Dr Dan: Man United could land £43m windfall after £7.5m gamble reported
The decision to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will land Man United £42.5million if the new manager seals Champions League qualification for next season.
So says finance expert and new Football Insider columnist Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively about Solskjaer’s dismissal on 21 November.
The Norwegian was given the boot by the Glazers after a run of two wins in seven games, coming to a head in the 4-1 loss to Watford last Saturday.
The Sun reported later that day that the money men at Old Trafford will have to fork out £7.5m for the Norwegian’s severance pay.
The Red Devils are 8th in the Premier League after 12 matches, three points adrift in the race for the top four.
The booked a place in the Champions League knockout stages with their 2-0 win over Villarreal on Tuesday night.
Plumley claims that United’s decision to twist rather than stick could well pay dividends for the Glazers.
“We have to weigh up the costs and income,” he told Football Insider correspondent Adam Williams.
“From a sporting performance point of view, that’s really important. If you look at the Champions League, it’s worth a minimum £50m to English clubs.
“Then you start to compare that to the £7.5m you pay for getting rid of the manager. That means you’re up £42.5m.
“If the new manager or interim manager gets them into the top four, the risk of not getting European football outweighs the cost of sacking Solskjaer.
“In isolation, the figures look big. But if that means an upturn in performance and prize money, they’ll turn around and say it was the right decision.“
Football Insider revealed today that Sir Alex Ferguson is throwing his weight behind United appointing Steve Bruce as interim boss.
This site also broke news yesterday that Laurent Blanc has held talks with the Old Trafford hierarchy about taking the reins.
In other news, pundit slams “stupid” Harry Maguire after “huge” Man United update via Sky Sports.