INEOS's and Sir Jim Ratcliffe's revolution at Manchester United can be ruled officially underway - and they mean business.
The appointment of Omar Berrada says so – one of the best in class, a man Man United have been crying out for in a decade clouded by failure, misery, and toxicity at Old Trafford.
Not to mention the complete lack of footballing expertise and experience in the ranks at the club, Berrada’s arrival will feel like a God send.
The club have rapidly fallen behind all the top sides in Europe, without mentioning their two biggest rivals in Liverpool and Manchester City.
Their decline meanwhile is complicated and complex. Several factors must be considered, though new signs are encouraging if not daunting for the Old Trafford faithful.
Ratcliffe and INEOS’s 25% purchase of Man United, that was confirmed towards the tail end of 2023 by the club, has brought fresh optimism that times are changing, though there remains a sense of caution from fans who have been all but used to broken promises from the hierarchy at the club.
And whilst the deal remains in the process of ratification from the Premier League, INEOS are not wasting any time.
Richard Arnold’s departure as CEO late last year left a gaping hole for a position that the club had to get right, whilst Patrick Stewart filled in on an interim basis, Berrada’s arrival is significant.
Omar Berrada - who is he?
We cannot go without mentioning who Berrada departs, in what has been labelled as a major coup from the red side of Manchester, poaching a man who has been essential in city rivals Man City’s success over the last decade feels as though Man United have got one over their enemy for the first time in forever.
His role at City wasn’t his first rodeo meanwhile, his experience at FC Barcelona previously would have been certainly valuable for the lifelong fan.
Berrada in the initial stages of his career was a key figure in the commercial and business side, initially starting as Chief Marketing Officer in 2004.
It was a time crucially where he met two of Man City’s now leadership team, Director of Football Txiki Begiristain and Chief Executive Ferran Soriano, whilst it would be shrewd to assume Berrada had less to do with Barcelona’s success on the pitch, it can’t be a coincidence.
The club won multiple LaLiga titles and three Champions League’s during his time there, not to mention it coincided with Pep Guardiola’s dominant arrival into management. Though it wasn’t long before sights were set elsewhere.
Berrada continued his work on the business side when he arrived at the Etihad Stadium in 2011, as Head of International Business Development whilst Begiristain and Soriano followed the Catalan in 2012 which began an era of dominance in England that can only be matched by Man United in the Premier League.
Guardiola’s arrival in 2016 was a major turning point for Berrada’s career, which saw him shift to the football operations at the club where he became Chief Operations Officer and play a critical role in Man City’s dominance which has seen the club win five titles in six seasons and the Champions League last season.
He was notably involved in the recruitment of Aymeric Laporte in 2018, and Erling Haaland in 2022 as a part of a team who frankly were unparalleled in world football.
What can United expect?
Berrada is now a man who has ventured into both the business and football department of a leading football club, providing expertise, experience, and leadership to a hierarchy in desperate need of it.
Many have even questioned his motivations, leaving the comfort of certainly the best club in Europe at this current moment to join their city rivals who have been miles away from the levels reached by Man City.
Interestingly, few reports have touched upon the impressive nature of his move and the character and personality that he will bring with it to Old Trafford.
Berrada was by no means in need of a change, though his decision to do so speaks volumes of the leader Man United have acquired.
It will be a mammoth job for INEOS and Berrada, who must be afforded time and patience to provide an overhaul of a club which is frankly rotten from top to bottom.
Mass overspends on fees and contracts for ageing players, with the instability of four managers in the last decade has shown a lack of direction.
Former bosses have not been shy when asked about their former employers. Louis Van Gaal’s time was cut short after a season despite winning the FA Cup, whilst he warned fellow dutchman Erik ten Hag of the recurring issues at Old Trafford, describing Man United as a ‘commercial club.’
Ralf Rangnick was set to become football consultant following his interim role in 2022, though his ‘open heart surgery’ description of the club certainly made him unpopular upstairs that saw plans diminish and the German appointed as Austrian national team coach.
INEOS seem to have finally put the patient on the table, with reports that an audit led by Brailsford is underway, whilst necessary it will be sure to provide unrest to those already at the club.
It is unclear when Berrada will begin work at his new home, with noise that it is likely to be in the summer. It on the surface looks like an excellent first move by INEOS, who have appointed the best in class as CEO, with Head of Recruitment and a Sporting Director expected to follow the Catalan.
One thing is certain - United now have an established leader in their ranks, an expert in negotiations and player contracts and a man with vast experience.
The club can expect a clear vision, a philosophy that will be at the forefront of what Man United hope to achieve in the near future.
The Old Trafford faithful can expect action and proactivity that has been sorely lacking during one of the worst periods in the club's history.
Man United, though ,aren’t and shouldn’t be done there, with major appointments still on the agenda, followed by a frankly critical first window under this new regime.
Promising is the word that can describe the news, whilst refreshing is another. Berrada is just the beginning it feels, with mass change certainly on its way. Fans are beginning to have hope again, not for the first time, though this time, it feels different.