In an absolutely staggering day for Manchester United, it looks like the Glazer family could finally be considering selling the club. Parades outside Old Trafford incoming?
The announcement was made in an official statement by the club on Tuesday, 22 November, while most fans had not long finished watching the last World Cup game and were still digesting the news from earlier in the evening.
Should a sale actually go through (we’ll believe it when we see it), it will bring the Glazer‘s ownership of the club to an end after more than 17 years of protests and regression as a once top European team.
You can read the full statement down below, including words from the typically silent Glazers themselves.
Club statement on a process to explore strategic options for Manchester United.#MUFC
The statement detailed how the board of directors are now “commencing a process to explore strategic alternatives for the club… with the ultimate goal of positioning the club to capitalize on opportunities both on the pitch and commercially.”
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“As part of this process, the Board will consider all strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the Company.” Yes, you read that right: they might seriously consider selling.
The mere notion of a sale will come as a surprise to virtually every football fan, let alone United supporters, as the US businessmen have long made it clear they had no intention of letting the multi-billion pound sports franchise go.
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It was only just over a month ago that long-time suitor Sir Jim Ratcliffe said he was told by the Glazers directly that the club “is not for sale“.
The announcement goes on to explain that they will be examining plans on everything from “stadium and infrastructure redevelopment… expansion of the club’s commercial operations on a global scale”, to the “long-term success of the club’s men’s, women’s and academy teams” before taking next steps.
They also reiterated that the fan base’s interests will also be considered as much as stakeholders. Yeah, we’ve heard that one before…
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News of the club being put up for auction was first broken by The Athletic, who reported that the much-maligned American owners had instructed their banks to handle the sale of the sporting giants.
Shortly after that, Sky News revealed that the share price of the club rocketed by 17% following the rumours alone.
The sale of #mufc could be far in excess of the club's stock market valuation. Since the latest news broke, the share price has risen by as much as 17% [@MarkKleinmanSky]
Speaking in a rare statement from the two, co-chairmen and directors Joel and Avram Glazer said: “As we seek to continue building on the Club’s history of success, the Board has authorized a thorough evaluation of strategic alternatives.
“We will evaluate all options to ensure that we best serve our fans and that Manchester United maximizes the significant growth opportunities available to the Club today and in the future.
They also insisted that they will “remain fully focused on serving the best interests of our fans, shareholders, and various stakeholders.”
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Whether what happens next is a full-blown agreement to sell or simply an invitation to welcome other investors on board, it is thought that the incoming parties will also be American. It also thought that were they to sell, they will be looking for offers between $5-9 billion.
Manchester United are for sale. Glazer family willing to listen to offers for the club they bought in a controversial leveraged buyout 17 years ago. Expectation if club is sold, it will be to US investors.
It has also been confirmed that banking giants Rothschild and Co. will be acting as the exclusive financial advisor to the Glazer family shareholders and all those financially invested in the club.
Before fans get too carried away, the club did reiterate that “there can be no assurance that the review being undertaken will result in any transaction involving the Company” and no further comments will be made until an official decision or breakthrough has been made.
This earth-shattering news comes just hours after the Red Devils confirmed the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo by way of mutual agreement — an outcome that seemed significantly more likely than the club being put up for sale.
Manchester United are approaching nearly a decade without a league title and have won few trophies in the years since Sir Alex Ferguson.
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Moreover, despite numerous additions to the squad itself down the year, the consensus has long been that the club has seen little investment from its owners — certainly not with their own money, anyway. With that in mind, a done deal or not, this is a momentous day for United fans around the world.
While we don’t expect a decision before the end of the year, Reds may finally be able to put their Glazers Out banners down in the near future.
Salford City FC reveal new club crest ahead of return to orange kit
Danny Jones
Salford City FC have finally revealed their new club crest, paying homage to both their historic and present badge, as they prepare to wear predominantly orange kits once again.
The Greater Manchester club are enjoying a healthy injection not only of investment but ideas and, indeed, a decent bit of form in turn.
Currently sitting sixth in the League Two standings and looking more than capable of scrapping with other third division hopefuls around them in the table, the end of this season could be the start of a fresh chapter for the Salford sporting institution.
Regardless of whether they go up following the conclusion of this campaign or not, the newly restructured ownership group is certainly looking to make this the start of a new era.
Officially debuting the new Salford City badge in the teaser video shared above on Tuesday, 23 December, you could call it an early Christmas gift for Ammies supporters.
Writing on social media, the club said: “Our heritage. Our culture. Inspiring our future. From next season, Salford City FC will adopt a bold new identity, playing in orange with a new Club crest.
