Premier League

BRITAIN’S richest man decided against buying Chelsea because the club’s stadium problems would take too long to resolve.Sir Jim Ratcliffe is currently rivalling Sheikh Jassim to buy Man Utd from the Glazer family.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe snubbed a takeover of Chelsea amid concerns over how long it would take to resolve the redevelopment of Stamford BridgeCredit: Getty – Contributor
Ratcliffe, who has met United’s owners “a couple of times,” explained: “I’ve signed an non-disclosure agreement so I can’t say too much.“But there is still a process — and we are in the process.”
Sheikh Jassim wants “100 per cent control” while Ratcliffe was prepared to offer to buy a majority stake which could allow current United co-chairman Joel and Avram Glazer to stay on for some time.
But more than a month after that point, there is still no decision and there is even the possibility that the Glazers might decide not to sell after all.
Ratcliffe added: “We have a good offer and we have met with the Glazers a couple of times.
“We have had good discussions with them. We would still very much like to do it. And we would be doing it for the right reasons.
“But in the end it is their decision not our decision.”
But, before his dealings with United, Ratcliffe was looking for his INEOS group to seize control at Stamford Bridge was a serious option.
The group held preliminary talks with Chelsea bosses about buying Roman Abramovich’s stake in the London club.
But Ratcliffe’s brother Bob, who runs the football division of INEOS, says fears over redeveloping the stadium proved too big to overcome.
Ratcliffe told BBC Five Live: “There was some early exchange but we were a significant way apart on valuations.
“The issue with Chelsea is its stadium. We are all getting older and it is a decade of your life to resolve that.”
Chelsea have looked at options to move away from Stamford Bridge but there is always a major problem with the Chelsea Pitch Owners, who own the freehold to the stadium.
MAJOR DISADVANTAGE
A planned £1billion redevelopment of the ground was put on hold with Abramovich citing the wrong economic climate.
New owner Todd Boehly is formulating his own plan to rebuild the Bridge – but work has yet to begin.
The result is that Chelsea are at a major disadvantage against their top six rivals in the Premier League when it comes to ground standard and capacity.
Having rejected Chelsea, INEOS went on to look at other potential clubs in the Premier League – but the high valuations of them all, including Mike Ashley’s £350m demand for Newcastle, put them off.
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They instead relocated to France where they have taken control of Nice.
Bob Ratcliffe added: “We spent quite a lot of time looking at Premier League clubs and their valuations
“It was difficult to rationalise purchases in the Premier League for us. If you look below the top six, they are all £150m and above.
“You are going to write a cheque for £50m and get in the Everton cup. Where are you going to go?
“You look at Newcastle, and we looked at a lot of clubs. You come back to a valuation in the hundreds of millions and it is difficult to contemplate.
“I think the foreseeable future it is off the radar. We have a three to five year project in Nice and that will keep us busy.”
Newcastle are now owned by Saudis and reached the League Cup final, as well as qualified for the Champions League. More

FORMER top referee Mark Clattenburg revealed his worst five footballers to deal with.Not surprisingly, firebrands Roy Keane and Craig Bellamy feature, but there was a shock as BT Sport pundit and former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand made the naughty list.
Former top ref Mark Clattenburg has revealed his five worst players to deal withCredit: Getty
The ex-Premier League official called time on his career in the professional game in 2017, after 17 years reffing when he gave his real thoughts on some of the top refs.
Clattenburg then moved on to head refereeing in Saudi Arabia before taking up a lucrative post in China as a referee and was in charge of refs in Egypt until January 2023.
Now, he is set for a TV career after joining the reboot of Gladiators, where he will take over referee duties.
Here are his worst five players to deal with during his time working in the Premier League…
JENS LEHMANN
“I used to find Jens Lehmann such hard work.
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“He was always difficult because he’d always whinge about people stepping on his toes in the penalty area.
“Centre-forwards would always try and wind him up.
“A corner would come in and they would give him a little nudge and he’d go ballistic and push players and have arguments with referees.
“He was always a difficult one.”RIO FERDINAND
“I found him difficult to referee during that Fergie era because he was always trying to play mind games.
“He tried to get under your skin, probably to get that next decision.
“Rio was such a difficult player to referee as he was always in your face.
“When I got older and a bit more wiser, he probably left us alone more.”
Roy Keane and Rio Ferdinand both make Clattenburg’s naughty list
PEPE
“I had a run-in with Pepe in the Champions League final.
“He was a guy who was always difficult because he’d try to frame stuff and wind attackers up to get them sent off, which is not always a great thing when you’re trying to referee a football match.”
Clattenburg, who was pictured sticking his tongue out when Pepe rolled around, added to SunSport: “I remember coming off and everyone was talking about my tongue, they weren’t talking about my refereeing performance – which was a good thing.
“So I thought ‘you know what, that wasn’t a bad thing to do’. But it was just a reaction – my mouth was completely dry, it was a really hot day.
“It worked perfectly because, when you watch it back, Pepe was on the floor – and, oh my god, what a soft s***e. Rolling around.
“So what I did was what everyone back at home watching probably thought of Pepe.”
The ref was spotted sticking his tongue out as Pepe tried his typical anticsCredit: Reuters
ROY KEANE
“Roy was physical, hard and you couldn’t trust him.
“Look at the tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland for example.
“You never knew what he was going to do next.”
CRAIG BELLAMY
“The worst one – and I’ve thought it for years – was Bellamy.
“He was just the most irritating player on the pitch – and he was irritating off it.
“He was downright rude and it didn’t matter what you said to him.
“I made mistakes against him but what he used to say to you, it was not acceptable.
“People say you should have sent him off and I did – incorrectly for diving.
“I cautioned him at Bolton for diving and it was a blatant penalty.
“He was a guy I just didn’t really get on well with.”
*Mark Clattenburg was speaking to Paddy Power for the Pitch Invader magazine…

Clattenburg reckons Bellamy was the worst player to referee More