Edward Woodward – No Question About That

Woodward under pressure as Vermaelen chase ends in failure

August 9, 2014 by Ed

Strange business, the transfer window. Take Manchester United’s executive vice chairman, Ed Woodward, for example. Ostensibly charged with executing the Glazer family’s commercial vision, Woodward has been roundly lambasted for his performance in the transfer market over the past year. Indeed, few executives other than in football are judged – by outside parties at least – so keenly on the purchase of significant, but non-material assets. Yet, it is a spotlight that continues to burn brightly on the Essex-born accountant.

Last summer’s tragicomic omnishambles in the transfer market ended not only with United failing to patch up significant holes in the club’s squad, but with a desperately late, hugely overpriced, deal for Marouane Fellaini. It was a failure in strategy that contributed not only to United’s dismal season in 2013/14, but is set to cost millions more when the Belgian finally moves on at a huge loss.

In the intervening months Woodward has overseen, although not always personally driven, the acquisitions of Juan Mata, Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera. Each should contribute more positively to United’s cause in the post David Moyes era than Fellaini ever has.

The trio represents £100 million invested in new talent that should have done much to allayed fears United is slipping further behind rivals at home and abroad. Not least because further spending is repeatedly promised.

Yet, there is the nagging sense that United’s transfer business under Woodward is anything but strategic; a scattergun approach driven by personal whim, player availability and preferred agents. Mata was acquired without a plan to extract the best out of the Spanish playmaker; Shaw and Herrera with Louis van Gaal’s blessing, but not at his expressed request.

Friday’s breakdown in the long-running behind-the-scenes move for Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen is further evidence that all is not quite right with the club’s approach. United believed a deal probable. Arsenal and Barcelona drew a very different conclusion. Not for the first time Woodward was outsmarted by rivals.

It is a challenge that the former JP Morgan banker must fix rapidly, with a week until United kicks off the new season and just 23 days until the window closes for the summer. As it stands the club’s squad is missing an experienced central defender, a high-quality midfielder, and remains lightweight in wide areas. van Gaal may talk about a challenge for the Premier League, but United remains far behind domestic rivals.

Elsewhere, United’s alternate options remain thin, with Germany’s Mats Hummels unwilling to leave Borussia Dortmund without the club’s blessing and United unprepared to meet an asking price commensurate with the player’s status. Neither will the Reds find it easy to prize Mehdia Benatia away from Roma, nor Eliaquim Mangala from Porto, even if the latter is further down the list of priorities.

Meanwhile, in midfield a long-mooted and hugely expensive deal for inspirational Juventus star Arturo Vidal is seemingly no nearer to completion; each party holding out for the best deal and United keen to ensure the player’s fitness is without question, especially with memories of Owen Hargreaves still fresh.

Memphis Depay, Daley Blind and a clutch of Dutchmen may be on the radar, or may not. Take your pick.

Vermaelen was, perhaps, an odd choice for a United centre-half in any case. Experienced, but seemingly past his peak at just 28, the Belgian has suffered for poor form and dubious fitness, leading to just seven starts for Arsenal in the Premier League last season. Vermaelen possesses two qualities van Gaal is seeking though: a left-foot and an enviable range of passing. Yet, also, a notable tendency to lose concentration, wander out of position and gift the opposition chances. The Belgian was probably always a second choice behind Hummels.

Primary candidate or not, failure to bring in the Belgian leaves Woodward under increasing pressure to deliver, even if the 42-year-old remains on a high after securing the most lucrative kit deal in football history. Not least because Adidas’ £75 million annual contract with United also comes with an intriguing clause: a 30 per cent reduction in fees paid should the Reds miss out on the Champions League in consecutive seasons. The Glazers’ business model doesn’t need trophies, but it does require a top-four finish.

van Gaal should boast enough resources to deliver a place in the 2014/15 Champions League although, ceteris paribus, the Dutchman will have to displace one or both of Liverpool or Arsenal to do it. There is some irony in United’s lack of European football being the Dutchman’s ace in the coming season.

