Potential Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a minority owner of Manchester United, has reportedly been involved in club operations and was responsible for the decision to remove CEO Richard Arnold from his position on Wednesday after 16 years on the board.
In an attempt to bring his own team to Old Trafford, the soon-to-be 25% stakeholder is only getting started and will even try to fire United’s football director, John Murtough, in the upcoming weeks.
But in addition to paying attention to the hierarchy, Sir Jim has been scouring the transfer market for undiscovered talents that have the potential to succeed in the Premier League. The seventy-one-year-old may have recently discovered one, according to recent sources.
Ratcliffe’s intended move to Manchester United
Journalist Fabrice Hawkins claims that Manchester United is keeping a close eye on Youssouf Fofana’s circumstances at AS Monaco.
The midfielder’s deal with the Red Devils expires at the end of the 2024–2025 campaign, although Paris Saint–Germain and Juventus, two of the biggest teams in Italy, are strong contenders to recruit him.
The France international, who reached the World Cup final in Qatar with Les Bleues, is said to be worth around £35m as per CIES Football Observatory, which looks relatively cheap for a club like Man United, having spent over £400m since Erik ten Hag took charge eighteen months ago.
Fofana has had an excellent season with Monaco in Ligue 1 as Adi Hutter’s side currently sit third in the table, three points behind rivals and holders PSG, with the 24-year-old proving to be Les Monégasques’ most important component in midfield. Football Talent Scout once called Fofana a “magnificent player” for his displays at the Stade Louis-II and now the midfielder could be on his way to the Theatre of Dreams.
How Youssouf Fofana compares to Paul Pogba
Man United haven’t had a midfielder with Youssouf Fofana’s energy and passing range in the centre of the pitch since Paul Pogba two seasons ago.
The duo have quite a lot in common, although Fofana has been outperforming his compatriot in a number of key metrics this season compared to Pogba’s final campaign in English football, the last we really saw of him at his peak
Fofana has performed better in on-the-ball stats such as progressive passes and progressive carries to the final third, as well as out-of-possession metrics like tackles won and interceptions made compared to Pogba. While United’s former number ‘6’ averaged more in other vital stats, Monaco’s man isn’t too far behind.
Interestingly, according to FBref’s player comparison model, Fofana is most similar to Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez as well as Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes this term which is exactly the mould of midfielder that Ten Hag needs for his side to start dictating games.
Compared to all other midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues over the past calendar year, the Frenchman is in the top 8% for progressive passes per 90 and the top 19% for passes into the final third per 90. Additionally, Fofana is in the top 11% for through balls per 90 and the top 1% for goal-creating shots
The Red Devils would be wise to add Fofana, who would demonstrate the shift in hiring that Sir Jim chastised the team for during board meetings by bringing in a player with a ton of promise at a relatively low