MX23RW : Tuesday, January 21 00:13:51| >> :120:26983:26983:

Man United chief Richard Arnold to leave after Sir Jim Ratcliffe takeover?

Man United chief Richard Arnold to leave after Sir Jim Ratcliffe takeover?
© Reuters
Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly preparing to remove Richard Arnold from his position as Manchester United's CEO should a takeover of the Red Devils be completed.

Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold is reportedly expected to leave his position at the club should Jim Ratcliffe's minority takeover of the club be completed.

Arnold took over from former CEO Ed Woodward in the early stages of 2022 and has overseen the operations of the Red Devils as the future of the club's ownership remains in the balance.

The Old Trafford side have seen bids from INEOS chief Ratcliffe as well as Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, who recently pulled out of the battle for the club.

Consequently, Ratcliffe remains the only runner in the race for partial ownership of the Red Devils, with the 71-year-old ready to take a 25% stake in the club.

His minority takeover would see £1.3bn invested into the 20-time English champions, with a main focus on modernising the club's Old Trafford home and training facilities.

Nice owner Jim Ratcliffe before the match on April 20, 2023© Reuters

According to The Athletic, Ratcliffe is expected to relieve CEO Arnold of his duties once he gains control of the footballing side of Man United.

The report adds that although Arnold is set to leave his current post, it is possible that the 52-year-old remains at United in some capacity.

It is understood that Ratcliffe has a potential successor to Arnold in mind, drawing on his connections during his time spent as CEO of INEOS.

Jean Claude-Blanc is the man being considered for the role of CEO at the Red Devils, with the Frenchman possessing experience of working at a host of top European outfits.

Ineos chairman Jim Ratcliffe is pictured at Old Trafford in Manchester, Britain, March 17, 2023© Reuters

The 60-year-old has previously worked as chief executive for Italian giants Juventus, before moving to a high-ranking role at Paris Saint-Germain.

Since leaving the Ligue 1 champions in December 2022, Claude-Blanc has overseen the entirety of INEOS' sports portfolio, which includes French club Nice and ventures into the world of cycling.

United's board are currently in the process of voting on whether the proposed minority takeover of the club by Ratcliffe should be approved, with a decision reportedly still weeks - possibly months - away.

On the pitch, the Red Devils have improved following a shaky start to the campaign, with Erik ten Hag's men looking to make it four straight wins with a victory over Manchester City on Sunday.

ID:527471:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4543:
Written by
Carter White

Manchester United takeover - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Richard Arnold

Click here for more stories about Manchester United

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Tottenham Hotspur's Micky van de Ven celebrates scoring their first goal on October 7, 2023
Read Next:
Sheikh Jassim 'not considering Tottenham Hotspur takeover'
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool21155150203050
2Arsenal22128243212244
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest22135433221144
4Chelsea22117444271740
5Manchester CityMan City22115644291538
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle22115638261238
7Bournemouth22107536261037
8Aston Villa2210663334-136
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2281043530534
10Fulham228953430433
11Brentford2284104039128
12Crystal Palace226972528-327
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2275102732-526
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2275102743-1626
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs22731245351024
16Everton214891828-1020
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2244143251-1916
18Ipswich TownIpswich2237122043-2316
19Leicester CityLeicester2235142348-2514
20Southampton2213181550-356


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!