Planned Old Trafford refurbishment is ready to start; but Man Utd owners still yet to decide on future of the club amid ongoing Sheikh Jassim & Sir Jim Ratcliffe talks.
Old Trafford is set for a project of major refurbishment and upgrades, but only after the Glazer family have concluded the ongoing ‘strategic review’, which or may not include a full Manchester United takeover.
The American owners have been weighing up options since November 2022 since a public statement confrirmed thay would start looking into ‘strategic alternatives’ for the club’s future.
That opened the door to a potential full takeover, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani battling to become the new owner, although it hasn’t been the only option on the table.
There have been concerns that the process is having a detrimental impact on the club’s acitivities this summer due to the uncertainty regarding who will be in charge – as things stand, Sheikh Jassim has lodged a fifth and final offer in the region of £6bn, but no preferred bidder has been named and talks have continued with all interested parties.
That delay would appear to be case when it comes to sprucing up Old Trafford. The Manchester Evening News has reported that while Maris Interiors have secured a contract to modernise workspaces inside the famous stadium, work will only start once the club’s future is resolved.
Similarly, Populous, a firm of stadium master-planners, remain in limbo after presenting plans for a redesign or rebuild of Old Trafford last year.
The Theatre of Dreams has infamously fallen into a state of disrepair in recent years compared to some of the state of the art stadiums popping up in the Premier League, with leaks in the roof and an overflowing toilet the butt of jokes of social media. Liverpool have stopped short of building a new stadium but are in the process of finishing off a second stand renovation within the last 10 years.
No stadium expansion or major renovation projects have been signed off at Old Trafford in 18 years of Glazer ownership, with the most recent building work agreed in 2004 and finished in 2006. More minor refurbishments, including decorating the media room and upgrading the dressing rooms, as well as painting the outside of the stadium, have taken place in the last few years.