‘Jim Ratcliffe is running scared from £10m Man United deal’ amid ‘leak’ claim
Jim Ratcliffe has been criticised for turning down a major Manchester United investment opportunity that would have brought in £10million.
Man United were in talks with streaming service Amazon to do a documentary that would have given an inside look on the workings of the club.
Manager Ruben Amorim was reportedly against the idea and thought it would be a distraction, despite the financial benefits.
Ratcliffe and INEOS have been heavily criticised for cost-cutting measures at Old Trafford, which have included mass redundancies.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that “it makes no sense” to turn down an opportunity like this.
‘Ratcliffe is doubting himself’
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that Ratcliffe’s resistance to a Man United documentary shows that he doesn’t believe in what he’s doing, as he is hiding what is really going on at the club.
Last season, the Red Devils fell to their worst-ever Premier League finish, ending the campaign in a lowly 15th.
Wyness added that this is a big PR opportunity missed for United, and they need to be more transparent in the future.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “It doesn’t make sense. Everybody understands that there’s some difficult decisions being made, but to me, it was sort of saying that Ratcliffe doesn’t believe in what he’s doing. If he believes in what he’s doing, then what’s the problem with letting people see what’s happening?
“There should be a reason behind everything he’s doing. So let that become more transparent. This is what they need, to show the fans what’s really happening behind the scenes.
“Of course some things can be embarrassing, but it’s been proven from these shows already that things don’t leak out during the filming. I’ve never seen a case of that happening and there are some editing processes that could still be employed as well.
“I think they’re chickens, and I think they’re running away from something that could really be positive for them from a PR sense.
“If I’d been there, I would have no problem with the sunlight coming in and showing what’s really happening behind the scenes if I believe in what I’m doing. Obviously Ratcliffe doesn’t. He thinks there’s things that need to be hidden from public view and from the fans.
“To me, it was the best thing they could have done was to show progress being made in certain areas, how they were trying to root out certain issues. But no, they’ve run away from it. It’s a big PR opportunity missed to show the change that he’s trying to put into the club.”
Man United eye former Villa midfielder
Meanwhile, Football Insider has revealed that Man United have registered their interest in signing Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz this summer.
Everton are also keen on the 27-year-old, who has four years remaining on his current contract but could leave Italy with a return to the Premier League a possibility.
Juventus are keen to offload Luiz this summer and are considering their options, but would prefer to accept permanent offers rather than letting him leave on a short-term basis.
Man United are willing to negotiate a loan-to-buy deal with the Italian club, placing them firmly ahead of Everton in the race to reach an agreement.
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