Sir Jim Ratcliffe: I want to buy Manchester United | Will make a bid for the club [Telegraph]

Revaulx

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I’ll say it again, what the majority of our fans want from an owner (spending on squad and infrastructure each season without care for the business side of running a football club, profit margins or sponsorship dependency) requires none other than a state funded sportswashing owner.

There is no one else on this planet that willingly will burn through their cash with reckless abandon because our fans don’t like finishing 5th.
Ok you can argue that it isn’t “their” cash, but that’s pretty much exactly what the Glazers have been doing since SAF retired.
 

IRN-BRUno

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I’ve just googled their squad. Morgan Schneiderlin; Ross Barclay; Aaron Ramsey. Spare us good Lord!
Also worth mentioning that the manager didn't want some of these players. They were signed by an external advisor they brought in who'd previously been sacked for racist, homophobic and sexist texts.
 

Spoony

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They’re seeing how much they can potentially sell Chelsea for in 10 to 20 years time. Inflation and the possible expansion of football to the Arab states and America would increase tv rights significantly, which in turn would increase sponsorships long term, would at the very least double their investment over that amount of time.

Once the agreed investment money has been spent by Chelsea’s new ownership they’ll sit on the asset and do what the Glazers did, simply bide their time and wait for the right moment to sell. Which is again a factor in why the Glazers have decided to sell now, there’s only so many Arab states that you can sell to.

Chelsea fans are happy right now but in a couple of seasons time they’re going to be complaining about lack of investment and an ageing, stale squad.
Then what about United? Would a new American consortium do another Glazers? As far as I can see, the only way we'd see a massive increase in value and revenues has been binned. I suspect FSG and Glazers would've stayed on had the ESL been given the go ahead. The problem with football is results do matter, if we're not competing at the top, it impacts on everything. We need a lot of investment, that's for sure. Anyway, I'd love to see their business model.
 

MegadrivePerson

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Chelsea fans are happy right now but in a couple of seasons time they’re going to be complaining about lack of investment and an ageing, stale squad.
The Chelsea fans I know aren't happy right now! They mostly, correctly think that they've wasted crazy amounts of money on players that are overrated or pas their best!
 

MegadrivePerson

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A few weeks ago, he said he had no interest in bidding for Liverpool, yet now he is open to bidding for United, so clearly there is a 'romantic' interest in the club!
 

croadyman

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Dreamland scenario would be someone like Apple but that’s unlikely. It’s a waiting game really to see who shows genuine interest then I’ll be able to judge the potential suitors better.
Yeah there is clearly a lot of crap links already
 

justsomebloke

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I’ll say it again, what the majority of our fans want from an owner (spending on squad and infrastructure each season without care for the business side of running a football club, profit margins or sponsorship dependency) requires none other than a state funded sportswashing owner.

There is no one else on this planet that willingly will burn through their cash with reckless abandon because our fans don’t like finishing 5th.
It's perfectly normal for non-state owners of top clubs to invest heavily into the club. Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, even Spurs (if you consider their stadium project). Makes good business sense too, ultimately sporting success drives commercial success.
 

justsomebloke

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So why has a Yank consortium taken over at Chelsea, why are they showing interest in United? I don't disagree with you but what are they seeing that most of us aren't? I just don't get it. Football is such a risky business.
Is it though? It hasn't been, over the past two decades. Just look at what United cost the Glazers compared to what they'll get for it now, even though we're in a considerably worse state now than we were then. That's a huge profit, even if you don't consider the money they've taken out of the club since they bought it. There probably isn't a likelihood of a similar value growth over the next decade or two, but I don't see why it'd be considered all that risky.
 

Strootman's Finger

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I’ll say it again, what the majority of our fans want from an owner (spending on squad and infrastructure each season without care for the business side of running a football club, profit margins or sponsorship dependency) requires none other than a state funded sportswashing owner.

There is no one else on this planet that willingly will burn through their cash with reckless abandon because our fans don’t like finishing 5th.
Todd Boehly disagrees
 

croadyman

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Dreamland scenario would be someone like Apple but that’s unlikely. It’s a waiting game really to see who shows genuine interest then I’ll be able to judge the potential suitors better.
Yeah TRILLION dollar company is insane
 

crossy1686

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Then what about United? Would a new American consortium do another Glazers? As far as I can see, the only way we'd see a massive increase in value and revenues has been binned. I suspect FSG and Glazers would've stayed on had the ESL been given the go ahead. The problem with football is results do matter, if we're not competing at the top, it impacts on everything. We need a lot of investment, that's for sure. Anyway, I'd love to see their business model.
I think an American consortium have United valued at less than the Glazer's do due to the lack of growth opporuntities there. The women's game is the only potenital area for huge growth and it's big in America, but realistically, United can't double their valuation from £6b without winning a bunch of stuff and increasing the brand over many years now.

ESL was the final goal for this lot and now it's not going to happen they have no where else to go, this is why Bohely buying Chelsea doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I also don't think the timing of the sale announcement is a conicidance, there's a certain World Cup happening in Qatar right now with the whole Arab world watching, and the Glazers will have people over there talking to everyone.

