Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ownership of OGC Nice could hint at Manchester United plan

As Sir Jim Ratcliffe prepares to take a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United, fans will be eager to learn of his tenure at OGC Nice.

The British businessman bought the club in 2019 on the back of Le Gym finishing in the top four for three of the past six seasons. After two campaigns of ending up eighth and ninth, INEOS pledged to bring Champions League football back within five years and challenge Paris Saint-Germain for the title. Four years in, that is yet to happen.

In fact, last season the club finished ninth. It was the worst year since INEOS took over and it started with Christophe Galtier’s switch to PSG, ironically. Nice had just finished fifth and the hope was for them to kick on while making a fist of the Europa League.

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Galtier's exit threw a spanner in the works so Ratcliffe turned to Lucien Favre, a coach who had guided Nice to the Champions League in 2017. By January, he was sacked.

A defeat to a third-tier side in the cup was enough for the 70-year-old to show the former fans' favourite the door as Didier Digard was appointed as caretaker for the remainder of the season, which ended in fan boycotts and a player backlash.

Club captain Dante spoke out against INEOS’ running of the club after a tricky summer. “I think at some point you have to be clear in what you’re saying,” he said in May.

“To maintain a project, maybe you need to speak less about objectives and work in silence to create an environment of competitors. Because the expectation is even bigger, and then after, people are frustrated."

Ratcliffe is a close ally with former British Cycling chief Sir Dave