Ten Hag: Man United owners need right strategy as club eyes Champions League return

MANCHESTER, England: Erik ten Hag is on the brink of securing a return to the Champions League in his first year in charge of Manchester United.

By the time his second season gets underway, the Premier League club could have new owners and an influx of money to support his mission to restore it to its former glories.

Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe are both bidding to buy out United owners the Glazer family, with fans hoping that will bring newfound wealth to sign some of the world’s best players.

United’s opponent on Thursday, however, stands as proof that spending power doesn’t automatically bring success.

“You have to do the right things,” Ten Hag said ahead of the game against Chelsea at Old Trafford. “You can have money, but you have to do it and spend it in a smart way and you need to have a strategy behind it. Otherwise the money doesn’t work.”

It certainly hasn’t worked out for Chelsea in its first year under new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. A shambolic season has left the 2021 European champions in the bottom half of the table despite spending around $630 million on new signings.

Two managers have also departed in Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter. Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be appointed its next full-time coach.

“It’s hard in the modern world because everything’s very reactionary,” interim manager Frank Lampard said Wednesday. “If you want to go in a certain direction and you don’t get any joy for a while, people react to that. For Chelsea it has to be a longer picture than that to get us a bit more of a process. People have to stick with that along the way.”

United have been through turbulence of their own since former manager