Arsenal issues give Man Utd fans reason to be wary of Ratcliffe investment
The warning signs are clear for Manchester United fans - and it is easy to see why so many of them are wary of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Shared ownership rarely works in football. Far too often it ends up with different factions pulling in different directions. Ratcliffe buying 25 percent of United benefits the Glazer family to the tune of £1.5billion - and them only. It’s free cash. If Ratcliffe ends up buying the whole thing, then fine. But until then, it will remain a club divided.
If Ratcliffe genuinely thinks Old Trafford needs a major facelift (and it clearly does) and the team needs direction, coherence and investment then why is he jumping into bed with the owners who have held the club back? It makes no sense at all.
And if you need proof about joint ownership then just look at Everton. Businessman Farhad Moshiri bought a 49.9 per cent stake but, time and again, it looks as if Bill Kenwright has not been on the same page over managers and the direction of the club.
Now they are looking to sell with 777 Partners hoping to buy the club and see them into a new stadium and era and away from the days of different senior figures pulling in different directions.
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Arsenal is another prime example. Just look at the difference the way the club has gone and invested since the Kroenke family took complete control at the Emirates.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta speaks with Stan Kroenke (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)Before then, it was a club divided, it was ugly in the boardroom and Alisher Usmanov owning up to 29 percent and this meant Arsenal was effectively in handcuffs. Arsenal fans were crying out for more investment, better signings and were worried about the direction of the club.
Why would anyone - no matter the company let alone a football club - invest huge sums when someone else was going to reap 29 percent of the benefit? It makes no sense at all.
As soon as the Kroenkes took full control, it was like flicking a switch. Arsenal have invested in big players, they have seen a different side to Josh and Stan Kroenke who are very clearly strong supporters, invested owners in every sense and they are a club transformed.
No doubt United will say all the right things and Ratcliffe will make nice promises and so on. But why would anyone invest hundreds of millions into something they don’t actually own?
What happens when they inevitably don’t agree on something? And they surely will because if Ratcliffe is ready to come in and play happy families with the Glazers then that’s no good to anyone.
Yes, this is a friendly arrangement and someone buying into the club rather than a hostile takeover. But United is one of the great football clubs. It deserves better.
Ratcliffe is also up against it with United fans. They don’t want someone who jumps into bed with the Glazers. He’s arriving with animosity, negativity and doubts. That’s a bad starting point.
My colleague David McDonnell has been all over it. I salute Sky reporter Kaveh Solhekol who really gets it and understands the passion of United fans when he talks on TV. The Ratcliffe bandwagon is in full swing - but United fans are more concerned that the wheels have already fallen off.
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