Although Sir Ratcliffe's arrival at Manchester United has not yet been officially announced, judging from a series of news, Rajae will soon become one of the owners of Manchester United. With CEO Trent Alexander-Arnold stepping down and Manchester United set for a major change, Jadon Sancho's departure has been in the spotlight in recent days.
Since his public confrontation with Ten Hag, Sancho has left the first team and is not even accessible to the team's canteen. A number of teammates and celebrities, the English Professional Footballers Association and other organizations also said to Sancho that they would apologize to the manager as soon as possible, so as to exchange for a reconciliation between the two sides and get the opportunity to play again.
However, as things stand, Sancho has not done so, and with the winter transfer window set to open and calls for a departure are getting louder, the only question is how will United send Sancho away
According to Sky Sports, Ratcliffe admired Arsenal's style of signing, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stripped of his captain's armband after Arteta's tenure, and at the same time terminated his contract with the club early and eventually left on a free transfer, as was the case with Nicolas Pepe.
Obviously, the change that Arteta is pushing for is that Arsenal should put the interests of the team first, create a good team culture, and if the player is no longer valuable to the team, then the best way is to cut off the relationship with the player, and voluntary termination is a solution, rather than breaking the tie and letting the player barely stay in the team.
Ratcliffe highly appreciates Arsenal's approach of prioritizing team culture over commercial interests. In the past, United were usually reluctant to reduce the value of their players, often through contract extensions, or waiting until the end of the contract, leaving the team with a lot of players who were difficult to 'use'. Such a move is often glorified as emotional and humane, but in fact, it is a decision that does more harm than good for the club.
Let's call this method the "Pogba model", because after Pogba returned to Manchester United, although he had an excellent performance for a while, in the later stage, he has shown a side that does not match the value of the team. Soon after, United opted for Jose Mourinho to leave the club, keeping Paul Pogba and extending his contract. However, it is inevitable that Pogba finally waited until the end of the contract period and left for free again, and now he is facing a ban, which is embarrassing.
Such an example seems to have been a common practice for Manchester United in recent years. The contract renewal of many players is out of place in the eyes of fans, resulting in a huge redundancy in the team, and "clean-up" has become a fixed topic every summer. Therefore, Manchester United should be like Arsenal, like Aubameyang or Pepe, when it is not appropriate, take decisive action and terminate the contract early, instead of staying until the end of the contract period, in exchange for only a short period of glory on the statement, in fact, there is no benefit, and what should come is always coming.
Sky Sports also believes that Jadon Sancho may also terminate his contract early, rather than using "delays" such as loan. Although Jadon Sancho is the fourth-highest price in the club's history, it is unlikely that he will continue to do so as things stand. Decisively "clearing", although it is not good in numbers, can help the team and get a better environment. Just imagine, even if you keep Sancho, you can't play, what's the point of being out on loan?What's more, a weekly salary of more than 300,000 is also a lot of expenses.
Long pain is better than short pain, and learning to give up is also a virtue. Terminating the contract early can send a signal to everyone that Manchester United should prioritise competition and that team culture is more important than commercial value. In recent years, Manchester United's poor results on the pitch, lack of team spirit, lack of core values, have been key influencing factors. Anthony Martial, Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, whose contracts expire next year, may not do the same thing as before.
Being too protective of players and forcibly choosing to renew their contracts with players to avoid free transfers can only backfire and make the squad bigger and bigger. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly difficult to streamline the squad and reduce expenses. Ratcliffe's INEOS believes that only a tougher approach to contract management will help to achieve better goals, and that subtraction will increase purchasing power and meet financial requirements.
Reshaping the culture and attracting more high-profile stars is a clear indication that United are focused on results rather than over-value balance. If Ratcliffe's arrival can change the procrastination of the past into a decisive and efficient decision, and rebuild a competitive squad, it is expected to be exchanged for better results and re-compete for the championship, and it will no longer be distant and untouchable. Because, the performance of the arena is the basis of commercial value, otherwise, there will always be a day when it will be consumed.