da doce： United fans have evangelised about the British billionaire's minority takeover, but their fortunes in the transfer market may not be about to change
da apostebet： Sir Jim Ratcliffe barely has his feet under the desk having completed his protracted minority takeover at Manchester United, but the billionaire already faces a defining month in his tenure. Just one week on from the baffling Christmas Eve announcement, the January transfer window is open and there is work to be done at Old Trafford to salvage a season that is withering away.
The arrival of Ratcliffe and his conglomerate INEOS has been hailed as a new dawn by the club's following, thanks in no small part to the Glazer family's mismanagement and questionable decision-making at the very highest level over the past 20 years, including current head coach Erik ten Hag being handed control of transfers and spending huge sums on the likes of Mason Mount, Antony, Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana – all of whom have flattered to deceive.
Something has to change, and Ratcliffe will be expected to make an impression in the market having been given oversight of transfer decisions while his takeover is ratified. INEOS come with a reputation for buying low and selling high, but dealings at big-hitting United will be another kettle of fish entirely given they have never spent more than £30 million ($38m) on a player at Nice nor Lausanne.
However, history dictates there is no guarantee of immediate success, with INEOS overseeing some truly awful transfers in their brief history as investors in football. GOAL runs through 12 of the worst…
GettyKasper Dolberg (€20m)
Once touted as a future superstar, the Dane was the first signing of the INEOS era at Nice and remains among their top-three most expensive acquisitions.
However, Dolberg's time at the club was forgettable. A solid debut season where he had 15 goal involvements preceded two mightily underwhelming campaigns. He subsequently spent two unsuccessful seasons out on loan before taking the step down into Belgian football with Anderlecht in the summer, for a fraction of the price Nice paid in 2019.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRoss Barkley (Free transfer)
Barkley is adamant he wasn't given a fair chance during his sole season in France, and he is arguably proving that was the case with his fine form back in the Premier League with Luton Town.
After leaving Chelsea, the England international never nailed down a starting place at Nice in 2022-23 under Lucien Favre, and similarly Didier Digard once the Swiss was sacked in January.
Getty ImagesKasper Schmeichel (€1.2m)
Another arrival from the England who only lasted one season on the Cote d'Azur. Schmeichel's time at Nice was an unmitigated disaster, with the goalkeeper reportedly turning up for pre-season overweight and being booed by his own fans within months of his arrival.
The 37-year-old unsurprisingly saw his contract torn up in September 2023, and he has since followed Dolberg to Anderlecht in Belgium.
GettyAaron Ramsey (Free transfer)
Like Barkley, most Premier League and Serie A viewers would tell you that signing a 31-year-old, injury-plagued Ramsey was not a risk worth taking, but INEOS rolled the dice in 2022.
To his credit, the Welshman was able to stay fit throughout the campaign and played his part in a remarkable 12-game unbeaten run in Ligue 1, although he made just four goal contributions in all competitions. His contract was mutually terminated two months after a one-year extension had been triggered, reportedly because he wanted a deal until 2025, and he has since returned to boyhood club Cardiff, where his injury problems have caught up with him again.