It’s been a difficult few weeks for Manchester United, with rumours swirling around manager Erik ten Hag, a disappointing streak of results and, of course, Jim Ratcliffe purchasing a 25% stake of the club for a whopping $1.5 billion, not to mention an additional $300 million earmarked for additional spend, but it seems that the Red Devils aren’t done with their breaking news cycles. After nearly 16 years at the club, CEO Richard Arnold is stepping down, and will be temporarily replaced by General Counsel, Patrick Stewart, while a new Chief Executive is found.
Arnold has done a lot of good for the club, most notably his huge sponsorship deals with QualComm and Adidas, but when he stepped into the shoes of Ed Woodward in 2022, he was always going to be the Glazer’s right-hand man, an impossible position giving the fan’s opinion of their current owners. His departure seemed almost inevitable when considering this, although hopefully fans will remember some of his positives in his absence. So will Arnold’s departure take the heat off of struggling manager Erik ten Hag, or will this further magnify the club’s failing ambitions in both the renovation of the ground and the team itself?
According to BetVictor, at the time of writing, it seems the Manchester United next manager odds seem largely unchanged, still at 4/1 to be the next manager to leave. While he has been leapfrogged by Newcastle’s Eddie Howe, ten Hag’s consecutive losses in non-league competitions, the EFL Cup and Champions League, have left United with very little opportunity for silverware this year, something that the board and new-buyer Ratcliffe will be less than impressed with, having endured a net negative of circa-$500 million in the transfer windows over the last 3 years. However, if the news cycles can be trusted, it appears John Murtough is the more likely casualty when Ratcliffe enters the fold, with agents being turned away if they are trying to pitch new managers for the time being.
At least for now, it seems the only name leaving is Richard Arnold, but if United’s next match, against Everton on the 26th November, doesn’t go to plan, expect the heat to dial-up on the Dutchman once again. Stay tuned for more updates or check out our football betting odds ahead of the upcoming fixture at Goodison Park.
Erik Ten Hag sacked?
It’s been a difficult start to the season for Erik ten Hag, with rumour swirling about Jim Ratcliffe’s upcoming stake purchase and a defensive line-up injury woe that rarely seems to improve, so Fulham was a make or break game for the Dutchman and his Premier League sacking chances – so how did it play out?
Coming off the back of two big defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle, Manchester United were in dire need of a win to stay in the Premier League race, let alone to prove he could be the right man for the job. Away at Craven Cottage to Fulham, what started as a strong game, quickly became a difficult fixture as VAR chalked off a goal and Onana was forced to make two strong saves to keep the hosts at bay. But in true United fashion, it was their captain Bruno Fernandes who produced an injury time winner in the 91st minute, proffering his side a much needed 3 points and his manager, a stay of execution, at least for now. BetVictor had him at 4/5 odds to be the next manager to be replaced, but at the time of writing, these have changed to 11/8, and with a game against FC Copenhagen on Wednesday, perhaps he can take his name off the chopping block with a more convincing win.
BV Prediction on Erik Ten Hag got sacked:
1 win in injury time will do little to steadfast the fans, but if Onana can keep producing strong saves and Ten Hag can get his strikers to better their performances, perhaps he will survive the New Year after all.
