Ratcliffe identifies £70m signing as Man Utd’s biggest transfer mistake
Suraj Radia
- 18 Oct 2023 11:00 BST
- 4 min read
Sir Jim Ratcliffe singled out Manchester United’s purchase of Casemiro last summer as an example of the club’s ‘questionable’ recruitment in recent years as the billionaire closes in becoming a minority owner at Old Trafford.
United shelled out £70 million on Casemiro, giving the 31-year-old a four-year contract that makes him amongst the highest earners at the club and the Brazilian has endured a steep decline in fitness and performances this season compared to his impressive debut campaign.
Ratcliffe is set to strike a deal with the Glazer family for 25% ownership in United worth around £1.4 billion, with the club likely to vote in the INEOS CEO – Britain’s richest man – at a board meeting on Thursday.
INSIGHT: What can fans expect from Sir Jim Ratcliffe's takeover?
A report by The Guardian claims that Ratcliffe has no issues with United’s commercial operation but raised concerns about their recruitment in a presentation given to him in front of club directors in March.
In particular, Ratcliffe highlighted the Casemiro signing as an area where United could have been more prudent with their spending, which may call the futures of chief executive Richard Arnold and footballing director John Murtough.
Ratcliffe is believed to have made his offer for United on the condition that he can has control over the club’s footballing department, having owned French club Nice since 2019.
United’s poor return on huge investment
United have had the highest net spend in global football across the past decade, having splashed more than £1.6bn on players despite having no major European or league titles to show for it.
The Red Devils also have one of the highest wage bills in the world while they have failed to sell their players for significant sums, receiving less than £500m in sales since 2014.
STATS: Man Utd are the WORST club in the world at selling players
Those poor margins are among the issues Ratcliffe is thought to have with the club’s recruitment, something which is also believed to have concerned manager Erik ten Hag.
While Ten Hag has been backed by the club since his appointment last summer, with only Chelsea outspending United in that time, the budget available to the Dutchman has never been clear from the outset, leading to confusion and delays during the transfer windows.
So, Jim Ratcliffe will purchase 25% of United if ratified by the board. Presumably, that could be an equal split among the 6 Glazers and the major class A NYSE shareholders (3.57% from each) so they have parity in the share value.
If that was the case, it would mean Ratcliffe… pic.twitter.com/7MQF4Xej3R— United Peoples TV (@UnitedPeoplesTV) October 17, 2023
In the case of Casemiro, United had been pursuing Frenkie de Jong for the majority of the summer and only pivoted to the Brazilian after a poor start to the season and upon being rejected by numerous players, leading to a costly outlay that is already showing signs of ageing poorly.
