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• Ratcliffe has 'foot in the door' for Man Utd takeover, but Glazers may not go quietly

  Jim Ratcliffe's bid to purchase a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United could serve as a "foot in the door" ahead of a potential full takeover in the future, unless the Glazer family see a way to extract further value from the Red Devils.

  That is the view of finance expert Dan Plumley, who believes United could realistically be valued at up to £7billion in the coming years.

  A deal for Ratcliffe's INEOS group to purchase a stake in the club is believed to be close to completion, with the deeply unpopular Glazer family opting against a full sale despite fan pressure. 

  Ratcliffe was initially rivalling Qatar's Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani for a full takeover, and though the British billionaire will now only acquire a minority share, he will reportedly be given full control of United's football operations.

  Speaking exclusively to Stats Perform, Plumley suggested Ratcliffe may have his eyes on a future full takeover, which would be warmly welcomed by the club's disgruntled fanbase. 

  "I think you can still get significant control in operations for 25 per cent, there's been talk that would give him an even further level of control, potentially above just the stakeholders," Plumley told Stats Perform.

  "You're still very much involved in the decision-making process. At that level, you have considerable power. Then you're looking at the bigger picture of potentially what comes in the future. 

  "So, if it's not quite working out that way, does that open up the door for maybe a full takeover in the future? I think there are options still on the table. 

  "If you are Jim Ratcliffe and that's the long-term plan, then getting your foot in the door for 25 per cent is not a bad way to build it."

  However, Plumley also believes the Glazers – who have received fierce criticism for taking dividends from the club and overseeing a period of on-pitch decline – see reasons to stay put. 

  "I think in the back of the Glazers minds – whether or not they'll come out and say this publicly – they're aware that there is still value to be extracted from Manchester United," he said.

  "If they're seeing the potential for growth in the market then they might be wanting to stick around a little bit longer to realise some of that growth in the future.

  "I think this kind of deal probably benefits all parties at this point in time. That might not please everybody, but I think from a business point of view, you can see the narrative there."

  During the bidding process, reports suggested the Glazers valued United at around £6billion, and Plumley believes that could rise further over the next few years.

  "People talk about Manchester United being a £5billion business, which is based on the numbers and the balance sheet and the position that we can see," he said.

  "But what you've got to overlay over the top of that is the brand of Manchester United, the baggage, the history, the heritage and the fact that it is Manchester United.

  "Then you've got other things on top of that, the untapped potential in different markets. What clubs have not been able to do yet is extract a lot of direct value from those fans.

  "If you imagine a model whereby you can start to get money from fans all around the world through selling your own subscription services or the TV market changing so that you can sell some of your own games.

  "If you can start to convert that into real cash, then the value of the club only goes up. It's quite feasible then that you can get to a valuation of £6billion or £7billion for Manchester United.

  "I think that's what the Glazers are aware of. It's certainly feasible for me. There is some possibility there that you can grow that brand in the future, and in turn, then grow the value."

• 'That wasn't Pistons basketball' – Williams slams lack of fight after Wizards loss

  Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams hit out at his team's lack of fight and said they were failing to honour the franchise's jersey after they slipped to a 14th consecutive defeat on Monday.

  The Pistons suffered another heavy loss at Little Caesars Arena as the Washington Wizards claimed a 126-107 win, Kyle Kuzma leading the way with 32 points and 12 rebounds.

  While Washington ended their own nine-game losing streak, Detroit now have the worst record in the league after slipping to 2-15, losing three of their last four games by at least 19 points.

  In a post-game media appearance lasting just one minute, Williams accused his team of failing to compete while acknowledging he is ultimately responsible for turning things around.

  "That wasn't fight on the floor. That wasn't Pistons basketball by any stretch of the imagination," Williams said. 

  "That's what this is, we have to have people that honour the organisation and the jersey by competing at a high level every night. I'm not talking about execution, just competing. That wasn't it, and that's on me."

  Asked what needs to improve as the Pistons prepare to face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, Williams added: "It's just a level of growing up on this team, maturity, understanding what game-plan discipline is. All the stuff we talk about all the time. It's enough talking."

  Guard Cade Cunningham echoed his coach's thoughts, saying the team needed to improve physically. 

  "We all want to win really bad," Cunningham said. "Everybody's doing it out of the spirit of that; wanting to win, wanting to do what's best for the team.

  "I think we need more aggressive mess-ups. Where we're struggling right now is slip-ups where we're not physical enough or not aggressive enough. That's what we need to lean towards instead of trying not to press.

  "We play great stretches, and then we've had crazy bad stretches where we dig ourselves in too deep of a hole. 

  "That's it right there, it's just holding each other accountable and when we do feel it start to slip, having the mental stamina to stay together, stay connected."

• Chelsea not 'off the radar' for FFP breaches, says financial expert

  Chelsea are not "off the radar" for financial fair play (FFP) breaches despite their amortisation techniques, according to finance expert Dan Plumley.

  Since Chelsea were taken over by American businessman Todd Boehly in May 2022, the Blues have spent over £1billion in transfer fees, raising serious questions over whether the club is at risk of breaking the Premier League's financial regulations.

  Much of the money has been spent on acquiring young talent on lengthy contracts, and though results have been well below par since Boehly's arrival, it seems the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino prior to this season is starting to pay dividends, with Chelsea finally on an upwards trajectory with an eye on European qualification.

  Plumley has explained that while the lengthy contracts given out by Chelsea are helping them in regards to FFP, they may still have work to do if they are to adhere to UEFA's laws and therefore be allowed to play in their competitions, having been fined £8.6m by UEFA prior to this season.

  "The thing that Chelsea did to protect themselves from that particular issue with profit and sustainability is the long contracts that were delivered to those players," Plumley told Stats Perform.

  "Yes, there were some high fees, but there were also long contracts. You have to divide the transfer fee by the contract length in terms of number of years, and that's the charge per year for FFP.

  "They were mindful of the regulations moving forward. And they've managed to sell a few players in accounting terms for pure profit that have come through the youth system.

  "But that doesn't mean they're fully off the radar. I get the sense that they should be looking at having their house in order in that regard.

  "We've got UEFA's regulations that if they want to get back into the Champions League, they have to conform to as well. They will need to be mindful that both the Premier League and UEFA have regulations moving forward."

  Chelsea are one of a number of clubs reportedly toeing the line in relation to financial regulations, though it is potential indiscretions from the past that may cause them issues in the near future, with the stewardship of previous owner Roman Abramovich under investigation.

  Plumley explained those potential wrongdoings, saying: "There's obviously the separate case with Chelsea at the minute around the past ownership and some of the things that have been looked into there in terms of potentially where some of those payments went.

  "There's some allegations here that some of the payments have gone to other organisations and in some cases other football clubs from the previous owner of Chelsea when they were under the control of Roman Abramovich.

  "That's a separate case in that regard, in terms of something a little bit different because payments from one club and Chelsea's link to the ownership structure from a time gone by to other clubs and other connected parties."