Man United set to enter a new Ratcliffe era with spotlight on January transfers

Fans of Manchester United know 2024 will be anything but boring as the club tries once again to end a period of onfield decline that has lasted 10 years for the record 20time English league champions British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe agreed Sunday Christmas Eve to buy a minority stake in United The owner of petrochemicals giant INEOS and several sports teams will also take charge of Uniteds soccer operationsThe announcement of the deal worth around 16 billion came more than a year after American owners the Glazers put United up for sale in November 2022 The deal requires Premier League approvalAlso Read Sunil Gavaskar A valiant Indian batsman of his timeHeres a look at the people involved and issues likely to be raised by the deal including the future of United manager Erik ten HagJIM RATCLIFFEThe 71yearold Ratcliffe is one of the richest people in Britain and a boyhood United fan from Greater Manchester He already owns the French club Nice and cycling team INEOS Grenadiers He is a onethird shareholder of the MercedesAMG Petronas Formula One team and competes in the Americas Cup with sailing team INEOS BritanniaWe all want to see Manchester United back where we belong at the very top of English European and world football Ratcliffe saidFans will welcome such talk but want it to be backed up with resultsRatcliffe has paid 13 billion for up to 2537 of the club and will invest a further 300 million for iquestfuture investment into Old Trafford United saidRatcliffe will provide 200 million upon completion of the deal and a further 100 million by the end of 2024 That additional investment will eventually take Ratcliffes stake up to 2937 The Glazers will have a 4937 stake under the dealTEN HAGThe Dutch manager has endured a troubled season with his team losing 13 games in all competitions and being eliminated from the Champions League at the earliest possible stageHe has faced reports of locker room unrest and speculation about his job but there has been no suggestion from United that his position is under threat and he said this month that he believes he has the backing of the clubs hierarchy Still his relief was evident as United came back from 20 down against Aston Villa to win 32 in the Premier League on TuesdayAfterwards Ten Hag was positive about the arrival of Ratcliffe They have a lot of experience in sport at the highest level F1 a cycling team football clubs he said They can only help us and support us to reach our targets We are looking forward They want to work with us and we want to work with themAlso ReadSA in drivers seat ElgarJansen guide hosts to 3927 at lunch on Day 3SOCCER OPERATIONSRatcliffe will take charge of Uniteds failing soccer department How that will work in practice is one of the biggest questions After more than 20 years of success under former manager Alex Ferguson United hasnt won the title since he retired in 2013 Ten Hag is the fifth permanent manager United has had in repeated attempts to turn its fortunes aroundINEOSs director of sport Dave Brailsford who was at the Villa game and CEO JeanClaude Blanc will join the board of the soccer club Brailsford was credited for his role in the success of British cycling in recent years Blanc has held prominent positions at Juventus and Paris SaintGermain INEOS CFO John Reece and chairman of INEOS Sport Rob Nevin will join the board of Uniteds PLC which is listed on the New York Stock ExchangeJANUARY TRANSFERSAs the deal is expected to take up to 10 weeks to go through Ratcliffe will not be in place in time for the January transfer window He will however be consulted on any major soccer decisions such as transfers and the future of Ten HagMembers of Ratcliffes team have already visited Uniteds training ground and discussed operations It is likely they will have already been consulted on plans for January and possible signingsIt is not yet known how football director John Murtoughs position will be affected by Ratcliffes investment but the clubs recruitment operations will be part of the INEOS owners remit under the new structureDIVIDENDSIt has been agreed that no dividends will be taken for a period of three years with investment in the team and infrastructure said to be the immediate priorityOld Trafford is in need of modernization while Ten Hags squad still looks well short of rivals like Manchester City Arsenal and Liverpool after suffering early elimination from the Champions LeagueFULL SALEThere is no obligation for the Glazers to sell any further shares to Ratcliffe But Ratcliffe does have right of first refusal if any further shares are sold within a year of the deal being completed If the Glazers choose to sell the entire club to a third party after 18 months of the deal being completed Ratcliffe would be forced to sell his shares subject to them being priced at a minimum of 33 per shareThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its 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