Manchester United bidder Sheikh Jassim may turn attention to other Premier League club if bid fails - Reports

Prospective Manchester United buyer Sheikh Jassim reportedly may look to buy Tottenham Hotspur if he fails in his bid to buy the Red Devils.

Sheikh Jassim is in a two-horse race with Sir Jim Ratcliffe to become the new owner of the Old Trafford giants. There have been three rounds of bidding that have hit around the £5 billion mark. He's still hoping to beat the INEOS chairman and that his bid will be successful.

However, if Sheikh Jassim misses out on Manchester United, it appears that he will turn his attention to Tottenham. ESPN journalist Mark Ogden has said that the Qataris are eager to have ownership in a Premier League club. He told the United Stand that although they have owners at PSG, they are eyeing English football now:

"PSG was a great move (for the club's Qatari owners) because it's Paris' it's a great city, but I think they've found over the years that Ligue 1 is just not big enough."

Ogden continued by revealing news he had heard about the Qataris' interest in Spurs should they fail to complete a takeover of Manchester United:

“They want the Premier League footprint. ... Somebody told me recently, they said that if the Qataris don't buy Manchester United, they'll be back, and they might end up buying Tottenham."

Ogden then alluded to the two richest clubs in the Premier League: Manchester City and Newcastle United. They've Middle Eastern owners as he adds that Tottenham could join the list:

"He said, look, if you've got Manchester City owned by Abu Dhabi, you've got Newcastle owned by Saudi Arabia, if Qataris maybe buy Tottenham, then you've got three clubs who can pull away."

Tottenham are not up for sale unlike the Red Devils, but there have been several issues for the Lilywhites this season. They sacked Antonio Conte after the Italian manager had made comments about the lack of aspirations of the club.

Ryan Mason has been placed in temporary charge of Spurs till the end of the season. They're seventh in the league and have failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

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Former Manchester United vice-chairman Ed Woodward takes up new role since leaving club

Ed Woodward left the Red Devils last year.

Ed Woodward has taken on his first job since leaving Manchester United. The club's much-criticised former vice-chairman has become a non-executive director at esports company EStars. The company is aimed at using esports for educational purposes in the Middle East.

It's Woodward's first job since departing Old Trafford after spending 18 years with the club. He arrived in 2005 when the Glazers completed a leveraged buyout. However, his time in the vice-chairman's role came with controversy.

Red Devils fans largely place the blame for their transfer failings and lack of on-the-field success in recent years on Woodward. Poor signings like Alexis Sanchez, Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria came at extortionate prices.

Manchester United had failed to win a trophy in six years before winning the Carabao Cup in February. Woodward departed Old Trafford in April 2022.