Latest news with #SirJimRatcliffe
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Man United transfer news: Benjamin Sesko, Ollie Watkins, Corentin Tolisso and more
Manchester United face a crucial summer as Ruben Amorim finally gets the chance to shape his squad and transform his failing team into contenders at the top end of the table. It shouldn't be forgotten that Amorim initially rebuffed United's approach following the sacking of Erik ten Hag, and perhaps he was wise to try and delay the move, because what followed was a disastrous campaign cuminating in the 1-0 loss to Tottenham in the Europa League final. Now Amorim has a full preseason to prepare his side and a summer transfer window to mould his squad before a season without European football, and he must take full advantage. The release of the Premier League fixtures shows a difficult start for United, with an opening game agasint Arsenal and fixtures against Manchester City and Chelsea within their first five matches of 2025/26, and the manager's future could be called into question early should his side struggle. United got some early business done with the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves in a £62.5m deal before completing a move for Brentford star Bryon Mbeumo, but co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made clear that the money pot is not deep. Offloading high-wage players such as Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho seems key to funding the revolution, with a lack of movement causing frustration among fans as United lag behind their rivals. Here's everything you need to know about Manchester United's summer transfer plans. Areas to improve Perhaps it is easier to try and identify some parts of the team that don't need improvement. Three players could genuinely claim to have had decent seasons – Bruno Fernandes, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad Diallo – while Harry Maguire, Casemiro and Diogo Dalot all did OK in spells, but that is about the extent of United's reliable performers last season. Now that Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo's arrival are secured, the top priorities are: sign a proven goalscoring striker, given the toils of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee up front; buy a goalkeeper to compete with (or outright replace) the error-prone Andre Onana; recruit a wing-back who can excel in Amorim's system. Done deals Ins: Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford, £70m), Matheus Cunha (Wolves, £62.5m agreed), Diego Leon (Cerro Porteno, undisclosed fee), Enzo Kana-Biyik (Le Havre, free transfer) Retained: Tom Heaton (signed new one-year deal after expiry of old contract) Outs: Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan), Enzo Kana-Biyik (Lausanne-Sport, loan), Daniel Gore (Rotherham, loan), Christian Eriksen (out of contract), Victor Lindelof (out of contract), Jonny Evans (out of contract) Potential targets Benjamin Sesko, RB Leipzig Man United have reportedly begun talks with RB Leipzig over a move for much-wanted frontman Benjamin Sesko. While Arsenal have cooled their interest in the Slovenian following the arrival of Viktor Gyokeres, Newcastle are also said to be keen on Sesko. With United in desperate need of a proven goalscorer, they could deem Sesko as the man to solve their woes. Corentin Tolisso, Lyon One of the latest rumours involving United sees them linked with Lyon midfielder Corentin Tolisso. The 31-year-old is coming off a decent season for the French side, and could be available for a cut-price fee due to the French side's financial troubles. Concrete links are yet to materialise, but he is thought to be available for £15m. Richard Rios, Palmeiras Another one with few concrete links, but reports in Brazil claim that United are interested in Palmeiras midfielder Richard Rios. United sent scouts to watch the Colombia international during the Club World Cup, with the Brazilian side hoping to start negotiations around the £30m mark, though Rios has already said yes to a proposal from AS Roma and could be heading to Serie A. Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa United's search for a striker continues and while Cunha and Mbeumo will be solid attacking options, there remains a desire to add a recognised number nine to the squad if possible. Watkins was the subject of interest from Arsenal in January but with the Gunners signing United target Gyokeres, the England international could be a valid, Premier League-proven attacking option. Villa would want at least £60m for Watkins, though links with Old Trafford have gone quiet after United wrapped up a move for Mbeumo.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Tour de France prankster who invaded track LAID OUT in enormous crash after being tackled by police
Joshua Hall, Sports Reporter Published: Invalid Date, POLICE and security were forced to tackle a 'prankster' who invaded the track at the Tour de France, just moments before the stage's conclusion. The end of stage 17 almost ended in calamity when a spectator leapt over the boardings with his bike and tried to ride across the finish line. 11 11 11 11 The unknown individual was dressed in full gear so as to look like a team rider, but was immediately spotted by onlookers. The man was wearing a Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale jersey. Images released of the incident show that the man managed to cross the finish line before he was tackled by a police offer and fell off his bike and to the ground. He was then quickly removed from the track in order to clear a pathway for the fast-approaching leaders who were due to follow soon after. SunSport have contacted the Tour de France for comment. It's not the first time that there have been issues on the track at this year's Tour either. Security . The track-invader sprinted down the race course with his hands in the air just 25 metres from the finish line of the stage last Wednesday, with riders cycling past as it happened. 