UNITED Glazers don’t plan to sell, why would they?
SIR Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton rightly stole the show when they made their welcome return to the Etihad’s directors’ box on Sunday.
And it has been quite a few weeks for big names at United games.
Just a few weeks ago, Avram Glazer travelled to the Theatre of Dreams to watch the Champions League defeat to Juventus, following talk of a Saudi Arabian-backed takeover bid last month.
That rumour was fuelled by Glazer’s scheduled appearance at the Riyadh for the Future Investment Initiative last month, but he pulled out.
Regardless, the Glazers have no plans to sell United – and why would they?
The team may be languishing in eighth place but, commercially, things have never been better at the Reds. It has got to the point now where United’s on-field results do not even have a direct impact on what they do with endorsements and sponsorship deals - as managing director Richard Arnold revealed at the Web Summit last week.
“Commercial success is only possible because of the unparalleled engagement we have with our fans globally,” he said.
“The end goal is creating a virtuous circle, where more engagement with our fans equals greater opportunities for our partners, and that in turn equals greater revenue, and more opportunities for academy investment and world class signings to deliver the performances and success United fans expect and deserve.
“Expressed simply, for us to win on the pitch, we have to win off it.”
If you ever needed hard evidence for that statement, United’s share price has hit a new all-time high at various points in 2018 – even when things have not been going well.
After the 3-2 defeat at Brighton in August, for example, it soared to $24.20 a share.
That is music to the Glazers’ ears after spending a fairly modest £66.5m on transfer fees in the summer, but why have they suddenly returned to Manchester?
Just a month after United fans in the J-Stand chanted ‘Jose’s right, the board are s **** ’ after seeing their side go 2-0 down at home to winless Newcastle – why now?
Woodward is due to speak to investors on the New York Stock Exchange in his quarterly conference call on Thursday but that has never required a personal, physical briefing before, and United’s executive vice-chairman is in daily contact with the Glazers via Whatsapp.
The Glazers have rarely been mobilised, too, unless the top four becomes mathematically out of reach and denies them those precious revenue streams they desire.
That was the case in 2014 and 2016, for example, when David Moyes and Louis van Gaal were sacked.
Mourinho’s side have progressed since then, but the last month has been a reminder of how far they have to go to close the gap on Europe’s elite. City were comfortable winners in the derby without having to be at their very best, and while Mourinho might hope that will result in some January investment, that result is unlikely to worry the Glazers.
These are owners, after all, who have drained more than £1bn from United at a time when their counterparts at City have ploughed the same amount directly into the club.
The Glazer’s recent visit reminds you that they are very much here to