Sir Jim Ratcliffe is one of the two leading candidates to take over at Man United and end the nearly 20-year-old Glazers’ ownership.
It would be unfair to call Ratcliffe the preferred option in the fans’ eyes. The fanbase is somewhat split as the competing parties have contrasting profiles.
Sheikh Jassim is viewed as something more than one man. Go to any comments section and see people argue over Qataris vs Ratcliffe — as if Sheikh Jassim is the entire Qatari state and Ratcliffe is just one rich man. This perception is false.
For one thing, Ratcliffe is backed by INEOS, a multimillion company he founded many years ago. Its revenue stands at £61bn, as per the latest estimation.
Let’s not forget that Ratcliffe himself is one of Britain’s richest men. According to Forbes, his wealth stands at a whooping £29.68bn as of 2023, making him the second wealthiest individual in the country.
But these are all words, numbers on a web page. Seasoned businessmen like Ratcliffe know that actions only make the world go round. That’s why he should start his Man United journey by putting the money into making a statement signing to kickstart his era and get the fans on board.
Who could that signing be for the Manchester-born entrepreneur?
For one thing, Ratcliffe seems to be UK-centric. Everything about him screams ‘I’m British’ — he literally is a sir. The finest British man can only sign the finest British footballer. And who better suits this role than England’s captain?
The puzzle is only assembling for one player:
If you haven’t been in the jungle for the last couple of years, you know that Man United like Harry Kane. But then more to Kane’s profile than just his goalscoring ability.
Here are the 3 main reasons for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to make Harry Kane his marquee signing if he buys Man United from the Glazers.
1. United get more than goals
There are not many players in the world who automatically start for any team but Kane is one of them. Whether Ratcliffe keeps Erik ten Hag or appoints Pep Guardiola, Alan Pardew or his own son — Kane will be a starter.
That’s because Kane holds the unique profile of a striker-playmaker: he scores and makes players around him score. In the last three seasons, he’s chipped in 92 goals and 32 assists.
Kane is the striker Pep Guardiola initially wanted and it’s not hard to see why. Erling Haaland may be like a raging Diomedes in front of goal but he’s not even remotely close to Kane’s ability to bring others into play.
Rashford and Antony would benefit the most from Kane’s playmaking while Bruno would no longer be the only creative outlet.
2. Kane keeps chasing all-time record
Harry Kane is some 40+ goals away from Alan Shearer’s eternal record of 260 Premier League goals. He probably can match Shearer while staying at Spurs, but we’d love to believe at Man United he’d also win collective trophies.
All good things in life need balance and Man United seems like the perfect balance between the personal record and silverware. Stay at Spurs and keep banging goals in only to end another season empty-handed. Go to Bayern or PSG and trade your eternal record for a few cheap league titles.
"If Harry wants to join Bayern, I'll drive his fucking car there myself; anything to protect my record," terrified Shearer wrote for Athletic earlier this year.
3. Ratcliffe gets a poster boy for his project
As already said, the new owner needs to start with a bang and you don’t do it by buying U18s from Dinamo Zagreb. Ratcliffe needs a player he can proudly pose for a photo with and say ‘Welcome, son’.
Kane would undoubtedly be a revenue driver, too. You may think of him as boring but England captain and all-time highest scorer playing for Man United is irresistible appeal.
The Red Devils could squeeze a good 3-4 years out of the 30-year-old Kane who is the consummate professional when it comes to taking care of himself. A certain Robin van Persie joined the club around the same age.
In the end, there’s just no other top English player potentially on the market.
Transfermarkt’s top ten most valuable English footballers: unrealistic options like Trent or Saka, and then there’s Kane.
