Man Utd CEO Richard Arnold answers on proposed takeover

Jacque Talbot

14 Oct 2023 10:50 BST
3 min read

Manchester United CEO Richard Arnold has conceded that he is not able to give fans an update on the proposed takeover of the club.

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The Glazer family announced in November last year they would consider outside investment or a full sale of the club, leading to a number of bidders registering their interest in the club.

Among them, are Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani and INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who also owns Ligue 1 side Nice.

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Both have placed a number of bids as part of a staged process in which up to five rounds of offers were sent to the American owners, but neither party, nor any other consortiums who put their hat in the ring, have had their bids accepted.

A recent development is that Ratcliffe is now willing to buy a minority stake in the club, but so far there has been no movement on that front, either.

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At a Man Utd fans' forum event earlier this week, an attendee put the question to Arnold over the potential takeover of the club. However, the CEO admitted that he was not able to provide an update.

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"The club understood the desire for a resolution as soon as possible but reiterated that, as a publicly listed company, it was impossible to provide updates until such a time as there is an outcome that can be communicated to the market," he said.

Do the Glazers know Man Utd fans want them gone?

He was then asked if the Glazer family are unaware of fans wanting them to leave the club. Arnold replied: "The club was transparent in its feedback to the owners."

Meanwhile, it was revealed that football director John Murtough had begun an investigation into the current injury crisis.

"John Murtough and the team have clear long-term squad strategy in place which guides our decision making in each window. We knew there'd be transition but I share frustration of playing group and fans that results haven't matched expectations so far," Arnold said.