Erik Ten Hag makes new demand to Man Utd bosses after stay of execution
Erik ten Hag has given assurances to Sir Jim Ratcliffe that he can work with Manchester United ’s new chief executive and technical director - but only as equal partners.
Ten Hag told Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group that he must be allowed to help shape the club’s playing style and transfer policy alongside Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox after being informed last week that his job is safe.
The Dutchman was unimpressed to hear that United had spoken to several potential successors in the weeks since he had guided the Reds to a shock FA Cup Final triumph over Manchester City. But after being told by Ratcliffe that he would not be sacked during a face-to-face meeting in Ibiza, the 54-year-old made it clear that he is not prepared to relinquish control when it comes to identifying potential transfer targets and making decisions on how his team will play.
Ten Hag then described to the Oldham-born billionaire how he worked so successfully with Marc Overmars and Edwin van der Sar at Ajax after building a relationship with the pair that was based on mutual respect and trust. He insisted that he can build similar relationships with Berrada and Wilcox - if they treat him as an equal.
Overmars was the director of football who recruited names like Frankie de Jong, Mohammed Kudus, Andre Onana, Dusan Tadic and Davidson Sanchez during his time as director of football at Ajax. Van der Sar, United’s former Champions League-winning goalkeeper who was employed as chief executive of the Amsterdam club, generated a fortune by selling the likes of De Jong, Sanchez and Matthijs de Ligt for premium fees.
Ten Hag was briefed on every aspect of the club’s transfer policy and was given substantial input into decisions. When he was negotiating with United about taking over at Old Trafford two years ago, he insisted that a clause giving him the final decision on transfers was included in his contract.
Ten Hag recently spoke on Dutch TV about how his relationship with Overmars worked. He said: “Overmars was the one who set out the strategy and vision of Ajax. He was bright, he had cleverness, strategic insight and he knew so much about football at top level.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe
“He never wrote anything down, not even two lines on a piece of paper. But he made his vision very clear and everything was in place. When he was forced to leave, everything fell to pieces and there was anarchy in the entire organization. For me it is very clear that if you have a guy like that he can be the bonding factor from the top management of a club to the football side of a club.”
United have told Ten Hag that they are ready to offer him a contract extension - but he will not accept any attempt to take out the clause that gives him a say in transfer dealings. Ten Hag blames United’s disappointing eighth-placed Premier League finish last season on a crippling injury list that stripped him of key players.
But he has told INEOS that if they can deliver three top-class signings to address weaknesses in defence, midfield and at centre-forward this summer, the team will have what it takes to challenge for the top four.
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