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Richard Arnold will leave his role as Manchester United CEO ahead of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s imminent arrival as a minority shareholder.

United released a statement confirming the news on Wednesday afternoon.

“It has been an incredible privilege to serve this great football club for the past 16 years,” Arnold said.

“Through highs and lows, the constant has been the dedication of our employees and fans. I would like to thank all of them for their loyalty and commitment, and wish everyone associated with the club the very best for the future.”

Current chief legal counsel Patrick Stewart will replace Arnold as interim CEO.

“Together with my leadership team colleagues, my job will be to ensure that the club’s foundations remain stable while we embrace changes that can make us stronger over the long term, on and off the pitch, and to support the search for a new permanent CEO,” Stewart said.

Ratcliffe’s £1.3 billion investment for a 25% stake in the club is close to being finalised.

Sources have told ESPN that football director John Murtough’s position is also under threat with Ratcliffe keen to bring in INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford.

Murtough was appointed in March 2021 and was heavily involved in the decision to bring in Erik ten Hag as manager in 2022. Paul Mitchell is one of the names in the frame to replace him.

Arnold took over the role of United’s most senior executive from Ed Woodward in February 2022.

His departure from the club will have to be announced to the New York Stock Exchange.

Ratcliffe is set to become a minority shareholder nearly a year after owners the Glazer family announced they would consider “strategic alternatives” including a full sale of accepting minority investment.

Ratcliffe is set to have influence over the football side of the business once his investment is confirmed.

Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior vowed to keep speaking out against racism in world soccer after receiving the Socrates Award on Monday at the Ballon d’Or ceremony for his contribution off the field.

Vinícius, who has been racially abused repeatedly in LaLiga games over the last two seasons, was recognized for starting a foundation that is building schools in impoverished areas and investing in education in Brazil.

“I will remain strong in the fight against racism,” said the Brazilian, who received the award from the Prince of Monaco. “It is a very sad thing to talk about racism nowadays, but we have to continue in the fight so that people suffer less.

“Very happy to receive this award and to help many children in Brazil. I had little chance of getting where I have coming from where I came so it is a pleasure for me to help as many kid as I can so they can have a chance.”

The 23-year-old was the only Brazilian in the top 10 of the ranking for this year’s Ballon d’Or after scoring 23 goals in all competitions for Madrid last season.

The forward was also part of an emotional tribute to Pelé, the Brazil great who died in December last year at the age of 82.

“Pele is a god for me and if I am here today, it is thanks to him. He put Brazil on a different level and people respect Brazilian players thanks to the great legacy he left,” Vinicius said.

The Vini Jr. Institute, created in 2020, aims to use the popularity of football to help innovations in teaching and learning in Brazilian public schools.

The project claims up to 15 schools and 10,000 students will benefit by the end of 2023, with more than 500 teachers employed.

Poland invited some of their fans who had made the trip for the team’s 2-0 Euro 2024 qualifier victory over Faroe Islands to fly home with the team after bad weather delayed flights out of the country.

Among the supporters was Andrzej Bobowski, known as “the king of Polish fans,” who has attended the last 12 World Cup tournaments but could easily have been stranded and missed Poland’s game with Moldova on Sunday without the intervention of the Polish Football Federation (PZPN).

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

After Poland beat the Faroe Islands they were due to fly back on Friday, but poor weather put paid to their plans.

Their charter flight eventually departed on Saturday, and with a group of supporters facing further delays and cancellations, the PZPN invited them to join the team on the flight back to Warsaw.

Bobowski is usually easy to spot at Poland’s games, wearing his king costume complete with crown, but he dressed in everyday clothes for the trip home.

With no direct flights from the Faroe Islands to Poland an already difficult journey for the fans could have turned into a nightmare if not for the PZPN charter flight.

“As always, PZPN book a private charter flight for the team for travel to away matches,” the PZPN press office told Reuters.

“We departed from Faroe Islands at 10:30 local time and we invited around 10 fans to join us on the flight.”

Poland will train at a later time on Saturday and Moldova agreed to change their own scheduled session, after the Polish team’s flight landed in Warsaw after 2pm local time.

