In the week Ole Gunnar Solskjær was confirmed as Manchester United’s permanent manager, I’ve been in New York to complete my executive master for international players, which is run by Uefa. It’s been an important commitment for the past two years and I’ve really enjoyed learning about the business side of sports organisations and seeing how they do things differently to football.
One of the biggest aspects I’ve noticed is the importance of sporting directors in US sports – for example all the teams in the NFL and NBA have been using that model for several years and it is now becoming a crucial role in football as well. It’s so important to have someone who is a steady presence and is going to set the culture of the club regardless of who the manager is.
I’d like to see more English teams involving former players on their boards because a lot of the people in executive positions do not have the experience of playing the game and understanding it from a player’s perspective. How many sporting directors in the Premier League used to play for their clubs? There are not many, whereas in Europe and the United States there are copious examples of sporting directors who played for the team during their career and therefore understand the inner spirit of the side, how to engage with fans and the culture of the club.
For example, it’s really important for Solskjær to have a good relationship with United’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, but how much easier would that be if he had other players working with him on the board or as a sporting director? I think Gary Neville would be the perfect choice to fill that role. He is a proven businessman and has football experience, having coached at the highest level. Neville understands the fabric of the club and what is required to continue its success – if you surround yourself with good people then you can make good decisions.
We have seen how Chelsea have changed since Michael Emenalo’s departure. At Chelsea, there seemed to be a transfer policy that was very clear, bringing in young players such as Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, who have gone on to do great things. Emenalo was responsible for many of those signings and was a steady force for many years. But when he left, the club seemed to lose its sense of direction.
In the women’s game, the model that is working is for them to be part of the bigger brand of an established men’s club such as Juventus, Manchester City or Lyon. To build on that we need to have women on the board, so they can help to build the brands within the clubs. Many people think women’s football needs to have its own economy but I disagree. Why would you not leverage 100 years of a brand to help grow the game quickly? We saw the impact of having a Juventus team when 39,000 people came to our match and we are only two years old! If you have decision-makers pushing that agenda then it’s only going to get better and better.
As a general point, I’d like to see more players who are legends with their clubs get a chance as managers or in the boardroom. I think it’s really fascinating because at the same time Solskjær has been given a three-year contract at United, Zinedine Zidane is back at Real Madrid, while you have famous former players such as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard who have started their managerial careers and will probably end up going back to Chelsea and Liverpool respectively at some point.
I’m surprised we do not see more Solskjærs at other clubs who want to bring back the glory days. But if he can be successful then perhaps he could start a trend in English football.
It must be said there is a lot less loyalty in the game than there used to be, however. Why has Patrick Vieira never worked for Arsenal for example? If you are a former player, your chances of becoming manager of a club depend a lot on how you finished your career there and sometimes it can be frustrating to see the way players are treated when they approach the end. They can leave with a bitter taste and are not able to come back, which is a shame.
Obviously Solskjær is different, because he is loved by everyone at United and has also brought back Mike Phelan, who was on Sir Alex Ferguson’s staff for many years. He has tapped into the spirit of the club. There are way more experienced managers but would they have been able to achieve what he has? The answer is probably no. But if he had been treated poorly when he left then he would not have felt able to come back. Although I’ve said before it’s no good looking backwards, Solskjær has done well to draw on their history. The defeat by Wolves means they face a fight to finish in a top-four spot and have a tough match against Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals. Has he got the ability to turn United into real title contenders?
Everyone thinks the solution will be in the transfer market but actually it’s more about what he is going to do with the players he has already. He has brought out the best in Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford, so it’s about building on that and finishing the season strongly. In the summer they definitely need to invest in a central defender, because we have seen the difference Virgil van Dijk has made to Liverpool. I’d like to see them go for Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli. He is a big, strong player you can build a team around. But I don’t think Solskjær needs to go spending loads of money on new players.
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