CE’S transfer edict: ‘No dickheads’
Man U boss brings no-nonsense approach to role
Manchester United had just been beaten by Brighton when the club’s key football decisionmakers assembled in their Carrington nerve centre, unaware there would be an even more bruising defeat by Brentford to follow.
After manager Erik ten Hag finally agreed to abandon United’s 14-week pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, the green light was given to sign Casemiro, whom had been kept warm since late June. United’s senior scouts, Simon Wells, Mick Court and Jose Mayorga were present along with head of recruitment operations Steve Brown, transfer consultant Tom Keane, football director John Murtough and his deputy, Andy O’boyle. In the background sat Richard Arnold. The United chief executive was not there to interfere. “Richard never inputted on football decisions like that, but wanted to make sure he understood why they were being made,” one source with knowledge of the process said.
Or, in this specific case, why United were ready to commit £60 million (NZ$114.7M) to sign a 30-year-old midfielder from Real Madrid, not least as he was the one who would be going to the Glazer family to request the club’s owners significantly loosen the purse strings.
“Richard exerted just the right level of accountability, which is a CEO’S job,” another source said.
Tired of seeing the club at the mercy of troublemakers and problem players, Arnold had only one edict on transfers to Murtough and Ten Hag as part of their moves to reshape the dressing room: “No dickheads,” he would tell them - a policy shared by the All Blacks, who adopted the mantra after realising some players took valuable time and resources away from the team.
Arnold was central to convincing the Glazers to allow United to spend around £75 million (NZ$143.5M) more than they had budgeted for last summer, but he is also a man of principle. Extra money was made available on the understanding that there would be little, if anything, to spend this month, and it is Arnold who was the one reminding Ten Hag of that when the manager was privately angling for more funds to sign Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, who ended up joining Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven for £44 million (NZ$84.2M).
“He’s pretty good at managing those tensions,” a source said.
The most fundamental change in the 12 months since Arnold replaced Ed Woodward at Old Trafford has been the sharp shift in power away from the club’s swanky Stratton Street offices in Mayfair back to the Manchester heartland and the empowerment of key department heads, notably those running football. Murtough, Ten Hag and their teams now have autonomy to dictate football matters, free of the influence of a small posse of corporate financiers, and the results have been clear for all to see, on and off the pitch.
Arnold — who bases himself out of Old Trafford and lives a short drive away in Cheshire — is the visible presence on the ground in Manchester that Woodward never was.
“Manchester United is now run on an axis between Old Trafford and Carrington where previously it was a triangle with the most powerful element in Mayfair,” said one insider. Or, as another source put it less charitably: “It’s a silly CEO who puts himself in an ivory tower away from his people.”
Arnold’s appointment was not without controversy. There was scrutiny around the Glazers’ reluctance to run a thorough external process and questions about his inexperience in such a role, even though he had been the brains behind the club’s successful commercial arm and had run dayto-day operations at Old Trafford.
“Richard Arnold might end up being the best football club CEO in the world, but he’s a learner — he’s never done it before,” one figure who has worked at the club said.
Concerns were also aired, albeit misguidedly, about his perceived closeness with, and similarities to, Woodward, whose resignation followed the collapse of the reviled European Super League plot in April 2021 that the former executive vicechairman strived to distance himself from.
“There was some kind of perception that Richard was Woodward’s sidekick, but he was terribly careful about where and how he honed his particular attributes,” one insider said.
Although an “alpha male” in some regards, Arnold is not a shouter or prone to losing his temper. Numerous United staff have commented to Telegraph Sport on how he always listens, runs a genuine open door policy and “will take the mickey out of himself or hold his hands up when he’s wrong”. His lack of ego has also been noted.
If he does not like something, though, he will be sure to tell people. Those familiar with Arnold say he does not believe United have achieved anything yet, and that any praise will only be warranted if and when the club are back to winning things and competing consistently again in the Champions League.
Arnold — who declined to be interviewed for this article — has reopened the channels of communication with Sir Alex Ferguson and the club’s former chief executive, David Gill, and enjoys a strong relationship with both. He is also believed to have been influential in the Glazers opting not to take the latest dividend payment. Since buying the club in 2005, more than £160 million (NZ$306.1M) has been paid out in dividends, which has infuriated supporters. But, for the first time for six years, it emerged that the six Glazer siblings did not approve the latest semi-annual payment to shareholders. The move freed up around £20 million (Nz$38.3m)to be reinvested in the club.
Many of the fans’ groups credit Arnold with being the driving force behind supporter re-engagement. Arnold now faces a challenge to ensure United’s plans are not derailed by the potential sale. He must do so knowing there are no guarantees over his own position should the Glazers sell.
“This is one of the biggest underlying issues,” one source said. “Stitching the fabric of the business together while the owners are uncertain about how they are going to take it forward.”