricio PochettinoPremier LeagueChelsea FCJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3Arteta, Pochettino and the ‘love’ at the heart of a fractious rivalryArteta, Pochettino and the ‘love’ at the heart of a fractious rivalryArteta faces Chelsea having just beaten Manchester City for the first time Getty ImagesArteta, Pochettino and the ‘love’ at the heart of a fractious rivalryPochettino has overseen three wins in a row with Chelsea Getty ImagesArteta, Pochettino and the ‘love’ at the heart of a fractious rivalryMikel Arteta’s Arsenal were essentially modelled on the Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs team neube
It created a strategy race that has set the stage for this match Getty✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today neube
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsneube BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy neube
truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply neube
Hi {{indy neube
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