Radrizzani: We do not want to be a selling Club

Good Morning. It's Wednesday 10th August, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...


We do not want to be a selling Club - Radz

For his latest podcast, Elland Road journalist Phil Hay (along with fellow Athletic reporter David Ornstein) travelled to Thorp Arch to Interview Whites Chairman Andrea Radrizzani. Fans have started to warm towards the Leeds owner in recent times, for giving a more honest and frank assessment of the goings-on behind the scenes at Elland Road, and less spin.

In the interview, Radz stated that he didn't want Phillips to go, but felt he couldn't stand in his way when Manchester City came calling. He also defended his decision to sell Raphinha, so they could reinvest the money, but insisted that he doesn't want Leeds to become a 'selling club'. Once financially stable, the Leeds Chairman hopes the Whites will be able to keep hold of their top talent, but is looking to the 'medium - long term' future.

Over time we need to be better at keeping some players, this is not a forever strategy. In time I think we’ll be able to keep our best players and make them lifetime Leeds. For Kalvin Phillips it was a different situation to Raphinha, Kalvin Phillips could have stayed here all his life and become the next captain. I didn’t want to let him go, he decided to go and it was clear to me that it was his ambition to play at that level.

It’s a shame that Phillips has left Leeds, because he would have been one of the club’s great captains. Liam Cooper is, of course, a brilliant leader in his own right, but Phillips was Leeds through and through. A local lad come good, Phillips understood the club in a way no other player truly did, but sadly, his talents meant that he was destined to join a Champions League team.

“With Raphinha it was more of a sacrifice to sell because we needed to buy players. We can spend £100million every year for three years and not have any income. The club will collapse. In the medium to long term, we will be able to maintain some of the talent. We do not want to be selling our talent all the time. The best model I think is the Leicester one so we need to be realistic and when there’s a possibility to build otherwise let go of some players at times.

Nice and Rennes join race to sign PSG star

Ligue 1 sides Nice and Rennes have joined the race to sign PSG starlet Arnaud Kalimuendo. The 20yo forward is surplus to requirements at 'Le Parc des Princes', though that's not to say that they will let him go on the cheap! The French giants have already turned down Leeds first offer of £16.5m, £4.5m shy of their asking price. Several reports are indicating that Victor Orta will increase their offer before the end of the week.

Kalimuendo has bags of talent, but is unproven at the highest level. The majority of his price tag is down to the potential he possesses, hence PSG wanting a buy-back clause in the future. With the transfer window closing in just under three weeks, Leeds are desperate to capture a proven goalscorer, even if they have to break the bank to do it. Media reports are suggesting that Leeds have reserved a transfer kitty of 40m for the right player.





Leeds face a Dilemma up front

Leeds are caught in a dilemma. They desperately want a top striker, but having missed out on their number one target (Charles De Ketelaere), have not been able to find a suitable alternative. They have been strongly linked to a host of forwards, though in reality, none are of the same quality as the former Club Brugge frontman.

We saw last season what can happen when injuries take their toll, especially when suitable replacements are found wanting. On the flip side, they don't want to be in a position that they take a £20m punt on someone that they are not convinced about, like they did with Jean Kevin Augustin. They could bring in a cheaper player as a stop gap, but that is also not ideal.