11 11 The protestor was wearing a t-shirt that read: "Israel out of the Tour." He also held a keffiyeh, a black-and-white checkered headdress and pro-Palestine symbol. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos team car CRASHES into fan and sends them flying in air in shocking scenes at Tour de France The individual was tackled, thrust against the boardings and hauled off the road by security. Other fan incidents at this year's Tour de France have included an Ineos team car hitting into a spectator that stepped onto the road during the 14th stage of the race. Fortunately today's incident didn't cause any crashes. However, pouring rain in the final 30km of the 60.4km stage from Bollene to Valence did cause a crash of its own. With just 1km left to go a mass crash took out Tim Merlier and Biniam Girmay, opening the door for Jonathan Milan to claim his second stage victory of this year's Tour. Speaking after the win, Milan said: "This is a really fantastic team victory and I have to thank them from the bottom of my heart. "I survived with the help of my team-mates. Without this, I would not be here. They delivered me in the best position [for the finish]." 11 11 11
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Jose Mourinho aims dig at Sir Jim Ratcliffe as former Man United boss sends message to Ruben Amorim amid Portuguese coach's torrid first eight months in charge
Jose Mourinho has taken aim at Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe 's handling of the club in a wide-ranging interview. Mourinho, 62, revealed all when he sat down to speak to Portuguese TV channel Canal 11. The Portuguese coach, who is currently in charge of Turkish side Fenerbahce, managed the Red Devils from 2016 to 2018 - during which time he won the Europa League and guided United to their previous best Premier League finish of second. Now, he has cited the departure of the club's former chief executive David Gill, who left them in 2013 after 16 years. Mourinho said: 'There's a critical moment at that club, not only with Sir Alex's departure, but also with David Gill's. David Moyes came in, but when my Netflix documentary comes out, the story will be told. 'I'll arrive later, and when I arrive, I'll arrive at a club still going through that period. We won several things, we finished second in the league. I still say I don't understand clubs that are punished with financial fair play and pay [in cash]. 'I think they should pay points. Manchester City was punished, and legally, we should have won the league. But it wasn't enough for me to have stability, continuity. 'Today, I think that with the change in ownership at the club, with an owner who doesn't have much experience in football but rather in sport'. The Portuguese manager then went on to discuss the performance of his compatriot in United's current coach Ruben Amorim. Mourinho offered Amorim the chance to visit the club's Carrington training ground when he was undertaking a coaching internship in 2018. However, that previous experience has not translated into success on the field for the younger Portuguese coach so far. Having moved to Old Trafford mid-way through last season after opting to leave Sporting CP, Amorim endured a difficult first campaign at the helm. Under his stewardship, United recorded their worst-ever Premier League finish of 15th and will not play in Europe next season having lost the Europa League final to Tottenham in May. However, Amorim will be hoping next season brings better results having secured the signings of Matheus Cunha from Wolves and Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford in a bid to bolster his side's attacking firepower. However, that previous experience has not translated into success on the field for the younger Portuguese coach so far Mourinho added: 'What happened to Ruben, from being the manager of the worst Manchester United in Premier League history to having continuity and confidence to continue and be Ruben Amorim, is a sign that a lot needs to change.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bruno Fernandes sets Europa League record – he is Man United's bright spark
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been a standout performer this season. He was hugely impressive in the Europa League quarter-final last night, scoring a hat-trick in United's 4-1 win over Real Sociedad. Advertisement According to Opta, Fernandes has tallied the most goal contributions (41) in Europa League history. He has scored 24 goals and provided 17 assists, more than any other player in the competition. Fernandes is hugely important for Man United Fernandes became United captain in 2023. He has faced criticism from fans and pundits but has silenced doubters with consistent performances. The 30-year-old has been vital to United's attack, bagging 15 goals and 13 assists in all competitions this season. Fernandes' set-piece skills have also been crucial. His free-kick against Everton sparked a comeback after the team went down by two goals. Advertisement He also delivered another stunning free-kick against Arsenal at Old Trafford, giving United the lead. Fernandes has shown his adaptability by thriving in various midfield roles. His vision and passing make him a vital link between defence and attack. Despite often playing out of position, he remains effective and reliable. His willingness to adapt to the team's needs speaks volumes about his commitment. In a recent interview with BBC, United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe praised Fernandes' contributions. As the club prepares for a new chapter under manager Ruben Amorim, his presence will be essential to their success.
New York Times
19-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Can Bryan Mbeumo be the ‘triple threat' that Manchester United's attack sorely needs?
