Manchester (Reuters)
Manchester United will appoint its managing director Richard Arnold as the club’s new chief executive officer in the coming days, Sky reported, effectively replacing Ed Woodward, who was previously executive vice-chairman.
A spokesman for United, who has not appointed a chief executive since David Gill left in 2013, declined to comment on the “speculation”.
This will be United’s second major change in two months after sacking coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last month after the team’s level fell catastrophically this season.
Arnold previously served as the club’s commercial director until 2013, and his appointment will coincide with some changes to the way the club is run, although the process will not amount to a restructuring, according to Sky, citing unnamed sources.
The report added that Woodward is expected to remain at United in an advisory position for several months.
United had announced last April that Executive Vice President Woodward, one of the prominent figures in the unsuccessful European Super League project, would leave his position at the club at the end of 2021.
United were among the prominent European clubs that announced their accession to the Super League, and Woodward was criticized by Aleksander Ceferin, president of the European Union “UEFA”.
Woodward, who joined United in 2005 and took over his current role in 2012, said in a statement at the time: “I am extremely proud to work with United and have had the honor to collaborate with the greatest football club in the world for the past 16 years. At the end of the year, I have faced unique challenges over the past 16 months. The financial impact on football clubs has been severe, but United have been one of the strongest and most resilient clubs in the face of extraordinary financial pressures.”
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