“Following recent consultations, 72% of fans voted to adopt this new Club crest from the start of the 2026-27 season.”
A lengthier statement continues: “The new Crest comes after extensive consultation with fans over the past several months.
“It was designed in conjunction with renowned NYC-based agency MILK, and in recent weeks, fans have heard from co-owners Gary Neville and Sir David Beckham about the potential opportunities the new crest can offer the Club – from building our fan base globally to exciting new merchandise products.
This latest unveiling comes after confirmation of the club reverting to an orange-led colour scheme and home shirt.
In addition to hinting at plans to once again upgrade the Peninsula Stadium, the official club statement also digs into the inspiration behind the various features included in the latest redesign.
They are as follows:
A rampant Lion that has featured on crests of the past, breaking out of the badge, refusing to be contained. It captures the fierce, on-field attitude expected from a Salford team. Relentless in the pursuit of success, never held back.
A new Salford rose, inspired by the iconic Salford Lads Club, symbolises enthusiasm, desire, passion and admiration.
Concentric circles represent a bird’s eye view of the Salford Gasworks.
A typeface crafted from the custom lettering found in Salford’s streets.
You see a more detailed breakdown of the thought process behind the various features down below; it does make for an interesting little read.
Credit: Salford City (via club website)
Salford famously switched to red when Manchester United’s ‘Class of 92’ legends bought the club in partnership with businessman Peter Lim well over a decade ago.
Despite the initial takeover seeing the struggling side find their way back into the EFL following multiple promotions, The Ammies have lost momentum in recent years, and many die-hard matchgoers still take issue with the colour change (the notion being that they were reborn in the shadow of Man United).
Fast forward to now, and they reiterated that the plans – which follow the aforementioned official consultation held earlier this year – will see new insignia installed in time for next season, not only on the latest batch of kits but around their soon-to-be further renovated home ground.
With Salford‘s rugby league community also set for its next iteration as of the 2026 season, it’s all change in Greater Manchester’s second city.
UK supermarket ‘bans’ Manchester City players following Pep Guardiola press conference
Danny Jones
In a somewhat surprising but nevertheless amusing headline, Manchester City players have seemingly been banned from UK supermarket Iceland this Christmas.
No, as daft as it might sound, we’ve got a quote from the frozen food chain and everything.
With the Man City squad being given an added little reprieve when it comes to training this year, since their rivals over in the red half of the city are the only Premier League side playing on Boxing Day, they have an extra day off before getting back on the pitch this Saturday, 27 December.
Set to face Nottingham Forest on the road at the City Ground, it could be a potentially tricky away game, so they need every advantage possible to come away with the points and possibly claim that top spot before the end of the year, which includes fitness – and, more specifically in this case, weight.
“Come back three kilos heavier and you stay in Manchester!” 🍔👀
Pep Guardiola lays down the law on weight checks after Christmas, warning Man City players they will not travel for Nottingham Forest 💬🔵 pic.twitter.com/zES8ZRkWzG
Yes, following manager Pep Guardiola’s press conference after their 3-0 win over West Ham, in which he warned his players against packing on the pounds over Christmas, Iceland have confirmed that City stars won’t be allowed through the door.
We’re not sure how much frozen festive food is allowed on the diet sheet around the Etihad Campus to begin with, but still.
Sharing an official press release, an Iceland spokesperson said: “With Pep keeping such a close eye on his players’ Christmas calories, we thought it was only right to do our bit to help support him and get the best result for local fans.
“Our festive desserts are designed to be indulgent, over-the-top and impossible to resist […] They’re perfect for seasonal celebrations, but probably not ideal if you’ve got a post-Christmas weigh-in and an important away trip on the line.”
To be fair, we’ve cracked into that Bailey’s crème brûlée early before, and you don’t want to do anything other than lie down after it…
In case you missed Pep’s post-match presser this past weekend, the scrupulous Catalan coach acknowledged that while all of his players made weight on the Friday, he “will be there controlling how many kilos come up” this Christmas.
Urging them to show some restraint and avoid coming back “fatty”, he said they can obviously eat some of the holiday favourites around the dinner table, but that he still has to “make a selection [of] 27 against Nottingham Forest.”
Put simply, Guardiola said: “Imagine one player, and now he’s perfect, but he will arrive with three kilos more. He will [stay] in Manchester; he will not travel to Nottingham Forest, that’s for sure.”
You can watch his press conference in full down below.
Danny Jones -
22nd November 2022 