Domestically, Manchester City’s strength-in-depth and Chelsea’s smart spending should be too much for United, unless Woodward can pull off three spectacular deals in the next month. The odds against a United Premier League title remain long.

City has spent conservatively this summer, acquiring the defensive midfielder Fernando from Porto, a back-up goalkeeper in Willy Caballero, and Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna on a free transfer. Should the Blues secure Mangala, or another central defender of equal standing, then Manuel Pellegrini’s side will begin the season as favourites to retain the Premier League.

At Stamford Bridge José Mourinho has bought well though, replacing Frank Lampard with Cesc Fabregas to add goals from midfield, and bringing in Diego Costa and Didier Drogba to fill Chelsea’s problem up front. Fillipe Luis is an experienced replacement for Ashley Cole at left-back. Add Thibaut Courtois as challenger to Petr Cech and Chelsea now boasts all the ingredients of a typical Mourinho side. It will be a major surprise if the west London outfit is not a title challenger to the final day next season.

It is fortunate for van Gaal that Liverpool and Arsenal remain short. The Scousers will certainly not easily replace Luis Suarez’ goals; few clubs, United’s included, truly benefit from selling their best player. Meanwhile Alexis Sanchez adds genuine quality to Arsenal’s challenge, but does little to fix the lack of steel in north London. The smart money might be on Liverpool dripping out of the Champions Leagues places, and United challenging Arsenal for third.

Greater progress requires further investment though. Much as supporters want to see youngsters such as Reece James, Tyler Blackett, Michael Keane and James Wilson progress, the club remains short of world-class players in at least two key positions. Bridging that gap is largely down to Woodward. It is time to deliver on all those promises. There are certainly few excuses left.

Rebuilding Manchester United

April 18, 2014 by Ed

Articles

David Moyes, Edward Woodward, Transfers

With little left to play for in an altogether disastrous Manchester United campaign thoughts turn to the summer’s principal highlight. A period when great men come to the fore and the hapless are mocked with little mercy. Time for dreams to be made and then shattered; where the hopes of millions are peaked and snatched away. No, not the World Cup in Brazil, with its clichéd samba dancers and hackneyed corporate messages, but a far more entertaining sport: the summer transfer window.

The coming window is perhaps the most crucial in United’s recent past, with half-a-dozen players leaving the club and potentially as many arriving again. After last summer’s incompetent mishandling of bids for Ander Herrera, Cesc Fabregas and Leighton Baines, among others, it is one in which vice chairman Ed Woodward and manager David Moyes must excel. Should the club fail to capture its main targets – or worse still succeed in luring those further down the list – the mediocre pattern set this season may be ingrained for longer than anybody wants.

There will certainly be a number of outgoing players, although United can feel confident that David de Gea is going nowhere, despite the Spaniard not yet having signed a new contract. Still, with Barcelona’s potential transfer ban, and Catalan eyes affixed on 21-year-old Borussia Mönchengladbach stopper Marc-André ter Stegen, there’s little to drag de Gea away from Old Trafford just yet.

It’s a different story with Anders Lindegaard, however, with the Dane keen to play more often after starting just three games in all competitions for United this season. It will surprise few if Lindegaard moves on, while Ben Amos, now a not-so-young 24, could also leave this summer. The Englishman has started just seven games for United six years after making his début for the club.

In defence captain Nemanja Vidić is already committed to Internazionale next season, while Rio Ferdinand may retire or, if he chooses not to, be retired. So long, Rio, it has been – mostly – a pleasure. Meanwhile, it remains more likely than not that left-back Patrice Evra will also move on after the World Cup. That leaves manager David Moyes chasing three international-standard defenders – two-left backs and at least one top class central defender.

Midfield has caused much consternation in recent seasons. Anderson will certainly be sold once the Brazilian has completed a six-month loan spell with Fiorentina, while Darren Fletcher is not guaranteed a spot in United’s engine room next season.

