Graeme Souness says Simon Jordan is ‘speaking b******s’ over Man Utd remark
Simon Jordan and Graeme Souness had a heated exchange over the future of Manchester United under new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe, the founder of INEOS and a chemical tycoon, is facing a significant overhaul at Old Trafford this summer as he aims to break the cycle of mediocrity that has plagued United in recent years. Jordan believes that a fresh start under a more stringent regime could be the key to restoring the club’s former glory.
Jordan – whose tenure as Crystal Palace owner ended with the club entering administration in 2010 – was discussing the modern management of football clubs and how they often make major mistakes. He specifically pointed out that transfers have been a consistent area of failure for United in recent years.
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Speaking on the Three Up Front podcast (via the Mirror), Jordan said: “I look at this now and say – with Jim Ratcliffe – that I don’t think, if you’re focused on the basic principles of what you’re trying to achieve. . .I mean recruitment isn’t that difficult. If you think about it properly. If you think about it with strategy.”
It was at that point co-host Troy Deeney said he was “interested in this,” while Souness remained quiet as Jordan explained his theory. The talkSPORT pundit went on to use Wilfried Zaha – who failed to match expectations after joining United in his younger days – as an example of a transfer that wasn’t researched enough and could have been avoided with more due diligence.
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(Image: Up Front podcast)
Souness then cut Jordan off and said: “I’m sorry, but you’re talking b******s. Let me explain why. You’re saying you do due diligence on Wilfried. The one thing you can never make a judgement call on and be accurate when you’re at a big football club… What you try to do is eliminate all the risk elements attached to this player.
“[It’s] one thing you can say, ‘He’s the right age. He’s not had a lot of injuries. He can play and perform in the Premier League.’ The one thing you can’t [account for is] can he live with the pressure of being a Man United player? Where every time we go to play, it’s the opposition’s cup final. And that’s something, when you’re at a big club, you can’t really be accurate about.”
(Image: Icon Sport via Getty Images)
The Liverpool legend continued to describe it as “an enormous difference” scouting a player and dealing with the genuine article once they’ve been signed. Jordan replied by saying he would employ someone to “get under the skin” of a potential signing, perhaps missing Souness’ point that it’s impossible to find that information out ahead of time.
Souness and Jordan later joked about the exchange, with the former joking that he could talk in such a way to the former Crystal Palace owner “because we’re mates.” The pair laughed as Souness suggested some “return fire” would be on the way from Jordan.
Regardless, Ratcliffe will have his own plans for what United needs to return to their peak, including potential transfers and recruitment strategies. However, it seems Jordan is confident that he has the answers at the ready.
