Manchester United’s next co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is eyeing a number of suitors for the sporting director job, including Atalanta’s head of recruitment Lee Congerton. Atalanta director of recruitment Lee Congerton is among those Sir Jim Ratcliffe is considering for the role of sporting director at Manchester United.
The 71-year-old Ineos boss will take control of Old Trafford’s sporting operations after becoming a minority shareholder. His £1.3bn bid for a 25% stake in the club is expected to be confirmed soon. Ratcliffe is expected to overhaul the club’s external staff following his arrival at the youth club. Chief executive Richard Arnold is due to leave in December and Ratcliffe is set to appoint a new sporting director to overhaul United’s current recruitment strategy.
Several names have been floated for the role in recent weeks, but according to The Telegraph, Congerton has now emerged as a new contender. The 50-year-old, who previously coached at Chelsea and Liverpool, has been in charge of Atalanta’s senior recruitment since moving to Italy. Congerton played a key role in bringing Rasmus Hoylund from Austria to Serie A before he was sold to Manchester United in the summer transfer window. According to a report in The Athletic in September, Congerton believed the club should pay €100m for the Dane’s services.
This is significantly less than the £72m Atalanta already have in their bank accounts. Congerton, who played a similar role at Celtic and Leicester City, is being considered for a key role in Ratcliffe’s new regime, but many other names remain.
