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There is euphoria around Manchester United after boyhood fan Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25% stake in the club was confirmed.
The INEOS chief penned a heartfelt statement upon completion and with him taking control of sporting matters completely, there is hope again at Old Trafford.
However, fans might have to temper expectations a bit, if recent reports are to be believed.
The Telegraph reports that INEOS has learned from its past transfer mistakes at other clubs and “huge transfer splurges” should not be expected at United.
It is a pertinent point, considering the aimlessness with which they approached their first few months at Switzerland’s FC Lausanne Sport and France’s OGC Nice.
Particularly at Nice, it looked like the transfer team mainly relied on contacts back in England to sign players whose peak was behind them.
Players like Kasper Schmeichel and Aaron Ramsey were purchases which prompted fans of the club to roll their eyes at the transfer strategy.
However, since those gaffes, INEOS has learned its lesson, with a proper sporting structure created at the club, headed by one of football’s highest-rated upcoming directors, Florent Ghisolfi.
As a result, after some initial discontent among Nice fans, the pivot is now paying off as the club sits second in the table, just five points behind giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Therefore, while the report that INEOS won’t make huge transfer splurges might not be received well at first glance, it could be exactly what United need.
After blowing through a billion pounds in a decade with scattergun recruitment, perhaps a measured policy of shrewd transfers is exactly what the club needs.
Ed Woodward once deemed Old Trafford as an “adult version of Disneyland”. It’s about time Manchester United got back to being a football club.
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