Fletcher’s impressive return from a lengthy illness has added some bite to the Reds midfield, but United will strengthen in that area ahead of the new season. If Moyes does not add at least an attacking and a defensive midfielder to his squad this summer United will remain well short of rivals at home and abroad.

Misfit Nani is unlikely to repeat last summer’s about-face and remain at Old Trafford – Italy or Spain beckon for the 27-year-old winger. Meanwhile, few supporters will shed a tear if Ashley Young departs even if it is not thought likely. Bizarrely the former Aston Villa player remains a Moyes favourite. Ryan Giggs is not and will surely retire.

Instead it appears likely that playmaker Shinji Kagawa, who has impressed in recent games, will be force out of Old Trafford. There remains the lingering suspicion that the Japanese player is simply not of the ilk preferred by United’s incumbent manager. It means Moyes may add to his attacking resources this summer, especially in wide areas.

Another player almost certainly moving on is Javier Hernández, with the Mexican reportedly told that United will listen to offers for the 25-year-old. Hernández has scored 59 goals in 148 appearances for the club and will presumably command a substantial fee this summer. As would Robin van Persie, whose happiness has been the subject of far too many column inches over the past six months. It is doubtful that the club is prepared to let a player of the Dutchman’s class depart.

As for those who may join, well, the field is open. The question remains whether United will spend the sums leaked to Woodward’s favourite members of the fourth estate in recent weeks – or not. In that spirit here’s Rant’s low-down on some of the best – and not so good – available in this summer’s window.

Left Back

Gold | Luke Shaw, 18, Southampton – the multi-talented English full-back is set for the very top after an outstanding season in the Premier League. Quick, defensively sound, and positive on the attack – Shaw (above) has the potential to be as good as any in world football. Such is the youngster’s talent that he is not only pushing for a place in England’s squad this summer, but may even force his way into Roy Hodgson’s starting XI. Whatever fee it takes to capture Shaw is likely to be steep for a rookie full-back, but perhaps a sound investment given the player is not yet out of his teens. Blue chip quality for a golden price. Circa £30 million. 31 Premier League appearances, 61 tackles, 33 interceptions, 115 clearances, 119 crosses, 0 goals, 1 assist.

Silver | Ricardo Rodriguez, 21, Wolfsburg – the Swiss-born, Germany-based, full-back of Spanish-Chilean extraction, has excelled with Wolfsburg this season as Die Wölfe challenge for a Champions League place. Rodriguez possesses many of the traits Moyes prefers in his full-backs – speed, excellent delivery from the flanks, and solid defensive instincts. Rodriguez’ eye for goal and high assist count will also factor into any bid. There are a few rough edges to the player’s game, although Rodriguez’ age-profile means that he is unlikely to be a bargain. That said Wolfsburg rarely hangs on to its star players. A potential diamond with a little rough. Circa £17 million. 30 Bundesliga appearances, 89 tackles, 59 interceptions, 85 clearances, 161 crosses, 5 goals, 7 assist.

Bronze | Filipe Luis, 28, Atlético Madrid – Brazilian full-back Filipe has enjoyed an outstanding campaign with Atlético as Los Rojiblancos head towards a first La Liga title since 1996. Strong in the tackle, forceful going forward, and experienced, the Brazil international is enjoying the finest spell of a career that has blossomed late. Filipe played for five different clubs before joining Atlético in the summer of 2010. Still, there is no guarantee the 28-year-old will make Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Seleção for this summer’s World Cup. Circa £15 million. 27 La Liga, 7 Champions League appearances, 132 tackles, 45 interceptions, 58 clearances, 114 crosses, 0 goals, 2 assists.

Wooden Spoon| Guilherme Siqueira, 27, Granada/Benfica. – Siqueira was seemingly moments away from signing for Real Madrid last summer after a transfer four-way between United, Real, Granada and Benfica. Real wanted Granada’s Siqueira, United a loan deal for Fábio Coentrão, only for the Brazilian to board a plane for Portugal where he signed a season-long loan with Benfica. Siqueira will move again this summer – to United only in desperate circumstances. Circa £5 million. 17 Liga Sagres, 3 Champions League, 4 Europa League appearances, 86 tackles, 38 interceptions, 48 clearances, 10 crosses, 1 goal, 0 assists.

