Manchester United run the risk of undoing their own good work on the pitch with a dismal lack of decision-making and clarity off it.
We are 199 days on from the Glazer family putting the club up for sale and a final decision has still not been reached.
We’ve had deadlines, delays and dallying. Two frontline bids emerged months ago and Sheikh Jassim felt the need to impose his own terms on his fifth and final offer. Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains keen, and his move could see the Glazer family regain some control.
While Sheikh Jassim is seeking a full takeover and wants to clear the debt, Sir Ratcliffe's offer wouldn't immediately wipe the debt while the Glazers would remain in a minority capacity for now, something that supporters would be desperate to avoid. It’s abundantly clear that money and power are at the centre of the Glazers' thinking. No prizes for working that out.
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But as United prepare for a crucial summer ahead of a return to the Champions League and talk of pushing up the Premier League pecking order, Erik ten Hag and co are being hamstrung by their own owners.
This week Real Madrid wrapped up a deal for Jude Bellingham and Liverpool signed Alexis Mac Allister. Clubs who could well be rivals at home and abroad next term have done some early business. The transfer merry-go-round will only crank up in the coming weeks. United are not yet on the ride, they're watching enviously from the sidelines.
Under Ten Hag United have a clear plan of what’s required. They lifted the Carabao Cup and reached the FA Cup final while securing a top three finish in the Premier League. Despite some worryingly abject away performances, the Old Trafford boss is the right man to move things forward.
But the ongoing ownership farce has a knock-on effect on budgets, while a clouded picture doesn’t help lure talent. United have begun to restore the faith under Ten Hag but they cannot afford for their momentum to stall.
As Neil Diamond sang ‘money talks but it don't sing and dance and it don't walk.’ If Ten Hag, Antony and Lisandro Martinez want to be jiving with a trophy anytime sooner the Glazers need to stop dancing around a decision and make one.
