Bellingham is not a headline star that Man United will sign: Ratcliffe, a co-owner
In an attempt to turn around his team’s financial situation, Jim Ratcliffe, the co-owner of Manchester United, has stated he will not pursue big-name players like Jude Bellingham.
Upon acquiring a 25% share in the Premier League team for £1bn ($1.2bn), Ratcliffe assumed leadership of the football department at United.
Upon acquiring a 25% share in the Premier League team for £1bn ($1.2bn), Ratcliffe assumed leadership of the football department at United.
It was anticipated that British businessman Ratcliffe would make high-profile additions in the offseason as United was having trouble in manager Erik ten Hag’s second season. Despite being in sixth place and having not won the Premier League since 2013, United advanced to the FA Cup semifinals after defeating Liverpool on Sunday. During his guest appearance on Geraint Thomas’ Cycling Club podcast, the 71-year-old was asked if he would attempt to recruit Real Madrid’s England midfielder Bellingham.
He plays football really well. Ratcliffe stated, “It’s not where our focus is, and the solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a few outstanding players. “They have invested a significant amount of money in a few outstanding players during the past ten years.
“Getting the right people in the right positions to manage and organize the club is the first thing we need to do. We also need to make sure that recruitment is done correctly, as it is a crucial aspect of modern football.”
‘Not clever buying Mbappe’
Later in the podcast, Ratcliffe was given a choice of signing France forward Kylian Mbappe for United or cyclist Tadej Pogacar for his
INEOS team.
“I would rather sign the next Mbappe rather than spend a fortune buying success,” he said. Mbappe has reportedly agreed to join Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this season. But even if he was available, the superstar doesn’t fit the bill for Ratcliffe.
‘Not clever buying Mbappe’
Later in the podcast, Ratcliffe was given a choice of signing France forward Kylian Mbappe for United or cyclist Tadej Pogacar for his
INEOS team.
“I would rather sign the next Mbappe rather than spend a fortune buying success,” he said. Mbappe has reportedly agreed to join Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this season. But even if he was available, the superstar doesn’t fit the bill for Ratcliffe.
“It’s not that clever buying Mbappe. Anyone could figure that one out. More challenging is to find the next Mbappe or next Bellingham or next Roy Keane,” he said. As he conducts wide-ranging review of United’s football operation, Ratcliffe is working with his long-term assistant Dave Brailsford, with Omar Berrada eventually coming in as chief executive from Manchester City.
Ratcliffe made it his goal to knock Manchester City and Liverpool from their position as the Premier League’s preeminent forces, but he acknowledged achieving that target will be a long journey.
Ratcliffe made it his goal to knock Manchester City and Liverpool from their position as the Premier League’s preeminent forces, but he acknowledged achieving that target will be a long journey.
“The two people who are most focused on it would be Dave and myself, in terms of how we resolve it all,” Ratcliffe said. “We’ve now got Omar Berrada of course, our new CEO from Manchester City, who is still on gardening leave at the moment, he’ll be a big part of it. It’s Dave and myself really. You have to believe with Manchester Utd, if we get all the details right, all the right people in the right boxes, doing the right things in the right environment, that sporting elite environment that the results will drop out the bottom.
“As we have made quite clear, such things are not appropriate at Manchester United right now. It’s a much longer path to travel because there are so many facets to it; it’s not like flipping on a light switch.
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