Alternatives: Fábio Coentrão, 27, Real Madrid, £12 million. Alberto Moreno, 21, Sevilla – £12 million. Layvin Kurzawa, 21, Monaco – £10 million.

Central Defence

Eliaquim Mangala

Gold | Mats Hummels, 25, Borussia Dortmund – the outstanding German international is the envy of many an élite club. Whether Hummels can be prized – or tempted – away from Dortmund is another question. Strong in the tackle, a superb reader of the game, and classy in possession, Hummels is not a stereotypical modern German centre back. Hummels style – more reminiscent of Franz Beckenbauer than any contemporary – stands out above all. Indeed, the defender remains ‘one that got away’ for Bayern Munich, having come through the club’s youth ranks before a 2008 transfer to Dortmund. There is little to regret for the 25-year-old, who is certain to be in Germany’s squad for the World Cup this summer. Circa £30 million. 19 Bundesliga, 6 Champions League, 6 Europa League appearances, 65 tackles, 68 interceptions, 150 clearances, 7 blocks, 2 goals, 1 assist.

Silver | Mehdi Benatia, 27, Roma – the Moroccan is likely to be a man in much demand this summer, although Roma’s probable qualification for the Champions League makes a transfer that much more difficult. It has certainly been Benatia’s most impressive season to date after an £11 million transfer from Udinese last summer. The player’s strength and defensive nous has stood out in an excellent campaign. Yet, his rise hasn’t been easy: rejected by Marseille, send on loan to Tours and Lorient, dumped into Ligue 2 at Clermont, before signing for Udinese on a free transfer in 2010. Circa £20 million. 30 Serie A appearances, 65 tackles, 83 interceptions, 200 clearances, 20 blocks, 5 goals, 0 assists.

Bronze | Eliaquim Mangala, 23, Porto – France international defender Mangala (above) has taken a circuitous route to what seems an inextricable rise to the very top. Born in Paris, Mangala moved to Belgium at the age of five, joining regional side UR Namur as a teenager. Tranfer to Standard Liege followed in 2008 where the player converted first from striker to left-back, and then to central defence. It took just shy of £5 million to take the gifted athlete, if sometimes raw defender, to Porto in summer 2011. With agent Jorge Mendes in Mangala’s corner, Porto will make a healthy profit on a player who has played more than 20 times for the French Under-21 side, but is not guaranteed to make Les Bleu’s squad for Brazil this summer. Circa £30 million. 20 Liga Sagres, 6 Champions League, 42 tackles, 29 interceptions, 176 clearances, 16 blocks, 5 goals, 1 assist.

Wooden Spoon| Ezequiel Garay, 27, Benfica – Garay’s name is regularly mentioned in dispatches, although it is hard to look past the Argentinian’s abject failure at Real Madrid. Perhaps the opportunity came too early in Garay’s career; perhaps the 27-year-old simply isn’t equipped for the very top level. The truth is that Garay’s pace is just a touch short and his distribution a little too raged, but then there is that defender’s instinct that often compensates for other deficiencies. Garay has probably done enough at Benfica to earn one last shot at an elite club. Whether that should be United is an open question. Circa £18 million. 26 Liga Sagres, 6 Champions League, 5 Europa League appearances, 41 tackles, 52 interceptions, 207 clearances, 12 blocks, 7 goals, 0 assists.

Alternatives: Neven Subotic, 25, Borussia Dortmund – £18 million. Nicolas N’Koulou, 24, Marseille, £12 million. Matthias Ginter, 20, SC Freiburg – £10 million. Joël Veltman, 22, Ajax, £8 million.

