Man United Takeover: Finance expert Kieran Maguire makes bizarre takeover claim
Kieran Maguire, a finance specialist, has offered his thoughts on the latest news about a takeover bid for Manchester United that involves Thomas Zilliacus.
Latest on a Manchester United takeover
Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are the leading contenders for a potential full takeover of the Glazers, and they have submitted revised bids after a deadline extension.
However, there are other bidders in the running, including Zilliacus, who initially wanted to purchase half of the club and have fans buy the other half to be involved in decision-making. Zilliacus later suggested that he, Ratcliffe, and Jassim collaborate on a deal, but it’s unclear whether his statements are entirely accurate.
Maguire, a Sky Sports contributor, recently spoke to Football Insider about Zilliacus and the rumored bid for Old Trafford that would involve fans. He believes that this move was made purely for publicity purposes and finds it strange and unusual.
“This is an easy win to try and get publicity. The credibility of the offer has to be brought into question. The nature of the bid doesn’t make sense.
“Fans should not be involved in operational decisions. The whole point of a professional football club is that professional people make big decisions. Man United has 165million shares in issue, so although the proposal sounds democratic, one share in the club does not make a lot of difference.
“What we would find if it did happen, is that people would follow the herd when it came to major decisions. So I’m not taking this proposal particularly seriously – United fans have had the opportunity to buy shares in the club for many years and they chose not to do so. So why Zilliacus believes they would suddenly choose to do so under this model is bizarre.”
What happens now at Old Trafford
Jassim, Ratcliffe, and possibly Zilliacus (if his offer is confirmed) are now awaiting a response from the Glazers regarding their position on a possible sale.
There are reports indicating that Avram Glazer opposes a complete sale, but Joel Glazer may be convinced, as the other four siblings are allegedly in favor of selling for a significant profit.
There have been talks of a potential asking price of £6 billion, and Sky Sports speculates that the recent sale of the NFL team Washington Commanders for $6 billion could increase the price tag of Old Trafford.
Man United Takeover: Finance expert Kieran Maguire makes bizarre takeover claim
