18 October 2023 , 08:59
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been urged to replace Richard Arnold as CEO at Manchester United as he prepares to take a 25 percent stake in the club.
Ratcliffe's proposal for a minority ownership has been accepted by the Glazers, though it still needs to be ratified by United's board. While he is being forced to wait for the board to meet, the British billionaire is pushing ahead with drawing up plans for when he arrives.
He is already set to bring in a new sporting director as he looks to take over the football operations at Old Trafford. Now, Ratcliffe has been told to make a further huge change to the structure of the club and move on an 'underperforming' Arnold.
Arnold only took over as CEO last year following the departure of Ed Woodward. But former Liverpool star Stan Collymore has insisted it is already clear that he is not up to the job and a new CEO is needed.
"I think that Manchester United need to change everything from top to bottom regarding their football operations. They need to appoint an aggressive CEO that is a good communicator. I think that is an area where Richard Arnold has been found wanting," he told Lord Ping.
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"I think the senior leadership on the football side needs to be completely overhauled. I always look at clubs like Brentford and Brighton as two fantastic examples of how to structure a football club.
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Richard Arnold's position at Manchester United is set to be under threat (Getty Images)"They have a clear vision in terms of recruitment, tactics and philosophy. There is a clear development pathway from their academies into their first teams. They have appointed the right people in the right roles. Everything is aligned and everyone knows their jobs."
Collymore cautioned fans that Ratcliffe's arrival will not be a silver bullet for success. While he believes that the Ineos chief is the perfect man to get United back on track, it will take time for his strategy to work.
"Ratcliffe has such vast experience in business and within a sporting environment in terms of sponsorships and team building. He will understand and know how successful organisations work," Collymore added.
"He will know what the benchmarks are and what key performance indicators will need to be put in place at Manchester United. I think it will take around three or four years before United are successful again and are ready to win the Premier League title.
"The most important thing for Manchester United is to have someone at the football club who is a leader and a winner and that is what Jim Ratcliffe is. He is the most important Manchester United signing in over a decade."
While Ratcliffe's buyout was expected to be approved at a board meeting on Thursday, that vote has now been delayed. Several issues still need to be ironed out, leaving Ratcliffe playing a waiting game.