Central Midfield

Gold | Arturo Vidal, 26, Juventus – goal scoring all-rounder Vidal has shone in Juve’s hugely successful Serie A title defence this season. Perhaps the most complete midfielder in European football, bar Yaya Touré, Vidal is strong in the tackle, but talented enough to pick out the match-winning pass. The Chilean has seemingly grown with each season in Italy following a £8 million transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in 2011. Indeed, there is little incentive – bar a huge transfer fee – for The Old Lady to let their star man leave. There is always a premium for the very best – and Vidal is that – but is it one that United will meet this summer? Circa £45 million. 30 Serie A, 6 Champions League, 5 Europa League appearances, 2015 passes/83.3% success, 88 shots, 63 key passes, 18 goals, 5 assists.

Silver | Toni Kroos, 24, Bayern Munich – German international Kroos (above) has enjoyed an outstanding campaign in the heart of Bayern’s midfield. Flexible enough to play box-to-box, in front of the back four, or at number 10, Kroos has appeared in more games for Guardiola’s side than any other midfielder. Yet, he is embroiled in a contract negotiation process that has often threatened to spill over onto the pitch. Paid around £70,000-per-week – far less than his market value – the Kroos camp has made little secret of the player’s willingness to move. It will still take a huge bid to pursued Bayern to sell before summer 2015. Circa £40 million. 27 Bundesliga, 10 Champions League appearances, 2944 passes/92.7% success, 77 shots, 52 key passes, 6 goals, 6 assists.

Bronze | William Carvalho, 21, Sporting – rumours that United has already sealed a £35 million transfer for the Sporting midfielder are premature, although there is little doubt the Reds are interested in completing a deal. The delay, as ever, surrounds an acceptable fee. Still, with Mendes as the player’s agent, Carvalho will be moving for big money at some point over the summer. If completed United will gain a tough-tackling defensive midfielder, who has visibly grown over the campaign. Carvalho is far from the finished product – and is still not guaranteed a place Paulo Bento’s Seleção this summer. Circa £20 million. 26 Liga Sagres appearances, 4 shots, 4 goals, 0 assists.

Wooden Spoon | Alex Song, 26, Barcelona – it was always a strange transfer, Song’s from Arsenal to Barcelona in 2012. The Cameroonian midfielder enjoyed six years with the Gunners, but only in latter seasons did the defensive midfielder truly shine. Yet, the 26-year-old was always destined to be a reserve at Barcelona, where Sergio Busquets is a permanent fixture at the base of Barça’s midfield. Just 11 starts in La Liga this season suggests a move would suit the midfielder, although the Catalans’ transfer ban may scupper these plans. Circa £15 million. 16 La Liga, 4 Champions League appearances, 864 passes/92% success, 4 shots, 4 key passes, 35 tackles, 0 goals, 0 assists.

Alternatives: Ander Herrera, 24, £30 million. Morgan Schneiderlin, 24, Southampton, £15 million. Tonny Vilhena, 18, PSV Eindhoven, £5 million.

Forwards

Gold | Marco Reus, 24, Borussia Dortmund – multi-talented midfielder-cum-forward Reus was outstanding in Dortmund’s 2-0 victory over Real Madrid in this season’s Champions League quarter-final. It is the standard the 24-year-old has consistently set over the past year. Comfortable attacking from the left or central positions, Reus has contributed 31 goals or assists in 35 appearances this season. Now an established member of Joachim Löw’s Germany side, and pivotal to Dortmund’s future, there is likely to be interest from Europe’s biggest club. Whether there is any incentive for Dortmund to sell is perhaps the better question. Circa £30 million. 26 Bundesliga, 9 Champions League appearances, 1126 passes/75.8% success, 129 shots, 88 key passes, 19 goals, 12 assists.

Silver | Antoine Griezmann, 23, Real Sociedad – utility forward Griezmann (above) has now enjoyed five consistent seasons in La Liga with La Real, following a move to Spain as a teenager. Comfortable on the left, right or behind the principle striker, the Frenchman is a modern attacking player who has made a major contribution despite Sociedad’s challenging season. The Mâcon-born player was rewarded with a début cap for Les Bleu’s in February, although remains an outsider to make the World Cup squad. Still, with Paris Saint Germain reportedly interested, competition for Griezmann’s signature may be healthy this summer. Circa £20 million. 31 La Liga, 6 Champions League appearances, 1007 passes/77.6% success, 119 shots, 36 key passes, 16 goals, 3 assists.