Simon Jordan said yesterday that he was in a box at one of the games in Qatar and PSG's chairman was in the same box. Some bloke came in, offered him $4b for PSG, to which he politely declined. United will have found a buyer beofre the tournement ends if they haven't already.
 

crossy1686

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Dreamland scenario would be someone like Apple but that’s unlikely. It’s a waiting game really to see who shows genuine interest then I’ll be able to judge the potential suitors better.
Mate, it's not within a companies best interests to buy a sports team. Apple have shareholders who would lose their absolute shit if they went out and wasted $6b on a sports team and not spend that money on Apple VR, or the Apple Car, or whatever they're working on. Google, Apple, Amazon, none of those will ever buy a team, it's wealthy individuals who will buy a sports team for an investment or sportswashing purposes.
 

Jam

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Simon Jordan said yesterday that he was in a box at one of the games in Qatar and PSG's chairman was in the same box. Some bloke came in, offered him $4b for PSG, to which he politely declined. United will have found a buyer beofre the tournement ends if they haven't already.
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Of course that happened Simon.
 

Tarrou

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An actual United fan and can afford it, sure he’s probably a cnut but it isn’t going to get any better than that
 

Plant0x84

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€13bn worth won't get it done imo
INEOS is worth £60bn which equals Ortega, and probably a lot of the American consortiums. He can absolutely buy and develop the club.
Boehly is worth 5.5bn usd. He hasn’t sunk half his worth into Chelsea - he has partners, finance sources and sponsors. Would be no different for Sir Jim and INEOS.
 

croadyman

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INEOS is worth £60bn which equals Ortega, and probably a lot of the American consortiums. He can absolutely buy and develop the club.
Boehly is worth 5.5bn usd. He hasn’t sunk half his worth into Chelsea - he has partners, finance sources and sponsors. Would be no different for Sir Jim and INEOS.
Also have concerns about how he runs clubs whereas with other prospective buyers I don't know how well they do that
 

Someone

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I just don't think he has the financial muscle to pull this off. His net worth doesn't mean he can fork out 5B and then commit more for a stadium renovation. He could potentially lead a consortium though.
 

ShinjiNinja26

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Mate, it's not within a companies best interests to buy a sports team. Apple have shareholders who would lose their absolute shit if they went out and wasted $6b on a sports team and not spend that money on Apple VR, or the Apple Car, or whatever they're working on. Google, Apple, Amazon, none of those will ever buy a team, it's wealthy individuals who will buy a sports team for an investment or sportswashing purposes.
Oh it’s very unlikely to happen and the links are most likely a load of shite but that would be my preference in a dreamland scenario.
 

croadyman

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I just don't think he has the financial muscle to pull this off. His net worth doesn't mean he can fork out 5B and then commit more for a stadium renovation. He could potentially lead a consortium though.
People say he would use some of INEOS money to pull this deal off as well
 

Tincanalley

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Here we go... The magic sportswashing word. Because If you say it it must be true.

Manchester City group are owned by a golf state. Can you please cite some examples of how they have used thier ownership of City to" sportswash" ?
Golf is great
 

Tincanalley

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Nice to see a sensible post. I’m actually shocked seeing how many fans on here would be happy for us to be a bought by a similar regime as the owners of City and Newcastle.

United don’t need a sugar daddy like that to compete. We need owner able to clear the debt, put football people in charge of footballing decisions, a good manager ( which I believe we now have ) , good recruitment and let the club sustain itself through its own revenue.

This might not lead to glamorous singings every year and an ability to stay with City and Newcastle every season, but I’d rather that then just be involved in a ‘who has the best Middle East Sugar Daddy’ title race every year.
Agree. No sports wash please. This will all end badly anyway.
 

Revaulx

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Agreed but it was the matchgoers cash that funded those spending sprees.
Indeed. So we have been able to splash the cash despite groaning under the weight of the Glazers’ debt burden.

The main effect of the latter has been to wipe out the club’s borrowing capacity for funding ground improvements etc. Not that the Glazers have shown any great enthusiasm for that anyway.
 

Adnan

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People say he would use some of INEOS money to pull this deal off as well
I'm not sure if INEOS are on board with overpaying for United. And the below tweets do indicate that both Ratcliffe and INEOS aren't as committed to satisfying what the Glazers would require to relinquish control of the club.


 

Jam

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It was him, Jim Beglin and a few others that confirmed the story, he's got no reason to lie for a laugh
He is quite literally on a radio station that sensationalises things to get listeners / engage people to call up.
 

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I'm not sure if INEOS are on board with overpaying for United. And the below tweets do indicate that both Ratcliffe and INEOS aren't as committed to satisfying what the Glazers would require to relinquish control of the club.


£5B is not overpaying, when you consider what Chelsea went for.

And, concentrating on Nice, several weeks ago, has nothing to do with the situation unfolding this week.