Why Man Utd's potential new owners are jealous of Tottenham

Stuart Telford

• 16 Feb 2023 08:54 GMT
• 3 min read

Qatar have reportedly pulled ahead of Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the race to buy Manchester United, but they are casting envious eyes at Tottenham Hotspur…

The Glazer family have put Man Utd on the market after a controversial 18 years at the helm, and a bid backed by the Emir of Qatar is likely to come closest to their €6 billion valuation.

United haven't won a Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, nor a trophy at all since Jose Mourinho guided them to the Europa League in 2017, but they remain one of the biggest brands in football, and indeed all of sport.

READ: Fans believe Man Utd CAN win Premier League this season

Their global fanbase is the envy of other teams, but domestically, the club's infrastructure and in particular its 74,310-capacity Old Trafford have fallen behind, with the stadium in need of repair. It is a cost potential bidders will need to bear in mind.

£1 billion investment needed

"A further complication is the necessity of investing around £1bn in Old Trafford, in order to commercialise the club to the extent it should," report the Independent.

"Relevant figures within the club have enviously noted just how much revenue Tottenham Hotspur receive from their new stadium. This is the type of project the Glazers will not currently commit to. It is why industry figures believe they have little choice but to sell if there is not minority investment."

READ: Kane told to force £100m move to Man Utd

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened in 2019, is smaller than Old Trafford with a capacity of 62,850, but it is multi-purpose, state-of-the-art, and reportedly generates Spurs £6m for every home game.

There is also additional money to be made from the NFL matches, concerts and other events that are held at the venue.

United are also reportedly envious of Tottenham's No.9 Harry Kane, but should the England captain be allowed to leave next summer, sporting director Daniel Levy's preference is to sell outside of the Premier League, making Bayern Munich first in line.