There’s something melancholic about an English seaside town in winter. Whether it’s the shuttered shop fronts rusted by the salty air, the sickly green waves crashing against the vacant shoreline, or the wind buffeting rows of empty beach huts, there’s often a sense of stoicism, a need for hibernation and a yearning for better times.

However, for the residents of Brighton and Hove on England’s south coast, this year will be different. Those familiar doldrums will be shaken off as the city and its football club prepare for the team’s first European campaign in its 122-year history — a result of an incredible sixth-placed finish in the Premier League last season that handed them a spot in the UEFA Europa League.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

It has been a long time coming, as Brighton fans have had to endure heartache over the years: From relegation from the top flight in 1983, the same year they lost an FA Cup final to Manchester United, to almost being relegated to the Football Conference and liquidated in 1997, to repeated failure in the Championship playoffs — they lost three times between 2012-2016, before finally achieving promotion to the Premier League in 2016-17.

Now things are different. Amid worldwide acclaim for their transfer business and tactical style under exciting head coach Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton’s rise to playing in Europe is quite a story.

The city relies on the summer “holiday season,” when its population swells as thousands of Londoners — or DFLs (“Down From London”) as the locals call them — take the roughly 50-mile trip to the seaside. On Thursday, it will welcome fans of Greece’s AEK Athens for the first group-stage game, before supporters from the Netherlands’ Ajax Amsterdam and France’s Marseille make the journey in October and December.

Brighton have always maintained a strong community ethos — CEO Paul Barber personally sent a letter of thanks to the 41 devotees who travelled to every home and away fixture in their first season in the Premier League — so as soon as the Europa League draw was made in Monaco earlier this month, supporters began organising flights and hotel rooms, determined to make the most of the opportunity to attend matches in Europe for the first time.

“It’s a tough group but I’m really happy with it,” Brighton local Kim Strudwick tells ESPN. “You want to play teams that you know and it’s going to be amazing to watch Athens and Marseille. We’ve booked flights for Amsterdam as well. It’s going to be a great experience. I want to make sure I live it and say I’ve been.”

Brighton’s existence threatened

Seeing De Zerbi and his team take on European heavyweights is a fitting reward for the fans who have stuck by the club through thick and thin — most notably when it came within 28 minutes of relegation from the Football League in 1997.

Financially crippled from years of mismanagement, the club was left homeless and even came close to liquidation, with the board selling the Goldstone Ground to pay off debts. Seemingly doomed to the drop — it was 13 points adrift at the bottom of Division Three at one stage — the club rallied and faced what was effectively a one-match playoff against Hereford United in the final game of the season to determine who would be relegated to the Conference. In the end, a 62nd-minute equaliser from forward Robbie Reinelt secured the point Brighton needed to survive and keep the debt collectors at arm’s length.

“It was just one knockback after another at that time,” Kim’s father, and fellow Brighton fan, Steve Strudwick remembers. “You thought that Brighton could go out of existence. It would have been that way. Especially if we got relegated from the Football League. We were that close to being a semi-professional club.”

Knight in shining armour; Brighton Bloom

Four months later, on Sept. 2, 1997, local businessperson and dedicated supporter, Dick Knight — the man behind the infamous “Wonderbra” advertisement — led a consortium that took full control of Brighton from previous owner Greg Stanley and chairman Bill Archer for just £100.

The club, though, was still without a permanent home and, after two years sharing a ground at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium, relocated to the Withdean — an athletics stadium that had once been the site of the local zoo. It was there that the supporters, who watched on from rickety temporary stands, saw the first signs of the team’s growth as the Seagulls won back-to-back promotions after the turn of the Millenium.

“Seeing us play at Gillingham for a couple of years when we were towards the bottom of the old Tier Four … We were awful then,” Steve says. “We had to go 70-odd miles or so to get there every other Saturday. It was miserable and more often than not we’d lose anyway! I remember getting soaked at the Withdean on many occasions. The stand we sat in was in the open so there was no protection. You were also a long way from the pitch because of the running track.”

