As far as transitions go, Manchester United is currently undergoing a pretty wholesale one.
After years of disappointing performances and league finishes, the club turned over a new leaf in the summer by appointing current manager Erik Ten Hag.
Following a rocky start, the Dutchman has managed to steady the ship and build a resurgent United side, which looks all set for a Top 4 finish this season.
Other administrative changes also occurred at the club during this period, including the appointment of John Murtough as Football Director.
This was followed up by the departure of longtime Chief Executive Ed Woodward in place of Richard Arnold.
On the topic of administrative hires, United recently announced the recruitment of another important figure, one which ended up leaving Everton supporters crestfallen.
The Old Trafford outfit confirmed that Toffees’ cult-hero ‘Contract Dave’ is all set to join United as the new ‘Director of Football Operations’, the same role he served at Goodison Park.
For the uninitiated, ‘Contract Dave’ is an adoring nickname given to highly-respected Football administrator David Harrison.
Harrison spent 16 years as club secretary at Everton before being promoted to Director of Football Operations in 2018.
His job centred around ensuring smooth operations on the Football front including the management of their training ground, Finch Farm.
He earned the ‘Contract Dave’ moniker by fulfilling a very specific part of his role, as the name entails, Harrison was always a key part of pushing through player signings and contracts.
Whenever the Toffees set their sights on a player, Harrison jetted off to wherever he was required to make sure that the deal goes through.
After securing a transfer or an important contract extension, Contract Dave, true to his name, would assume his seat beside the player of the hour, smiling widely as they put pen to paper.
Over the years, Harrison became a reliable administrative figure for Everton fans, seeing his beaming face next to the latest Toffee always brought a sense of joy to the Everton faithful.
Naturally, seeing him depart during such a difficult period has left many fans disappointed, although even they couldn’t but reason with his decision.
Caught amidst financial woes and relegation struggles, the club certainly don’t look too keen to hand out contracts, what was left for Contract Dave to do? We kid, of course.
In Harrison, Manchester United have gained another strong administrative presence.
Aside from being a popular figure at Everton, he has also built a positive reputation within the industry, with figures within Footballing World describing him as a ‘real people’s person’.
While he won’t play a primary role in transfers and recruitment at United, we certainly hope to see some Contract Dave media whenever possible.
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