In a shocking interview about the Premier League’s heavyweights, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a co-owner of Manchester United, gave a harsh evaluation of five players he feels the team has overpaid for. The 20-time English champions, who are now in 14th place in the rankings, have experienced a sharp downturn under the INEOS chairman, who has been in charge at Old Trafford for just over a year.
Ratcliffe has made some extremely unpopular moves off the pitch, such as mass layoffs and reducing the number of hot meals provided to club members who are not in the first team, even though performance on the pitch is unimpressive. In response to a question about United’s financial situation, the billionaire quickly pointed to subpar pre-arrival recruiting and listed the five players the Red Devils were still paying for.
Ratcliffe Names Casemiro and Andre Onana as Overpaid Signings
Three other stars were also pinpointed by the co-owner
Ratcliffe told the BBC that United was still having to cope with the fallout from pre-arrival signings that were still costing the team money. The 72-year-old specifically called out and humiliated Casemiro, Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund, Antony, and Jadon Sancho as celebrities who weren’t worthy of the money lavished upon them.
Ratcliffe gave the following explanation of how the club’s financial situation is still being plagued by these prior decisions:
“If you look at the players we are purchasing this summer that we did not purchase, we are purchasing Antony, Casemiro, Onana, Hojlund, and Sancho. Whether we like it or not, we have inherited all of these things from the past, and we must deal with them.
“We’re spending £17 million to acquire Sancho in the summer. He now plays for Chelsea, and we pay him half of his salary. Some are likely overpaid, while some are not competent enough. However, it will take time for us to shape the team for which we are entirely accountable.
Ratcliffe is alluding to the fact that, even though the players stated above are no longer under contract with the Red Devils, they still have to make payments in installments. In fact, the businessman disclosed in a separate interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap that United will have to pay £89 million in fees for players who have already joined the team before they can invest any funds in new players during the upcoming transfer window.
Ratcliffe refuted reports that United would have to sell academy players in order to meet financial restrictions, even though he stated that the team would run out of money by the end of the year if cost-cutting measures weren’t taken. This follows allegations that in order to keep under PSR restrictions, there was a desire to cash in on Kobbie Mainoo, who has allegedly declined a new contract.
“No, no. Due to our current financial situation, we will not be selling players,” Ratcliffe affirmed. “We eliminated the club’s bloatedness and will end up with a lean and effective organisation. That’s how we’ll deal with the expenses. Every choice made by the players will be centred on how we can enhance performance. That’s all.