Brighton’s nomadism was brought to an end in 2009 with the takeover by local entrepreneur and sports betting magnate, Tony Bloom. Fresh investment was badly needed to push through plans for a new stadium in Falmer, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, and he has put in over £400 million of his own money. Those “Bloom or bust” years even spawned the charity single ‘We Want Falmer’ that raised awareness of the fans’ wish for a new home — it reached No. 17 in the UK singles charts. But with his takeover completed in 2009 and £93m finally secured for their first permanent home in 14 years — the American Express Community Stadium — Brighton’s new owner and chairman set about creating the modern-day incarnation of the football club.

“He [Bloom] is just a hero, he’s the man,” season-ticket holder Steven Meachin says. “I would say behind Dick Knight he’s the most important person in Brighton’s history, or at least the last 50 years or so. If we didn’t have Tony Bloom then we wouldn’t be going to Marseille next month, that’s for sure.”

Rise to the Premier League

In many ways, Bloom is the embodiment of the city of his birth, continually finding appeal in the niche and the under-appreciated. It’s an ethos he has ingrained into the club.

Brighton found success under Uruguay legend Gus Poyet to gain promotion to the Championship in 2010-11 and, after a few years of playoff heartache, eventually sealed their place back in the top flight for the first time in 34 years under Chris Hughton in 2016-17. Since then, the club’s player recruitment department, and their ability to see potential in traditionally overlooked and undervalued regions of the world, has set them apart from their competitors.

“They seem to be spotting gems in random leagues all over the place,” Brighton fan Ryan Newington says. “The way I sort of imagine it to be is like Football Manager [the video game], with some very intelligent data scientists going through various South American second divisions and seeing what they look like.”

It’s a process that has produced Premier League stars such as Mali’s Yves Bissouma [£30m, to Tottenham], Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister [£35m, to Liverpool], Ecuador’s Moisés Caicedo [£100m, to Chelsea] and, most recently, the Republic of Ireland’s 18-year-old striker Evan Ferguson. But the accepted hierarchy of modern football means that for clubs like Brighton, it’s not just finding the right players; it’s about replacing them when the richer teams inevitably take them away. It’s something they seem to do better than any other club, but do the fans still get nervous whenever one of their heroes is moved on for a huge profit?

“I trust the board and I think lots of other Brighton fans feel that way,” Newington continues. “Yes, we’ll recruit players and yes, we’ll move them on for a profit and that is part of the system, but I feel like the money is reinvested well. Over the past two or three seasons it feels like the recruitment has got even better. You can’t be anything but happy with it.

“I have immense trust in the club’s leaders, Tony Bloom and Paul Barber. I suppose it’s because they’ve just made right decision after right decision after right decision for 10 years. Tony Bloom is a lifelong Brighton fan, he’s invested a lot of his own money. It’s all purely out of love.”

As a former professional gambler, Brighton’s owner is understandably secretive about how he consistency beats the odds, and the inner workings of his sports betting and analytics company, Starlizard, are shrouded in mystery.

Bloom’s secrecy extends to his football team. If you drive down the busy Old Shoreham Road into Worthing you’d be forgiven for overlooking the fact that Brighton’s training ground is nestled just out of view, hidden in the residential area to your left. There are remarkably few signs that mark its presence.

The results, however, are clear to see – the club have scored more goals than anyone else in the Premier League so far this season (15) after registering a £74m net profit from the summer transfer window and have even signed Lionel Messi’s one-time heir at Barcelona, Ansu Fati, on a season-long loan.

“When you compare where we are now to those days [at Gillingham and the Withdean] I do think it gives you genuine pride,” Newington adds. “With where we are now and the success of qualifying for the Europa League you’re like: ‘oh my God, we’re actually good!'”

De Zerbi leads European charge

Supporters, though, are keen to stress that they’re not getting too ahead of themselves as the club makes its first foray into Europe this week.

“I think from the fans’ point of view there’ll be no pressure at all,” Meachin says. “I think everyone expects us to get through the group, but worst-case scenario, finish third, and get in the [Europa] Conference League. Brighton fans don’t expect a lot. Most fans are kind of just kind of happy with going on the ride at the moment.”