When Sir Jim Ratcliffe gave a series of interviews from INEOS' headquarters in Knightsbridge a few months ago, one name came up more often than you might expect: Ian Graham. You probably know Graham as Liverpool's former director of research, who, alongside Michael Edwards, championed data science behind the scenes from a pokey box room at Melwood and ultimately played a key part in putting another of English football's behemothic clubs back on their perch. Graham left Liverpool in 2023 and, last year, published his book 'How to Win the Premier League'. Has Ratcliffe read it? Some of those close to the petrochemicals billionaire were not sure when asked by The Athletic, but said they would not be surprised. If Project 150 is to be completed, it should probably find its way to his bedside table sometime before 2028. Advertisement If he has read it, or when he does, Ratcliffe will learn that one of the key elements of Liverpool's data-influenced approach was Graham's 'possession value' model, which calculated if a player's every action in possession contributed to his team's chances of scoring or conceding a goal. Graham's model was partly inspired by Dean Oliver's concept of 'usage' in his book 'Basketball on Paper', which can also be broadly applied to its fellow 'invasion' sport: football. Put simply, this is the idea that a player can only score a goal if they shoot. But shooting often ends a spell of possession, and a team can only score if they have the ball. Sometimes it is more advantageous to play an extra pass or beat an opponent with a dribble. Ideally, your best attacking players should be capable of doing all three of those things, and should know when one or the other will improve their team's chances of scoring. They should be, what Graham calls, a 'triple threat'. 'These players are difficult to defend against,' he writes. 'They can choose to pass or dribble instead of shoot. And they use up fewer possessions than players whose only skill is shooting.' Liverpool's research department believed they had three 'triple threats' in Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. But they also considered each to have particular strengths which complemented the others. Firmino's ability to link play and find the right pass made the most of Salah's expert finishing, for example. For all the complex metrics and machine learning, here was an example of the simple, intuitive logic at the heart of Liverpool's title-winning data science. The best frontlines are balanced frontlines, where the players have complementary strengths and no clear weaknesses. So, how much attention was Ratcliffe paying by page 152, if indeed he has read that far? Advertisement The targeting, pursuit and long-awaited agreement to sign Bryan Mbeumo suggests at least some, because you would be hard-pressed to find another Premier League player who added more value to his team's attacks than the Brentford winger. Outside of Anfield, at least. According to StatsBomb's On-Ball Value (OBV) metric — a possession-value model of the type that was a cornerstone of Graham's work — only Salah added more value to his team's attacks last season than United's new £65million ($87.2m) signing. Those figures are total values rather than per 90 minutes, meaning players such as Salah and Mbeumo benefit somewhat from having consistently played a lot of football last season. Yet these metrics record both positive and negative contributions, punishing errors and mistakes harshly. Players with a lot of minutes have more opportunities to be both rewarded but also to be penalised. Still, Mbeumo ranked highly among his peers. Clearly, United will be hoping for a repeat of his 20 league goals — the fourth-most of any player last season and a career best for Mbeumo — although five came by dint of being Brentford's penalty-taker, a responsibility he is unlikely to assume from Bruno Fernandes. As has been well documented, Mbeumo overperformed his 12.3 expected goals (xG) significantly last term. That will almost certainly not be repeatable season after season at Old Trafford. Yet, last season was actually a down year on the underlying metrics for the 25-year-old, with his 2.08 shots and 0.20 non-penalty xG per 90 minutes being his lowest totals since becoming a Premier League player. Data by StatsBomb; vs Premier League attacking midfielders/wingers Mbeumo made up for that by ranking far better among his peers on value-added metrics, where his execution of shots helped turn low-quality chances into goals, ranking among the 89th percentile of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League. A repeat in United's colours could, in some ways, mitigate fellow new signing Matheus Cunha's tendency to shoot from range, which led to some spectacular goals from Wolverhampton Wanderers last season but, according to Shot OBV, was often detrimental to his team's chances of scoring. Data by StatsBomb; vs Premier League attacking midfielders/wingers Yet both players are more than just goalscorers anyway, and were arguably most influential as providers last term. Both ranked highly among players in their position for Pass OBV, with only three players adding more value to attacks than Mbeumo: Fernandes, Salah and his Brentford team-mate Mikkel Damsgaard. Advertisement For all that Mbeumo overperformed in terms of his goalscoring, the quality of the chances that he created for teammates suggests that he was unfortunate not to have racked up a couple more assists. As we can see from the map below, he was excellent at moving the ball into the box from his wide role, frequently finding players inside the six-yard box from corners, perhaps a product of Brentford's meticulous approach to set pieces. Crucially for United, both players stood out among the rest of the league as front-footed and progressive, whether that was passing or dribbling. It is something that Ruben Amorim's side sorely lacked, with often only Fernandes' playmaking driving the team up the pitch. Again, Mbeumo ranked highly for adding value to Brentford's attacks through his dribbling last season, with Cunha not far behind for Wolves. One player to outperform both was Amad, who may now see more minutes at wing-back this season as a result of United's spending targeting the two No 10 spots. Mbeumo could be more effective when dribbling, though, and more threatening on goal too. As well as he ranks on possession-value metrics, his raw volume in terms of shots, progressive carries and take-ons was below the Premier League average last season. Mbeumo often lingered on the edge of attacking moves and held the width at Brentford — though he could be decisive when he picked up the ball and looked to drive inside. It is not just penalties he could lose, either. A steady diet of set-piece duties has helped lift those eye-catching chance-creation numbers. Cunha held many of the same responsibilities at Molineux, too. But both are well-rounded attacking players who can shift the emphasis of an attack in various ways with the ball at their feet. The type that last season's often staid, predictable United attack badly needed. And particularly in the case of Mbeumo. Whether Ratcliffe has read Graham's book or not, there is a hint of its lessons in the identity of the biggest signing he has sanctioned at Old Trafford to date. United must hope they have found their own 'triple threat'. Additional reporting: Thom Harris (Lee Parker – CameraSport via Getty Images)
