By Jax Harlan, Old Trafford Outlaw
Manchester – October 30, 2025
The Carrington catacombs just erupted into courtroom carnage: Erik ten Hag, the Dutch disciplinarian unceremoniously axed by Manchester United after a 14th-place nosedive, has slapped the club with a €12 million lawsuit for “unilateral contract termination,” demanding his full payout under the 2026 extension inked just four months ago. “Betrayal in broad daylight,” ten Hag thundered from his Amsterdam bolthole in a statement to De Telegraaf,
vowing to “expose the chaos that cost us glory.” But United’s brass, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS enforcers, isn’t flinching—they’re counter-suing, alleging the ex-boss moonlighted as a player broker, pocketing illicit commissions through his shadowy SEG ties that inflated deals like Hojlund’s €72 million heist.
Skeptics snorted at the 6 a.m. leak: Ten Hag, fresh off a Leverkusen lightning rod (sacked after three games in September), grasping at straws? Yet the filings are forged in fire. Ten Hag’s writ, lodged at London’s High Court yesterday, cites “constructive dismissal” post-West Ham’s dagger—claiming Ratcliffe’s “meddling memos” breached his autonomy, leaving him “taken aback” by the Monday morning pink slip. Payout math: €10 million severance, €2 million for “reputational ruin” after United’s 8th-place nadir and €600 million transfer splurge. X detonated: #JusticeForTenHag surged to 9 million posts, with fans torching Ratcliffe effigies outside Old Trafford.
The venomous volley? United’s 10 a.m. riposte: A blistering counter-claim for €15 million in “ill-gotten gains,” backed by a 47-page dossier smuggled to The Times. It accuses ten Hag of “orchestrating” SEG-fueled flops—Hojlund and Amrabat switching agencies mid-deal, netting Vos €9.5 million in “untransparent” fees, per a De Vrij court echo. Leaked emails show ten Hag vetoing rivals like Kane for “his” Ajax alumni, while his son Nigel, SEG analyst, allegedly funneled scouting intel. “Not advice—profiteering,” Ratcliffe’s missive snarls, pointing to Antony’s €95 million overpay as “fear-fueled folly” to block Arsenal. Vos, ten Hag’s puppet-master, fired back: “Baseless smears—50-50 vetoes were sacred.”
The intrigue? Why now? Insiders whisper Ratcliffe’s “data purge” unearthed WhatsApp webs: Ten Hag to Vos, “Push Hojlund—my vision, your vig.” Other agents howl “monopoly,” claiming SEG’s stranglehold sidelined deals worth €200 million. Ten Hag’s camp counters: “Smear to dodge the bill—United’s scouting was a sieve.” As Amorim’s honeymoon blooms (three wins on the trot), the hearing looms November 15. Will ten Hag’s gavel gash United’s wallet, or expose a coach corrupted by commissions? One truth scorches: In football’s fiscal fog, loyalty’s just a ledger line. Carrington’s civil war isn’t over—it’s in session.