The lack of ruthlessness that saw Brighton suffer so badly when faced with the intensity of Championship playoff games was a feature that De Zerbi quickly rectified after taking over from Graham Potter [who joined Chelsea] in September last year.

Potter was derided for the way in which his team consistently underperformed against their Expected Goals (xG) — in three games towards the end of February 2021, the team had a total xG of 7.79 but scored only once. Under De Zerbi this season, Brighton have scored 15 goals from an xG of 12.16. But the Italian hasn’t just improved his team in front of goal, many Brighton fans feel as though his influence on the club has been underappreciated from the outside.

“De Zerbi has changed more than what people give him credit for,” Meachin claims. “He is a different level but I can’t see him staying around for more than another year or two [because a bigger team will hire him]. I mean Potter did well, but I think De Zerbi is just a clear step up.”

“A lot of people don’t realise what it was like up until the March of the season before he [Potter] went. There were still a lot of question marks with the fanbase. We lost at home to Wolves in December of 2021 and a lot of people were saying ‘he’s got to go, we’re not progressing.’ It wasn’t until that March when we won at Tottenham that it started to properly come together.”

Even Bloom has admitted to being surprised by De Zerbi’s influence.

“I didn’t quite realise the impact he would have when he came in,” Bloom told BBC Radio Sussex Sport. “He has been hugely influential for so many players. He is so good at improving them. The quality of the play and the risk taking at the right times to create opportunities for the players to create chances and his tactical abilities are superb.”

Brighton have come such a long way in a short space of time. When they kick off against AEK Athens on Thursday night, you can guarantee that everyone associated with the club will take a moment to contemplate just how much they’ve achieved. Twenty-six years after Reinelt’s goal kept Brighton alive, they’re heading off to Europe in search of the good life.

Erik ten Hag has admitted there is doubt about whether Jadon Sancho has a future at Manchester United.

The 23-year-old is training alone following his public row with Ten Hag in the aftermath of the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal before the international break.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Sources have told ESPN that Sancho has not apologised for his role in the spat and, speaking at a news conference on Friday, the United manager refused to say whether the England international remains part of his long-term plans at Old Trafford.

“I don’t know,” said Ten Hag, when asked whether Sancho will play for United again.

“I prepare my team the best I can, I put all my effort into the players who are available. He is not available, so in this moment, he is not important, because he can’t contribute.”

Sancho has been banished from first-team training after publicly challenging Ten Hag’s reasons for dropping him for the game at Arsenal.

Ten Hag said it was because of poor training performances, before Sancho issued a post on social media to say the comments were “completely untrue” and that he had been “made a scapegoat for a long time.”

Sancho is unavailable for Brighton’s visit to Old Trafford on Saturday but Ten Hag insists the rest of his players are focused.

“With fans it’s the talk, with you [the media] it’s the talk, but with the players it is not the talk,” he added.

“They want to perform. For players who didn’t have so much opportunities, they get their opportunity, so this is their chance to come into the team.

“So, as I said, we had a really good spirit, everyone is focusing on this game, and the coming games.”

Sancho is currently training alone with club staff and there is no timeframe for his return to the squad.

Ten Hag is also without Antony, who has been given a leave of absence amid allegations of abusive behaviour towards multiple women. Raphaël Varane, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and new signing Sofyan Amrabat are all out injured leaving United short of options, but Ten Hag insists he had no choice but to take a tough stance on Sancho.

“It’s in favour of the team,” he said.

“That is what my decision is based on. That is not about me, and to be strict. No. This is in favour of the team.”

Gareth Southgate has labelled criticism of Harry Maguire as a “a joke” and claimed the “ridiculous treatment” of the Manchester United defender is “beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”

Maguire came on for the second half of Tuesday’s 3-1 friendly win over Scotland at Hampden Park and was jeered throughout by the home supporters.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

England were leading 2-0 through strikes from Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham before Maguire scored a 67th-minute own goal to prompt further ironic cheers.

Harry Kane settled the contest with his 59th international goal nine minutes from time as England supporters continued to chant Maguire’s name in response to sustained abuse.

