Sir Jim Ratcliffe was born in Failsworth, Greater Manchester and he supported Manchester United growing up. Ratcliffe is Britain's richest man, worth an estimated £10.8billion, and has been considered a potential saviour at Old Trafford for some time now.
It seemed like nothing but wishful thinking until Wednesday night when Ratcliffe made his desire to purchase the club from the Glazers public. “If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer,” a spokesperson for Ratcliffe told The Times. Those 12 words could change the course of history at the club. Ratcliffe is a credible buyer who could free United from the Glazers' shackles.
Ratcliffe has the required funds and he understands the club is the fabric of the area. "It’s not getting any better [at United]. It’s gone from bad to catastrophic," Ratcliffe said in 2018. It has got actually worse since Ratcliffe made those comments and there is a feeling that now is the best time for the Glazers to sell United. The club is nothing but an asset to the Glazers and it's depreciating.
ALSO READ: Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirms he wants to buy Manchester United
Ed Woodward infamously once said: "Playing performance doesn’t really have a meaningful impact on what we can do on the commercial side of the business," but that statement is not true. United have not consistently played in the Champions League over the last decade and that is hurting the club. United have earned €150m less than Liverpool over the last five years due to European TV rights alone.
There have just been three trophies won since 2013 and the next piece of silverware has never felt so distant. United recorded their lowest Premier League points total ever last season and supporters are painfully watching their club become unrecognisable.
It is obvious that the club need a change of ownership. "A fish rots from the head," United fans against the Glazers' ownership have said and they're not wrong. Ratcliffe could be the catalyst for change but any deal with him will not be straightforward.
That's because it seems the Glazers do not want to relinquish control of the club. The Daily Mail have claimed the Glazers are only willing to sell a minority stake, with brothers Avram and Joel expected to keep their shares to continue 'running' United.
Ratcliffe is open to buying that minority stake but it is understood that purchase would be with a view to eventually become the majority owner. That is not what the Glazers are currently willing to do and that might be enough to make Ratcliffe walk away.
It has also been suggested that the Glazers have already entered exclusive talks with US private equity firm Apollo for the minority stake at the club. If true, that would mean Ratcliffe's interest has already been snubbed in favour of a worst-case scenario.
The Glazers have owned a majority stake at Old Trafford since 2005 and they have shown no sign of loosening their grip until now. The chance to purchase even a minority stake in the club is a window of opportunity that could eventually lead to the Glazers permanently leaving. US private equity firm Apollo purchasing that minority stake would mean that rare opportunity would go.
It would be disastrous if the Glazers sold that stake to Apollo, as not only would they waste the precious opportunity for genuine change with Ratcliffe at the table, but they would be welcoming an equity firm, which solely exists to make a profit.
Apollo Global Management would demand a return on their investment. The Glazers are the only owners in the Premier League to receive dividends and they risk welcoming more vultures to Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe made an offer to purchase Chelsea from Roman Abramovich earlier this year and he pledged to invest £1.75billion on developing Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's team and infrastructure, along with the £2.5billon for the transaction of the club.
He explained in an interview that his motive in buying Chelsea was to create a 'fine' football club. "We have no profit motive because we make our money in other ways," Ratcliffe added. He is exactly the type of custodian that United need.
United have regressed in all departments under the Glazers' control. They are inferior on the pitch, Old Trafford is rotting and in disrepair, while Carrington needs investment to restore it to the leading training facility that it once was when first built.
Ratcliffe could be the figure to return the club to former glories, but it seems the Glazers aren't interested in that.
They have insulted supporters for years and wasting this opportunity for change would be the biggest insult of all.
READ MORE:
