How Ed Woodward will benefit from Manchester United takeover

• Manchester United is set to get a new owner in the next several weeks after it was put for sale
• The current owners, the Glazers family, put up the club for sale in January this year
• SportsLeo looks at how former vice-chairman Ed Woodward would personally benefit from the takeover

When Manchester United is eventually sold, former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is expected to reap a sizeable personal gain.

Since helping to orchestrate the highly contentious leveraged buyout purchase in 2005, the Glazer family, for whom Woodward has been a crucial figure, has now decided to consider offers for a full or partial sale of the team. This decision was reached in November.

A complete takeover is now anticipated because of the approaching soft bid deadline at the end of the month. Ownership of Manchester United has only changed hands a few times in the club’s 145-year history, and both Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jaber Al Thani have publicly announced their intentions to purchase the team. However, offers from the United States and other countries in the Middle East are still possible.

The Glazers family are the current owners of Manchester United and have put up the club for sale, and a takeover is expected eventually. | PHOTO: The Mirror |

Woodward oversaw United’s daily operations for nine years, from 2013 to his resignation in 2022 as a result of the European Super League scandal of 2021.

During his tenure as an executive, the former banker caused a great deal of controversy. Many supporters held him responsible for the club’s decline in football, and he even became the target of a violent demonstration outside his home.

During his tenure as an executive, the former banker caused a great deal of controversy. Many supporters held him responsible for the club’s decline in football, and he even became the target of a violent demonstration outside his home.

Ed Woodward is a former Manchester United executive vice-chair and left the club in December 2022 and is expected to earn a fortune from the expected takeover. | PHOTO: The Mirror |

Despite leaving the club in the past, Woodward still holds a precious small share in it. He is the only non-Glazer family member who owns any of the incredibly valuable class “B” shares, according to The Daily Mail.

At the board level, the “B” shares have ten times the voting power of the “A” shares, the latter of which has recently been sold by members of the Glazer family. They have still managed to cling to the most valuable and significant stake while still raising a sizeable amount of money.

0.05% of one class “B” share is reportedly owned by Woodward, which may not seem like much at all. Yet if the club is sold for £4.5 billion, he would get £1.5 million just from that. Obviously, he could make more money if the sale price was higher.