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Richard Arnold: Four biggest takeaways after Man Utd chief aims Ed Woodward dig
RICHARD ARNOLD recently opened up to supporters about Manchester United and their current predicament.
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Richard Arnold has sent waves around the footballing community after talking openly about Manchester United and their current plight. The Red Devils are yet to sign anybody in this summer’s transfer window. And the 51-year-old has moved to try and smoothen relations with fans, many of whom are getting frustrated.
Manchester United were, for nine years, run by Ed Woodward.
After working closely with the Glazers during his time as an investment banker for JP Morgan, he was promoted to executive vice-chairman following the departure of David Gill in 2013.
But Woodward made too many mistakes during his reign at United, something the 49-year-old has privately conceded behind the scenes.
These days, Arnold is United’s supremo.
The 51-year-old has now spoken to supporters at a pub, revealing some interesting details along the way.
Express Sport will now take a look at the four biggest takeaways from his conversation, with Arnold now very much a man in the spotlight.
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Shots at Woodward
Arnold appeared to aim a dig at Woodward when discussing United’s recent transfer business, insisting they’ve made too many mistakes.
“We spent a billion pounds on players. We have spent more than anyone in Europe," he said.
“I’m not thrilled where we are. It doesn’t sit easy with me and I worry how we get this sorted for the future.
“What’s happened is we have [expletive] burned through cash. You can’t go to our training ground and say ‘show me where the £1billion is' because we haven’t spent money well historically.”
United have indeed squandered cash, with Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez all major disappointments over the past nine years.
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The money is there
Arnold apparently claimed, off camera, that United have £200million to spend on new recruits.
And he insisted the ‘money is there’ for John Murtough to use, saying: “We’ve blown through an enormous amount of money. For this summer, the money the manager and the director of football (John Murtough) wants is there.”
And he added: "Money is not a consideration on who we want.
“The manager wants him (Frenkie De Jong) and they have actually done the work. He's a great player.
"Is it 100 or 200? I don't know. Get who you [expletive] want. Do you want me buying the players? Does that not ring a bell?"
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Leakers are gone
Intriguingly, Arnold said off camera that the ‘two sources’ of dressing room leaks have now left Old Trafford.
And that will bode well as the club plan for a brighter future under Erik ten Hag.
There’s already been an exodus at Old Trafford this summer.
Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Edinson Cavani, Lee Grant and Nemanja Matic have all departed to pursue new challenges elsewhere.
And United could lose more players, with the futures of Dean Henderson and Anthony Martial particularly uncertain.
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Arnold came across as impressive
While some have condemned Arnold for speaking out, it’s impressive that he chose to do so with such brutal honesty.
The past nine years for United have been horrendous, with the club falling behind the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
Woodward rarely said anything in public but Arnold, it seems, is ready to conduct himself in a different manner.
Now, the onus will be on United to make sure they get their recruitment right in the coming years ahead.
And Arnold will have to prove he’s capable of succeeding where Woodward failed.