Ex-Tottenham chief is ‘leading candidate’ for key Man Utd role post-Sir Jim Ratcliffe takeover
According to reports, ex-Tottenham chief Paul Mitchell is a “leading candidate” to be given a key role at Manchester United under Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The British billionaire is set to buy a 25% stake in Man Utd after he opted to revise his initial bid.
He has been in a prolonged takeover battle with Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim, who has now decided to end his interest in the Premier League giants.
Ratcliffe already owns Ligue Un outfit OGC Nice and his initial bid for Man Utd – who are fourth in the 2023 Premier League net spend table – is expected to lead to him becoming their majority stakeholder by the end of 2026.
The 71-year-old will take control of sporting matters at Old Trafford as soon as his arrival is formalised and he is expected to appoint a new director of football.
Mitchell who has previously had spells at Spurs and MK Dons and he departed French side AS Monaco earlier this year. Journalist Ben Jacobs is of the understanding that he is the “leading candidate” to become United’s next sporting director.
“Paul Mitchell is a leading candidate to become #MUFC sporting director under Jim Ratcliffe having first been approached in March. Long before talks advanced with the Glazers, INEOS looked at several candidates. Mitchell has also been considered for Nice before,” Jacobs tweeted.
“Mitchell wants a return to the Premier League and has been exploring options since last summer. Chelsea was another role he was very interested in.
“Dan Ashworth is another name discussed by INEOS, but it’s been made clear he is not looking to leave Newcastle.”
READ MORE: Sir Jim Ratcliffe needs football nerds on Man Utd committee, not a Glazer and a cycling boss
This has been backed up by a report from The Telegraph. They have described Mitchell as an ‘early frontrunner’ for a role at Man Utd.
‘The former Monaco, Red Bull group and Southampton executive Paul Mitchell is the early frontrunner to be appointed sporting director at Manchester United although doubts persist as to how much power that position will be accorded under the new ownership.
‘The proposed new ownership structure at United will see Ineos billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe take 25 per cent of the club and a place, along with Dave Brailsford, the former cycling chief, on a committee overseeing the football operation. They will be joined by Joel Glazer, the current chairman.
‘It is understood that Brailsford has spoken to a range of sporting directors over the last 12 months in his position as Team Ineos director of sport as it relates to Ratcliffe’s Ligue 1 club Nice. Nevertheless, there have been no firm commitments either way. How senior any recruitment appointment would be in the new Ratcliffe-Glazer structure at United remains a major question in the game.’
