Ineos plan Lausanne-Sport sale and what it could mean for Man Utd

Jim Ratcliffe has put Swiss Super League side FC Lausanne-Sport up for sale.

The news came as a surprise this morning – of all days – that Jim Ratcliffe wants to cash in on one of his football clubs, Lausanne-Sport, as per The Athletic. Not Manchester United, where his popularity among the fans has dropped significantly to a point where he is regarded as one of two evils, along with the majority owners, the Glazer family.

Ratcliffe bought Swiss Super League outfit Lausanne-Sport in November 2017. It was his first step into the creation of a multi-sport enterprise that would later see investment in cycling, F1, football, rugby union and sailing. All of which Ratcliffe claims to be a fan of before investing his billions.

Not only did the Ineos partnership with the All Blacks end abruptly, but Ratcliffe has faced more scrutiny than anything else at football clubs Nice and United. He will hope to find a buyer for Lausanne-Sport more quickly than it is taking to sell Nice.

Lausanne-Sport struggles under Ineos

Ineos has not made much impact at Lausanne-Sport, which is a criticism that can be levelled at Ratcliffe from his time as co-owner at United. Most of his unpopular decisions haven’t been reversed, including his obsession with building a new stadium that will cost north of £2 billion. United fans made it clear that they do not want a new stadium during the recent 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth, with chants aimed at the board, including Ratcliffe and the Glazers.

Granted, Lausanne-Sport are not one of the biggest clubs in Switzerland, where there are only two historically dominant clubs, being FC Basel and Young Boys. Both of these clubs have struggled in recent times, which makes room for another club to step in their place, though that has not happened at Lausanne-Sport. Not on Ineos’ watch.

Lausanne-Sport have managed European qualification just twice since the 2017/18 season. They are currently sitting at the bottom of the league, having suffered relegation two times already under Ratcliffe’s ownership.

What could Lausanne-Sport sale mean for Man Utd?

The one guarantee, if Ineos sell up at Lausanne-Sport, is the end of United’s loan pipeline. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as there have been mixed results from sending our youngsters to the Ineos-owned Swiss side.

United academy stars Sekou Kone and Enzo Kana-Biyik were both sent to Lausanne-Sport last term. Despite getting limited game time, Kone was sent back there in the summer. Tyler Fredicson then joined permanently this summer, with United securing a sell-on fee.

This gives you an idea of how much trust United have put in their relationship with Lausanne-Sport. It’s another story completely to question whether the pros outweigh the cons from those loan spells. Kone has made 10 appearances this season, despite missing the last two league matches due to suspension following a red card in a 4-0 defeat to Lugano.

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  Sekou Kone record at Lausanne-Sport:

• Appearances: 15

• Goals: 1

• Assists: 2

• Yellow cards: 1

• Red cards: 1

Another potential impact on United if Lausanne-Sport is sold is that it removes some of the multi-club conflict that has led to a forced restructuring of the club’s legal ownership. It would have a bigger impact on United if Ineos could find a buyer for Nice and Lausanne-Sport.