The Debrief Mailbag: Live Q&A
Join Ben Jacobs, Jonathan Johnson and Angus Scott for a live Q&A as we hit the quarter pole in the football. Covering the latest with Man United, Kylian Mbappe, Lyon's terrible start and Everton's takeover. Submit your questions below.
Transcript
hello and welcome to the debrief live I'm anger Scott now we thought for a change we throw everything open to you this week there's so much going on at so many clubs that it would be hard to just keep everything down to one topic so this is the debrief mailbag so we've lined up some know-it-alls for you and I mean that obviously in the nicest possible way uh we'll be hearing from fabito Romano in about 10 minutes or so there's nothing he doesn't know about the transfer market as ever Ben Jacobs has been delving through his blackbook which is smaller than his wallet to find some answers to the questions that you are about to pose Ben good afternoon good afternoon my wallet is giant so my blackbook is still healthy and I'm pretty sure you just called for Brito romano and know it all to kick off the show yeah honestly that's that's one of the nicest things anyone has ever called because he does know it all I'm also delighted to say that Jonathan Johnson CBS Sports correspondent is with us too JJ welcome back to the debrief hey there guys thanks a lot for having me on uh looking forward to it okay well your questions out there are welcome in fact they're vital or we're not going to be here for very long so please do get in touch via the comments section below we'll get through as many of your questions as we can Ben I want to throw to you first about the latest on Manchester United now we had a the Pod was on United last week uh we were saying that Thursday was the big day there was a big M uh board meeting uh what happened well the board meeting was scheduled so it went ahead as planned but the deal because of the New York Stock Exchange and various rules Logistics legalities means that no approval or vote can be done unless it's 100% so this isn't like a transfer where you can all but confirm it and then the medical takes place afterwards everything has to be complete then it can be put to the board then it can be announced to investors and then obviously Manchester United can make a formal announcement so there was nothing in the end voted on at the board meeting that was a possibility but it was never definite but there's still a feeling that it's a case of when not if with s Jim Ratcliffe and Manchester United and seemingly what sources indicate is in the next few weeks everything should be pushed through after that there's of course some other box ticks like the Premier League owners and directors test and various other things that need to take place the transfer of funds of course all of these can add a little bit of time but Jim ratliffe is looking to try and get in and have his sport in control in order to let's say influence the January window even though Manchester United are not necessarily thinking about anything too big then and then he'll have a transitional period where he can review the club with a view to being stronger in terms of any type of day-to-day control over the summer which is which is why it's obviously important that it gets done quickly and Manchester United get Champions League football because that will also help financially Manchester United get themselves in a position where they can do a little bit more but I think the headline news is that shake jasim is out that's 100% And Ratcliffe does look like he's coming in and it will be sooner rather than later so JJ if you can put your your French hat on or your Chapo I should probably say um look s Jim has Association and his his ownership of of part of nce uh what does that therefore mean for Manchester United what what can they expect if this deal finally goes through there's a lot of different things that the they can expect I think in sort of an immediate sense uh you know we will see uh you know Ratcliffe probably try to bring some of the best elements of the the inos setup that that he's got in place at ni uh you know because he has uh you know brought in some new faces uh in recent months obviously we know that um brailsford is is involved in the hierarchy but you've also got sort of former PSG in Juventus uh big wig Jean CLA Blanc who you know I think would be a good fit for you know an elite club like Manchester United or at least historically speaking an elite club like United um and you know I also think that it will get really interesting if n manage to maintain their current form uh you know the only unbeaten side in Leon uh still remaining and looking good to qualify for European competition now with sort of you know our sort of knowledge that that Jim Radcliffe at some point in the near future would probably have a pathway to a majority ownership that makes n's status extremely interesting especially when you look at what happened between Milan and tulo uh you know who were both under redb bird ownership uh coming into Europe this season it would probably mean some significant changes for nce sort of beyond the end of this campaign that's assuming that they do qualify for Europe I think if they were to fall short again obviously that would be massively disappointing for the N supporters uh but uh you know it might sort of prolong potentially you know re cliff and ino's involvement in uh in N but that's sort of the obvious thing to to sort of put on the radar as uh you know a potential sort of complication but uh you know some of the names that have sort of been put out there so far that reff could look to to potentially bring in be involved from the very beginning at United have included Paul Mitchell who we know has left Monaco uh you know there wasn't really any possibility of Mitchell making the move from Monaco to nce uh because of their rivalry but also sort of because of the the plans that that had been put in place uh with rff's interest in uh in United uh and I think potentially you know maybe the biggest threat uh to Ratliff inos and and their project with nce in the short term will probably be the fan resistance and the frustration that will come out because let's not forget this isn't the first sort of flirtation with a Premier League club and a a significant stake in a Premier League club you had Chelsea before you had Liverpool and now you've got United while it might uh sort of be more understandable because of uh ratcliff's uh you know childhood fan history uh you know with United uh I think n supporter patience has worn very thin uh because of sort of those previous uh Dianes and now uh you know the the interesting situation will be to to see sort of what