Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Impact on Nice and its Promising Implications for Man Utd

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS has witnessed fluctuating fortunes at Nice, as is evident from their recent matches in the Coupe de France.

While they achieved the milestone of reaching France's oldest football competition's grand final in May 2022 - a first for the club in 25 years, they experienced a defeat against third-tier Le Puy Foot 43 Auvergne in their following cup match last January.

Ratcliffe, who bought the local club in Monaco, his second home's tax haven, four years ago, is on the verge of procuring a 25% stake in Manchester United, the team closest to his childhood area.

Even though Ratcliffe will only own a minority share in the Premier League giants, it brings with it a substantial influence over football operations, as highlighted by 90min.

This article explores the effects that the second-richest person in Britain had on the Ligue 1 side and the possible implications for Manchester United.

As per Bob Ratcliffe, who is Sir Jim's younger sibling and was Nice's CEO in 2020, 'INEOS does many acquisitions. The ability often lies in being prepared to abandon a deal to ensure value.'

Since INEOS took over Nice in 2019, they have authorized a net expenditure of approximately £113m. Only two clubs in the French top division (oil-filled Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille, traditional elite members) have reported a higher negative spending. In comparison, Nice made a profit of £45m in the transfer market over the prior five years.

The new owners also invested £13.5m into an advanced new training complex in 2020. The renovation or complete rebuilding of the deteriorating Old Trafford is a crucial concern for the Manchester United fans, given how its distant owners, the controversial Glazer family, have let it degrade.

Nevertheless, Ratcliffe has not revealed much about the extent of investment he can offer to United, and the contracting chemical economy will not aid the growing debts imposed on his pharmaceutical behemoth INEOS.

Ratcliffe referred to the 'silly errors' he had made with his initial acquisition in football, Swiss team Lausanne, stating, 'We learn quickly,' upon his purchase of Nice. During INEOS's tenure on the Côte d'Azur, there were countless opportunities for individual development.

Under Ratcliffe, Nice, which is known for its ability to discover hidden talent, turned their focus to well-established names. Dante, Nice's captain and formerly of Bayern Munich, is one of the few team leaders to endure the turnover.

At the conclusion of the recent season, Dante expressed his apprehension, 'We lost ten players, and ten arrived. The teams in big competition semi-finals have been playing together for three, four years. We changed everything last summer. There's a coherence issue somewhere. There's no other way to put it.'

However, during summer, Nice rearranged their transfer strategy and moved away from recognizable Premier League celebrities like Kasper Schmeichel, Aaron Ramsey, and Ross Barkley, based on the Daily Mail.

The appointment of the promising Francesco Farioli as the manager - who is two years younger than Schmeichel - signals the club's forward-thinking vision. His possession-based style of football had Nice in second place after eight games.

In a visit to Old Trafford last March, Ratcliffe pointed to the £60m acquisition of a 30-year old Casemiro as an example of United's poor recruitment (according to The Guardian). If Ratcliffe is handing over the transfer funds, he's unlikely to sign many players in their later years.

Ratcliffe and his team of advisors, including esteemed Sir Dave Brailsford and unsung Jean-Claude Blanc who are responsible for sport at INEOS, did not make any dramatic changes at Nice initially.

In fact, Jean-Pierre Rivere and Julien Fournier reassumed their roles as chairperson and sporting director, respectively, after resigning from the previous management. After Christophe Galtier's departure in 2022, Ratcliffe and colleagues rehired Lucien Favre as the manager from the club's existing network.

To many Manchester United fans' dismay, this policy of gradual transitions is expected to persist in England. Ratcliffe's proposed leadership council at Old Trafford includes Joel Glazer.

Ratcliffe, however, envisages a complete takeover of United in the long term and had shown a ruthless streak in Nice after settling in. After a 2022 review of the club, Fournier was let go, and Rivere was pushed to the background.

Erik ten Hag is potentially exercising the best strategy by staying well away from the takeover discussions. He would likely hope that Ratcliffe reciprocates the gesture. Manipulating from his experience at Nice, it could be the case.

'He'd never interfere with my work,' Patrick Vieira, Nice's coach when Ratcliffe bought the club in 2019, explained to FourFourTwo: 'We'd talk about football when we met, about the team and our lives, but he's not an owner who will get involved too much and prevent the manager from doing his job.'

Vieira was sacked 18 months after Ratcliffe's arrival but bears little ill-will to the Manchester-born tycoon. 'His ambitions and expectations are high,' Vieira revealed, 'so you know where you stand, but you can do your job freely.'