What Will Radrizzani Takeover Mean for Leeds?

22 Dec 2016 03:33 pm, by YorkshireSquare


Just as Leeds United have entered a period of stability in the topsy-turvy tenure of volatile Chairman Massimo Cellino, things behind the scenes are set to change again. According to the Sun, Cellino has decided to sell a controlling share in the club to Italian businessman Andrea Radrizzani. There is no doubt that this will delight Whites supporters who have petitioned for the former Cagliari Calcio owner to leave the club. But as things are going well for Leeds in the Championship promotion race, some fans are worried that this may be a bad time to enter a period of uncertainty.

Garry Monk has lasted nearly half a season under Cellino which is an achievement in itself. The Italian has clearly shown his faith in the former Swansea boss and Leeds have reaped the rewards. Monk has transformed Leeds into genuine promotion challengers and hopes are high at Elland Road that the team can soon return to the Premier League. In the same week that the Whites overturned third-placed Reading (see video below) to cement their position in the play-off places, Leeds got news that a takeover could be imminent. Could this be the beginning of a run of good fortune that the Yorkshire club have sorely needed over the past decade?





Leeds are 17/2 to win promotion with Sportsbet.io, and the driving force behind this push for the top has been stability. If Radrizzani comes in and takes a controlling share it is imperative that he doesn’t make big changes to upset this momentum. Monk was flabbergasted over the recent news that the new owners of Birmingham City had decided to sack Gary Rowett, even though the club sit in sixth-place. The company that took over - Trillion Trophy Asia Limited - brought in Gianfranco Zola and said the choice was based on long-term interests. Monk said: “It’s an unbelievable decision from the outside.”

Based on what Leeds fans know about the potential new owner so far, it seems that he has the clubs best interests at heart, and won’t do anything drastic like dismiss Monk. Radrizzani has been active on Twitter and expressed his belief that Leeds are a sleeping giant who can be huge again.


If the media mogul completes the deal in the next month, he may be able to inject some cash during the January transfer window. According to Football Insider, the incoming boss wants to tie down loanees Pontus Jansson and Pablo Hernandez to stave off any interest from bigger clubs. The two players will be pivotal to any promotion push and Leeds fans will be worried while the window is open as the best players often get poached.

Although this changeover will spell uncertainty at Elland Road for a time, with the disgraceful actions of Cellino most fans will welcome anyone else just to get rid of the manager-sacking maniac. Reports suggest that Radrizzani is willing to do whatever it takes and invest large sums of money to get Leeds back to their rightful place. Let’s hope that things are finally on the up for Leeds on the pitch, and behind closed doors.