happens with nce sort of probably from the midpoint of this season to uh you know next summer uh you know assuming that Ratcliffe and you know the the United deal which you know Ben alluded to is likely to get over the line sooner rather than later you you mentioned Paul Mitchell there um what sort of an impact did he have at Monaco because he is clearly the the name that's in the frame to be the sporting director at at Old Trafford should s Jim get the sort of a quarter of the keys to the door yeah I mean he's he's done I would say quite an underrated job in many ways because he inherited a very messy situation an extremely bloated Squad and also when you come into that role with Monaco you're not really just overseeing the Monaco Squad you're also overseeing the circular buger Squad as well because uh you know they are you know they share the ownership so you know it was a very arduous task that was laid out in front of him there's no you know I don't think uh you know uh Mitchell would would sort of sh away from the fact that you know objectives weren't met last season you know there is disappointment that Monaco find themselves out of uh you know Continental football this season but overall uh sort of compared to the situation that he inherited he left Monaco in a reasonably uh you know stronger position or at least a more organized um you know manner it was uh you know not it didn't always go quite according to plan uh you know European qualification has sort of been up and down but that's also kind of part of the course with Monaco given the project that is in place and always has to be in place uh you know given the nature of the club uh but I do think that he showed um you know his pedigree over the years uh you know and you can see why um you know he's being lined up for this kind of role you look at the experience that he's had not just with Monaco but with the Red Bull Empire as well uh you know and there was a feeling in France that he had been looking at potential ways to get back to England back to the Premier League at some point in his future uh you know and it seems like this is the the right opportunity at the right time for the right person okay keep your comments coming in because it's all about you today we want to hear everything all the questions that we hopefully can an uh answer for you I want to move on to one straight away from anush Anand who says any chance of a caty coming of the Cy beard effectively coming back for Manchester United Ben yeah I get asked this a lot and unfortunately for those that want katar at Manchester United sources on the castar side adamant that they're 100 percent out I know that some have asked why there's not been a public statement if they're definitely out but there's the NDA to think of there's rain groups guidelines as well and as you well know Angus because you've lived in the region much like I did for the best part of five years you don't always want to make that statement because suddenly you're not controlling the narrative what katar wanted to do was jump before they were pushed and pull out on their own terms because then they can tell their side of the story they can brief something that is a little bit more positive before all of the Ratliff headlines start emerging before Manchester United have in likelihood a new minority investor so it was very much tactical and due to the fact that shake jasman 92 Foundation had grown fatigued by the process and the natural question we ask our sources as journalists is is it 100% is it 99.9% is there any gamesmanship to it but it's very clear the katar position that they are 100% out and you can look at that as a 100% because they feel ratliffe has one you can look at that as 100% because they got tired of the process you can look at that as 100% because they don't believe the glazers want to go or you can look at that as 100% because they were never quite what they said they were and their valuations are not necessarily matching the pr that we've seen and everyone can have their own interpretation so this isn't me necessarily saying it's one or the other those are the different permutations some close to the selling side have always been dubious of katar but those on the katar side have been quite consistent that they were debt free they would double or almost the market value of the club and and they have placed investment on top so obviously on paper there's a lot to like about the katar Bid And if the katar number is accurate their Club valuation is not that different to S Jim ratcliff's either so that would lend itself to a conclusion that maybe the glazers have decided that they simply don't want to sell now and as a six because they think the value of the club will increase further down the line there's lots of complexities to this but regardless of why the reality from the katar side is a very clear position now that they are out and they don't plan to come back in and also despite links with Spurs and Inter they're not necessarily looking as 92 Foundation to put that money that they've been unsuccessful with for Manchester United towards another club at this stage I think that if there is investment in another club it may come through a different medium from Qatar but simply put 92 Foundation State via sources that I'm speaking to anyway they're out and they have no plans to return okay another question here from uh Anana how will sjim Ratcliffe manage to fund the team and rebuild improve the stadium and pay off the debt I'm not sure for 25% of the club he's going to do all those things um because he he he's just taking sportting control but obviously the idea is that in time he takes more and more of the club and therefore the those other bits improving the stadium and paying off some of the debt will become his responsibility yeah I think that's true I'll get kind of JJ's thoughts on S Jim Ratcliffe and what inos have done at nce again in a moment because we may get some Clues as to plans based upon what we've seen at nce JJ will also know about Ratcliffe and The Wider group in terms of how they see football and what I can tell you on that front is that Ratcliffe and his business partners are very Hands-On and and name that we've not mentioned for example that could play a key role at Manchester United is jeanclaude Blanc who's joined from PSG and again JJ will be able to go into that detail but regarding how it's actually going to be funded I think that we need to understand the structure because there's lots of different possibilities but one option is that s Jim Ratcliffe ends up adding as he always said when he wanted a majority stake and control pledged investment on top because if there is a long-term path