Jim Ratcliffe owns around 27.7% of Manchester United. That makes him the largest shareholder of Manchester United. But that still doesn’t classify him as a majority shareholder, but as a partial shareholder.
While the numbers may say otherwise, the man himself isn’t afraid to act like the majority shareholder of the club. The fans of the Red side of Manchester had longed for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival in the club management. And since February 2024, there seems to be an atmosphere filled with optimism around the club.
Recently the partial owner of Manchester United gave an interview to Bloomberg. In which he did not hesitate to point out where the club needs improvement. In the words of the man himself, “There’s room for improvement everywhere we look at Manchester United, and we will improve everything. We want to be where Real Madrid is today, but it’ll take time.”
Now, competing with Real Madrid is a good pedestal for measuring success. But for a club that has lost its former glory, the competition and/or comparison aspect might be a bit overblown. Jim Ratcliffe named clubs like Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern, amongst others as to whom Manchester United should be competing. Clubs of this magnitude have a lust for silverware, something Manchester United have lacked in recent years, on and off the pitch.
Jim Ratcliffe made a comparison between the Madrid and United management ever since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. The net spend of United is equal to 1.1 Billion Pounds compared to Madrid’s net spend of only 200 Million Pounds in that period. But there’s a stark contrast between both team’s positions in world football today. One is a serial League and UCL winner, while the other considers winning the FA Cup against their “Noisy Neighbours” as a successful season.
“Today they(Real Madrid) have a squad where six or seven players are valued over 100 million euros.
And Manchester United doesn’t have any players that are valued at 100 million euros or more. And Real Madrid have built probably the finest football ground(New Santiago Bernabeu) in the world. using the same checkbook,” Ratcliffe further added.
He also blamed the FFP Rules and Regulations to some extent. According to him the stringent Premier League structure and the constant involvement of the League in club finances is doing more harm than good to the league.
Signing big-money players the right solution?
When asked whether he would break the bank for a player like Mbappe, Jim Ratcliffe replied, “I don’t think the solution is to buy an Mbappé… One player won’t solve Manchester United’s problem.” And as a matter of fact, he is absolutely right. He further elaborated on how building a balanced squad is key to prolonged success. He did add though, “Ultimately, maybe you top it off with a player or one or two players like Mbappe. But that’s not the solution today.”
Rattclife further said, “I’m not confident that we’ll solve all the problems in the first transfer window, no. It will take time.” Better late than never they say. And it feels nice to see that Manchester United have finally realised the importance of trusting the process and not spending millions of pounds in the hope of striking gold. It starts with plugging the holes present in the current squad with better personnel and slowly building towards a balanced squad.
Moreover, Jim Ratcliffe feels that the coach, Erik Ten Hag, is not the central issue at Manchester United. With the summer transfer window open, all eyes will be on Manchester United. And Jim Ratcliffe would want to make his first transfer window as United’s “majority” owner, memorable. The fans of the Red Devils, meanwhile would be hoping for the best as the new Premier League season approaches.
United should focus on making impact signings rather than signing the big names the world has to offer. And that “balanced” squad building should start without further ado.