Maguire was also cheered by Arsenal fans when appearing as a substitute for Manchester United at Emirates Stadium earlier this month and Southgate believes the negativity is the product of unfair coverage.

“From a Scotland fan’s point of view, I get it and I have absolutely no complaints with what they did,” began Southgate. “It is a consequence of ridiculous treatment of him for a long period of time, frankly. I think our fans recognised ‘OK, there might be a bit of heat from our own supporters but we’re not going to have it from others getting into him.’

“But it’s a joke. I’ve never known a player treated like he is, not by the Scottish fans but by our own commentators, pundits whatever it is. They’ve created something beyond anything I’ve ever seen. He’s been an absolute stalwart in the second most successful England team in decades.

“He’s been an absolutely key part of that. I’ve talked about the importance of our senior players, he’s been crucial amongst that. Every time he goes on the field, the resilience he shows, the balls he shows is absolutely incredible. He’s a top player, we are all with him and our fans were brilliant with him tonight.”

Asked how Maguire was, Southgate continued: “He’s good, he’s great. We’ve had a good win. He’s been a big part of that. He’s gone and spoken with the media because that’s the sort of lad he is. He’s fronted up as he always does. Enormous credit to his character.”

The summer transfer window in Europe enters its final week, but there’s plenty of gossip still swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!

TOP STORY: Chelsea, Roma on verge of Lukaku deal

Chelsea and AS Roma have reached an agreement over a deal involving striker Romelu Lukaku, according to Calciomercato.

The clubs are said to have agreed on a straight loan until the end of the season for a fee of €5 million, with no clauses included that would enable the Serie A side to make the move become permanent.

The 30-year-old is reported to have accepted a salary worth €7.5m-per-season to make the switch to the Stadio Olimpico, where he will return to Italy’s top flight after last season’s loan stint at Internazionale.

Inter were keen to bring Lukaku back but withdrew their interest after he was linked with a move to rivals Juventus. That proposal fell through following sources told ESPN last week that Lukaku became frustrated at the amount of time it took Juventus to negotiate with Chelsea.

Speaking to Belgian newspaper HLN on Saturday while at his son’s first youth game for Anderlecht, Lukaku said: “Tomorrow, I will fly to Rome to sign.”

It is believed that the Belgium international is set to arrive on Monday to undertake his medical before the move can be announced by manager Jose Mourinho’s side.

Lukaku’s impressive record in the Serie A has seen him contribute to 76 goals in 97 appearances for Inter, where he played in three seasons across two loan spells.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

PAPER GOSSIP

– Manchester City have proposed a new deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Matheus Nunes, according to Fabrizio Romano. City’s second approach for the 25-year-old’s signature is believed to be worth a total of €60 million, with growing optimism from the club hierarchy that they can get a deal over the line. It is said that personal terms have already been agreed with him.

– Bayern Munich are interested in a loan move for Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay, reports Bild. Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel is believed to be keen on the 26-year-old, and amid ongoing talks, it is reported that the Bundesliga champions could also be open to a player exchange deal that involves midfielder Ryan Gravenberch. The 21-year-old Netherlands international has also been linked with Liverpool as uncertainty over his future at the Allianz Arena continues to grow.

– West Ham United technical director Tim Steidten has traveled to Brazil to undergo talks with Corinthians over a move for Yuri Alberto, reveals Sky Sports. The 22-year-old winger, who has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs this summer, is reported to be keen on the switch to the Hammers, and it looks as though they have stepped up their approach to sign him before the transfer window closes. He has contributed to six goals in 19 Brazilian league games this season.

– Nottingham Forest are set to propose an offer for Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, according to Fabrizio Romano. Personal terms are reported to have already been agreed with the 26-year-old, leaving just an agreement over a fee required before he can undertake his medical. Ndidi, a Nigeria international, is said to be the Premier League side’s priority option as they look to acquire a defensive midfielder.

– Manchester United have made an enquiry to Barcelona over wing-back Marcos Alonso, writes Bild’s Christian Falk. The 32-year-old, who arrived at the La Liga side from Chelsea, has one year remaining on his contract at the club, but talks are now said to be ongoing over a potential return to the Premier League.