to control for Ratcliffe then it may be in his interest to not only buy the 25% but also add pledged investment which is always something that Ratliff said he'd do so therefore you actually get two kinds of injection one for the percentage and then one on top of that and the second part could also come through an injection of equity into the club I won't go into great detail because we're speculating still over the structure at this point but it is one possibility that Ratcliff might inject equity and buy 25% so then your 25% will be a mix of likely A and B shares some will go to the glazers some could well go back into the club some could go to the other a shareholders on top of that he may inject Equity into the club to get another five or 10% taking his state to 30 or 35% and that injection of equity would be directly pumped back into the club to fund the stadium Redevelopment and other projects but it's clear that the maths don't add up at the moment because your Stadium Redevelopment could be two billion certainly 1.5 billion then there's Carrington Redevelopment then there's existing transfer fees that still need to be factored in and paid off there's obviously the debt there's new forthcoming Windows too not everything can just be done via commercial deals of which Manchester United have done well on and outgoings in January or next summer there needs to be some extra injection of cash and that either has to come from the glazers from s Jim ratliffe or through through some kind of borrowing which is the dreaded word that Manchester United fans hate to hear if there is borrowing by inos it will be burdened on inos not Manchester United but it's still not ideal so I think JJ when we look at Manchester United there's a lot to do is there anything that you've seen at nce that suggests a strategy they may adopt whether in terms of specific things done or Personnel who have been involved yeah it's an interesting one uh you know I think the insistence on uh you know having such Authority on sporting Matters from day one uh you know would uh suggest that very much the the sort of plan that was put in place for you know n's previously ambitious project um you know to to try and challenge at the top of leagan uh you know go toe-to-toe with PSG season after season uh you know and ultimately try to win the French title which has since been walked back by n president R you know I think that is something something that we can look at you know maybe being transferred over to to Manchester United in the short term uh I I do agree with you I think it makes absolute sense to have somebody like Jean Claude Blanc involved you know you look at what he managed to achieve uh you know over a decade in Paris with PSG what you know he helped to to create in Paris uh and despite some sort of mixed results on the pitch uh based on the expectations that were laid out by qari ownership uh you know you'd have to say sort of his development of PSG as a club was an overwhelming success he hasn't had the time uh you know to to put his methods in place yet in niss and it doesn't sound like he's going to get it certainly not in terms of the initial project that that he was signing up for but I do think sort of one of the first things the that they would need to address uh you know once they get their foot through the door at Old Trafford would be the the manager situation because we know that Eric ten hog has been afforded uh you know a big amount of influence over what's going on on the pitch uh ad Old Trafford and if there's any doubt you know whether that it's with you know Mitchell whether it's with blong and any of these potential characters who could immediately come on board with Ratcliffe you know if there's any doubt over sort of some of the pieces that are already in place uh you know I think tough decisions were would have to be made because we've seen in the past since inos you know took over at n when they've trusted figures who were already in place it hasn't necessarily worked out well you know you look at the situation with Julian Fier obviously uh you know you can't necessarily judge n's ownership based on the the Scandal that that Kristoff galtier and forier were embroiled in but the fact that fornier was there uh left and then came back uh you know that was perhaps a misjudgment on on ino's part in terms of you know how they wanted the sporting project to be overseen so I think they'll learn from that experience uh you know and perhaps go with you know some of the boulder choices that that they've been making recently because if you look at this n Squad yes it's unbeaten near the top of lean but in terms of what they've decided the the direction uh you know for the club to go in going with a fairly untested young upcoming manager like Franchesco fot was a very bold choice but it's one that's paying off so far uh and they do still have you know some very talented young French players in that Squad the likes of toddy bro the likes of turam so you can't say that it's been a complete failure for nice uh on the sporting side of things when you look at what's been going on on the pitch uh and it's just it's funny really the way these things work out that we're talking about you know rat cliff and inos potentially uh you know looking to to move operations to to Manchester United over the medium to longterm when things could finally work out in the short term uh you know with the nice project that they've been putting the pieces into place for over the last couple of years but it is um you know something that I think would need addressing very early sort of the the question of whether they move forward uh you know with somebody like tentin har at the helm especially if Mitchell comes in because we know that Mitchell's come from the Red Bull Empire and you look at what mon did over the last couple of years there's been a very strong Red Bull influence there so that's something that could potentially be uh a storyline to watch uh you know should redcliffe you know manage to get his foot through the door and start bringing some people in with him okay do keep your questions coming in thanks JJ for the moment thank you Ben for the moment we want to hear from you uh they are here to answer your questions me too if there's anything that you want asked then do that and we'll try and get it answered for you as soon as possible but in the meantime let's head over to Frito Romano who we caught up with just a little bit earlier to get the latest uh on the transfer dealings around the world foro if s Jim ratliffe does come into Manchester United do you expect them to have a busy January transfer window no I don't think it's going to change a lot honestly uh I th