Nice job, Jim
New United investor’s French club is now challenging in Ligue 1 Former manager reveals key to Ratcliffe success at Allianz Riviera Ursea: Restructured foundations and more spent in windows... but he did not get involved in team affairs
The British billionaire has only been at Old Trafford for five minutes, with his 25 per cent stake in United set to be given the green light by owners, the Glazers.
But already chief Executive Richard Arnold has become the first high-profile casualty of the INEOS regime and heavily scrutinised Football Director John Murtough is also under the microscope.
Ratcliffe will oversee a swift reconstruction of United’s footballing infrastructure before the project is placed in the hands of his trusted professionals.
Former Nice boss Adrian Ursea, who returned to the Ineos-owned Ligue 1 club posttakeover, witnessed first-hand the winds of change that swept through the French Riviera.
“The biggest difference was the club became certain there would no longer be problems with money,” Ursea said.
“The first time I was there there were huge financial problems, but once INEOS arrived – they went.
“I saw Jim sometimes, but he only visited training sessions once or twice – not more.
“We never felt the pressure about Jim because in this period I saw much more of his brother Bob. I only saw Jim three or four times overall.
“It was clear that the big boss of the first-team during that situation was our director of football, Julien Fournier.”
Prior to his resignation in 2022, Fournier was the brains behind Ratcliffe’s Nice operation.
The 49-year-old French chief spearheaded recruitment plans and even met with United boss Erik ten Hag on four separate occasions to launch an unlikely sales pitch prior to the Dutchman’s appointment at Old Trafford.
Fournier worked in tandem with club president Jean-pierre Rivere and Bob Ratcliffe, who has since stepped down as INEOS’ head of football operations – meaning he will have zero involvement at United. Despite the wholesale changes, Nice appear to have finally cracked Ligue 1. They are unbeaten in their opening 12 matches and only trail champions Paris Saintgermain by a single point. But, for all of Ratcliffe’s billions, he remains indebted to Romanian coach Ursea (left), who was tasked with preserving Nice’s topflight status following the sacking of Patrick Vieira in December 2020. The assistantturned-caretaker duly delivered, prompting a timely summer cashinjection from INEOS that saw Ligue 1-winning boss Christophe Galtier prised away from Lille. “After I left, INEOS began spending more money on transfers,” Ursea added, in promising news for Manchester United supporters. “They spent around €60million in the market. Before, the club wouldn’t permit a transfer that would cost more than €5m or €6m.
“Then Nice started to have the power to spend up to €15m on players because, with INEOS, the money was there.
“It was very important to save the situation
“Relegation would have been a catastrophe for the club. Maybe INEOS would have left, I honestly don’t know.
“I’m very proud we saved the situation with our players, staff and president because it was a really, really, difficult period.”
In Nice, there is widespread concern among supporters that their club may suffer in light of Ratcliffe’s £1.25bn minority purchase of United.
But Ursea is adamant INEOS are committed to a long-term vision as they seek to replicate arch-rivals Manchester City by assembling a global empire.
“I think it will be the same thing in Manchester United as in Nice,” Ursea added.
“They want to construct a galaxy like Red Bull or the City Football Group.
“Jim is a businessman, but I think – and know – that he also loves Manchester United.”