Bronze| Adam Lallana, 25, Southampton – neither midfielder, nor forward, Lallana is a modern attacking player in every sense. Comfortable behind a traditional front-man, or in either wide position, the St. Alban’s-born forward has improved each year after seven seasons with the south coast club. But then Lallana always held the talent to succeed – he was an outstanding junior, and a player prepared to graft through the lower reaches of league football for a shot at the big time. Has already impressed on the international stage and would represent an upgrade on Ashley Young or Antonio Valencia. Circa £15 million. 34 Premier League appearances, 1337 passes/84% success, 63 shots, 65 key passes, 9 goals, 6 assists.

Woodward heads home amid increasing farce

July 17, 2013 by Ed

Articles

Edward Woodward, Transfers, Wayne Rooney

There was a tacit policy under David Gill’s leadership, or an attempt at least, to keep Manchester United’s transfer dealings under wraps. The thought process was sound: while tabloid-fueled speculation filled the back pages, and social media hummed a summer long, the club retained a silent dignity. It is a policy seemingly broken during the present transfer window.

Briefing and counter briefing has dominated what is fast becoming ‘the Wayne Rooney saga’, while a comically mistimed transfer chase for Barcelona pair Thiago Alcântara and Cesc Fàbregas has gone awry. It is, in truth, United’s very untidy mess.

Indeed, such is the public relations fall-out from the club’s latest gaffe – disingenuously briefing travelling media that Chelsea had offered Juan Mata and cash for the England striker’s signature – that the Reds’ reputation is now at stake.

At risk of descending to Kenyonesque levels of asinine farce, United has served too often to embarrass onlooking fans this summer. Worse still – and at risk of drawing significant ire – United’s maladroit transfer market tactics have drawn comparison with the very worst that Manchester City’s Garry Cook, now departed, had to offer.

New United chief Edward Woodward, or executive vice chairman as the 40-year-old is euphuistically titled, flew back to Europe on Wednesday. The pretext: United is close to concluding a “major” piece of transfer business. Fans live in hope that a swift conclusion may come to the short-lived Fàbregas seduction; the cynic may wonder whether Leon Osman’s inevitable acquisition has been secured.

Woodward’s return is, supporters have mused, not before time. After all, it comes to something when United’s chief has focused far greater effort on courting the club’s sponsors off the pitch than strengthening the a manager’s hand on it. Money in the bank, legend has Sir Matt Busby musing. I’d rather see it on the pitch.

But the executive returns amid an embarrassingly public row with Chelsea over Rooney’s future, with the London club issuing a revealing statement on Wednesday as news leaked of an official bid for the Scouser’s services. That bid, said the Blues in a statement, contained not the reported inclusion of Juan Mata nor David Luiz as makeweight.

“Chelsea can confirm that yesterday it made a written offer to Manchester United for the transfer of Wayne Rooney,” read the statement.

“Although the terms of that offer are confidential, for the avoidance of doubt and contrary to what is apparently being briefed to the press in Sydney, the proposed purchase does not include the transfer of any players from Chelsea to United.”

Ouch.

Predictably United – in Australia ahead of Saturday’s fixture with the A-League All Stars – has said nothing in retort. Silence of the damned.

Indeed, mention of Chelsea’s bid for Old Trafford’s £27 million forward was entirely absent from United’s official website on Wednesday.

But the latest twist in the Rooney debacle is just one leg of a axis of absurdity this summer. In between came the ham-fisted appeal to Barcelona youngster Thiago. The club did little concrete to secure the transfer bar enabling Catalonia’s finest to extract a few extra Euros from Bayern Munich’s plentiful well. After all Pep Guardiola’s interest can hardly have been secret to the player’s camp – thiago’s agent is Pep’s brother.

