Sir Jim Ratcliffe Wants To Create A New Home For Manchester United

Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans to build a new stadium near Old Trafford (doc. PA).

JAKARTA - Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the new minority shareholder of Manchester United, has plans to build a new stadium for the Red Devils.

The new stadium project, dubbed Wembley of the North, is designed to spend 2 billion pounds or around IDR 39.6 trillion.

Before plans to build a new stadium surfaced, there was actually one other option, namely renovating Old Tarfford.

The 114-year-old iconist stadium is the largest stadium in English football club. However, Old Trafford is starting to break, for example, the roof is leaking, the metal is rusty, and its location has been behind decades compared to Man United's biggest rival.

The renovation option also includes expanding Old Trafford, which now has a capacity of 74,000 viewers. The estimated renovation will cost 800 million pounds or around Rp. 15.8 trillion.

However, a more attractive choice turned out to be building a new stadium even though it was much more expensive.

Construction of the stadium from the start will not keep Manchester United away from Old Trafford. You see, Radcliffe has reportedly identified the land around Old Trafford as a new construction site.

The stadium will be placed between the railroad line and the Bridgewater Canal.

The Wembley of the North project can rival England's iconic stadium, Wembley, which has a capacity of 90,000 seats.

Wembley Stadium is the most prominent stadium because it has hosted major parties, such as the Euro 2020 final. Then, in June 2024, it will host the third Champions League final in 13 years.

Not only that, Wembley Stadium is also the main home for the England national team.

Apart from football, Wembley Stadium is also used by various other events, including boxing, NFL, and the massive concerts of several of the world's largest artists.

Well, Ratelege wants to see the same thing in his hometown, Manchester. In other words, the owner of Ineos wants the new Manchester United stadium to be like Wembley Stadium.

Not surprisingly, since his initial presence at Manchester United he has signed an investment of 1.3 billion pounds, including around 237 million pounds which is guaranteed to be channeled to the stadium.

He even plans to try lobbying the British government to realize the construction of a new stadium by helping to fund as part of the promise of 'leveling'.

Ratcliffe certainly doesn't want Manchester United to be left behind than other major English clubs.

Manchester City, Arsenal, and Tottenham Spurs have all benefited from the impressive new stadium since the turn of the millennial.

The Spurs cage is widely considered the best modern stadium in the UK, even in the world.

While Liverpool decided to stay at Anfield, they made massive improvements by building new stands.

Then, Chelsea remain interested in updating Stamford Bridge or building a new stadium completely the same as Manchester United's plans.

Not to mention West Ham moved to the former Olympic Stadium in 2016.

Finally, there is Everton who will move to a new stadium. The 2024-25 season will be Everton's final season at Goodison Park before the Bramley Dock Stadium officially opens.