Man Utd announce Richard Arnold as new chief executive

Manchester United have announced Richard Arnold as new chief executive. He succeeds outgoing club chief Ed Woodward, who initially confirmed his intention to step down last April.

Arnold initially joined United as group commercial director in 2007 and was promoted to group managing director in 2013. He will now take over the day-to-day running of the club from Woodward, with the changeover officially taking place on 1 February.

“I am honoured to have the chance to serve this great club and its fans. I am determined to return that honour in any way I can,” Arnold told ManUtd.com.

Co-chairman Joel Glazer said, “I would like to thank Ed for his tireless work on behalf of Manchester United during his nine years as Executive Vice-Chairman and 16 years with the club. 

“We are now looking forward to Richard and his leadership team opening a new phase in the club’s evolution, with ambitious plans for investment in Old Trafford, the strengthening of our engagement with fans, and continued drive towards our most important objective – winning on the pitch.”

Arnold is already expected to approach things slightly differently to Woodward, starting with a job title that reflects his main focus is business rather than football. He is set to hand a greater level of control and autonomy over sporting operations to the likes of football director John Murtough.

It had previously been rumoured that, despite stepping down as executive vice-chairman, Woodward would be staying on at United in some sort of consultancy capacity. That will not be the case. However, he is expected to continue attending football board meetings until the end of June.

A report from The Times has also suggested that Woodward could therefore still be involved in the recruitment process for United’s new permanent manager.

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