And then came the latest twist, with United submitting an official bid for Fàbregas – a national icon – a mere 24 hours after Bayern celebrated Thiago’s capture. Subtle United was not. Nor successful, with the club’s presumably faxed offer met with a predictably proverbial reply.

While the Reds’ thinking may be sound, the timing is absurdly not.

True, Fàbregas is thought to have grown restless at Camp Nou, though not because he has lacked appearances – the former Arsenal midfielder turned out more than 40 times for Los Culés last season – but that he is rarely called upon in the biggest games.

Overlooked for Barça’s pivotal Champions League fixture against Bayern, ignored in key matches against Real Madrid, Fàbregas is a far smaller fish than he was at Arsenal, now swimming in a very large pond.

But while the player may well entertain a premature move back to the Premier League the smart money says he is reluctant to do so against the motherland’s wishes. Barça may require hard currency after spending lavishly on Neymar and Lionel Messi’s new contract this summer, but face will be lost in Cesc’s departure.

Fàbregas’ return to the Emirates is probably 12 months away.

Indeed, with news filtering through on Wednesday that United has sought council with Real Madrid over the possible transfer of Luka Modrić, the club’s approach is beginning to feel increasing scattergun. Look up central midfielder. Hit speed dial. Hope.

Except that hope has never been a sound strategy.

Yet, it is Rooney for whom the highest drama is set to play out,. The 27-year-old’s position in Manchester now untenable, with each side seeking the best financial return possible and little more.

That may be a tougher gig for United than Rooney.

While the Reds once sought a fee in excess of £40 million for a man who scored more than 30 goals in a campaign not 18 months ago Chelsea is reported to have offered just half. With City, Barça, Real and even Paris Saint Germain seemingly uninterested, United’s options – and to a degree Rooney’s – are limited.

Reports that Rooney has set his heart on Stamford Bridge may not be far from the mark. It leaves the Scouser short of the moral high-ground his public relations team has so often sought, but likely to be heavy of wallet come the summer’s end.

José Mourinho claimed that the Londoners’ interest is “proper,” “ethical” and “clean” on Wednesday. Three adjectives rarely associated with the club.

Yet, it United that remains a touch light on aces for the negotiation with Chelsea to come. Can the club keep Rooney to his contract, as Woodward mused at the weekend? There is simply not a chance.

In that there is also a moment of clarity. One that may provide Woodward pause for thought as he rethinks the club’s oddball approach in the window’s remaining six weeks.

Gill’s departure leaves Ferguson isolated

February 21, 2013 by Ed

Articles

David Gill, Edward Woodward, Sir Alex Ferguson

David Gill’s surprise announcement on Tuesday, that he is to step down as chief executive of Manchester United after 10 years in the position, comes as a personal “blow” to manager Sir Alex Ferguson, leaving the 71-year-old Scot without a key Old Trafford ally. It is the most serious conclusion to draw from Gill’s resignation, which will take effect after the season has concluded in June.

Gill’s departure comes against the backdrop of the 55-year-old executive’s move into football politics. Gill, who has spent 16 years at Old Trafford first as chief finance officer and then ceo, recently joined the FA as vice chairman, and is applying to join UEFA’s executive committee. He will remain as a non-executive director of the club.

Meanwhile, 40-year-old Edward Woodward, very much the Glazer’s man, will take up his new role with a remit to further strengthen United’s commercialisation strategy. Woodward becomes ceo after a highly successful campaign to broaden United’s commercial reach over the past seven years, which has seen the club’s commercial revenues nearly triple to £117.6 million.

Woodward, formerly executive vice chairman at the club, led the team that globalised United’s commercial reach and diversified the portfolio of sponsors. Under Woodward’s executive leadership United’s aggressive commercialisation is highly unlikely to slow down.

But it is the impact on Sir Alex that is of primary interest to supporters, who have witnessed just three chief executives during Ferguson’s reign; Gill, Peter Kenyon and Martin Edwards. Indeed, Gill has become Ferguson’s close confidant in the past seven seasons, and a central link between the playing side of the club and the detached Glazer family in Florida.

