Two Man United men face the sack if Qatari investors win takeover battle
Man United executives Richard Arnold and John Murtough face the sack if Qatari investors win the takeover battle, sources have told Football Insider.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, who is the chairman of QIB and the 41–year-old son of the former Qatar prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, has made a debt-free offer for 100 per cent of the club.
He has stated his intentions to buy the club in its entirety, and spoke of returning the club to its “former glories”.
It is believed Sheikh Jassim’s consortium would bring in their own executive team should their bid be the successful one.
Hassan Al Thawadi and Nasser al-Khater are names that have been reported in France as potential executives to take over the day-to-day running of the club.
That would spell the end for chief executive Arnold, who replaced Ed Woodward last year following his latest internal promotion at the club he joined in 2007.
Murtough is the director of football at United after taking on that role in 2021 and has spent a decade at the club.
Like Arnold, his role is a visible one as far as supporters are concerned and he is in overall charge of the football operation, which includes overseeing recruitment, transfers and contracts.
Sheikh Jassim faces competition to be the new United owner from British billionaire and boyhood United fan Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive of the Ineos group and owner of the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team, as well as private equity firms in the United States and a fund linked to the Qatari royal family.
The Qataris insist that there is a clear division between Sheikh Jassim and the Qatar Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund as well as the Qatar Sports Investments organisation that owns Paris Saint-Germain.
The same sources say Qatari ownership would represent a sustainable business model, with investment also made in the Manchester and Salford areas.
The New York banking group selling United for the Glazer family set a soft deadline of 10pm on Friday (UK time).
In other news, Man United takeover: Chelsea mystery bidder backed by Ben Jacobs for ‘surprise’ offer.