There was some shock news yesterday, as Manchester United confirmed the appointment of Omar Berrada as their new chief executive after he spent nine years at Manchester City.
INEOS have just acquired a 25% stake in the Red Devils, and one of the first things on their agenda was to bring in a new CEO after Richard Arnold stood down.
They made a play for Berrada, who then resigned from his chief football operations officer role at City, which he’d been in for three-and-a-half years.
Berrada will officially start work at United in the summer.
It is a big statement of intent from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, to land an individual who has been extremely key to the running of Manchester City in recent times and the success of the club both on and off the pitch under Sheikh Mansour.
Seemingly, this was not an easy decision for Berrada to make…
What Omar Berrada did when deciding to leave Manchester City ahead of new role at Manchester United
News of Berrada’s exit from City and new role at United came as a real shock yesterday.
He has genuinely been a huge part of City’s growth over the last decade, working in the International Business department of the club, before becoming Director of Partnerships and then Chief Operating Officer.
He also assisted sporting director Txiki Begiristain in some transfer deals.
So Berrada has done a lot, and he was seen as an integral part of the club behind the scenes.
So it’s no surprise to learn that leaving City was a very hard decision for Berrada to make. According to the Manchester Evening News, he ‘agonised’ over his decision to leave the Etihad Stadium, ‘having played such a pivotal role in building the club up’.
The Athletic added that he was ‘genuinely torn’ about moving on.
Regarding how City felt about his departure, the MEN adds that they were ‘sad to see Berrada decide to leave, but the departure was described as amicable’.
A blow for City
It’s a blow for City to lose Berrada after his highly influential time at the club, but it’s compounded by the fact he has joined rivals Manchester United.
There is no getting away from it – it is a solid appointment for them, and a move that has the potential to get the Red Devils back on track after years of baffling footballing decisions.
According to The Athletic, Berrada was considered ‘personable, curious and remarkably lacking in ego, despite his achievements’, and was someone that NFL franchises actually approached in the past.
City still have an amazing team of executives and will eventually recover from Berrada’s exit, but there is no denying right now that him joining United is a bad thing.