“I have worked alongside the finest manager in the history of the game and been part of what I consider to be the best club in the best sport in the world,” said Gill in a statement released shortly after United informed the New York stock exchange on Tuesday.

“I have always been conscious of the fact that, as a member of staff, I was always just a temporary custodian of this marvellous institution. I am also of the view that all businesses need to refresh themselves with new management and ideas and after 10 years in charge I believe it is appropriate for someone new to pick up the baton. I’m delighted Ed has accepted the role.

“I am looking forward to continuing my involvement on the club board. And I hope to be able to make a contribution to the game on a wider national and European level.”

Without Gill, Ferguson’s political position at the club is challenged. After all, it was Woodward, not Gill, that was the primary driver of United’s IPO roadshow last summer, at one point promising potential investors that the Reds will not spend more than historical norms on transfers and wages. It was a promise that many people took at face value – an average net transfer budget of less than £20 million per season.

Recent analysis by blogger Andy Green forecasts that United’s surplus cash flow could reach more than £100 million in the coming years, putting Woodward on a collision course with Ferguson over budget, should the septuagenarian Scot remain at the club.

No wonder Ferguson admitted his dismay at Gill’s departure, with the man dubbed ‘Safe Hands’ no longer in the boardroom to facilitate his manager’s relationship with the American owners.

“I have been at United for over 26 years and for 23 of those years my boss has been one of only two men: Martin Edwards, who brought me to the club, and David Gill,” said Ferguson on Tuesday.

“Of course we have had a million arguments, but I have always enjoyed them because I know that David has two great qualities: he is straight and he always puts Manchester United first. No disagreement is ever personal with him. He always wants the best for United, whether it’s the players, the training ground or the staff.

“Him stepping down is a big loss to me but the fact that he is staying on the board encourages me that the reason for his departure is heartfelt, that he believes it is time for the club to move on. If I could have found a way of persuading him to stay I would love to have done that.”

In a decade as ceo, first under the Plc regime and latterly working for the Glazer family, Gill has generated significant controversy. Gill was integral to much of United’s first wave of commercialisation, provoking criticism from the media for United’s marketing approach, and from fans for the evolving nature of the Old Trafford matchday experience.

Gill also led the board’s strategy to increase ticket prices ahead of the Glazer’s leveraged buyout, justifying rises under the mantra of retaining the club’s ability to fight off a hostile takeover. It did little good.

Most controversially, Gill initially rejected the family’s approach for full control of the club in 2005, infamously stating that “debt is the road to ruin” and that the Glazer family’s business model was “overly aggressive”. Gill’s hostility soon morphed into support for the Glazer regime once the takeover was completed, although there was little material difference in either debt leverage or business approach.

It takes not a cynic to suggest that Gill’s salary, which has more than doubled since 2005, has bought significant loyalty to the new owners, who have sought to retain the executive’s involvement in a non-executive capacity.

“David has played a significant role in the success of Manchester United in his 10 years as CEO and he can take great satisfaction at all that has been achieved on his watch, both on and off the field,” said Joel Glazer, co-chairman in a rare statement from the family.

“I am very pleased he has agreed to remain on the board, so that his experience and counsel are not lost to us. I hope that the decision he has made will be to the benefit of the game in Europe as a whole, as he seeks election to Uefa’s executive committee.”

Meanwhile, Woodward called his appointment a “great honour,” adding that he is “humbled” to work with Ferguson. Yet, the obsequious words can do little to mask the new chief executive’s remit, which is to drive home the club’s profit goals, generating ever greater margins as the Glazer family seeks to extract equity from the business.

It is an objective that, as one reporter put it on Wednesday, completes the ‘Glazerfication’ of Old Trafford; an entity that now exists primarily to extract profit for its owners, and to be a football team as a by-product.

This process was once anathema to Ferguson, the socialist ship worker’s son, now working for the game’s most commercially geared organisation and under the leadership of the Glazer’s prodigy.

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