There has to be change at the top of c amid the lingering lack of clarity over the ownership because “investments are all at risk”, according to BBC reporter Adam Pope.
With the Whites going into the final day of the season needing a win and results elsewhere to go there way if they are to avoid relegation the identity of who will be in charge next season is as yet unclear, as a veto on Andrea Radrizzani’s side to call off a deal with 49ers Enterprises if the club do go down has emerged.
The current £500million takeover deal only applies if they stay up [i News, 6 March], but amid an expectation that the American outfit are still committed even in the Championship [The Athletic, 22 May], and with the Italian involved in a potential rescue of Sampdoria in his home country [The Athletic, 21 May], the make up of the hierarchy in the second tier next year remains undecided.
Speaking on Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet on Monday (22 May, 18m 50s) Pope said: “The investments are all at risk here so something has to change…
“If Leeds go down we understand that there is a veto for Aser, which is the holding company under Andrea, to call off the deal. That might not even be dependent on them going down.
“So what happens then? Do they stay the same? Something has to shift because it’s damaging right now.
“If they stay in the Premier League then we’re expecting the deal to go through and Andrea gets his money and they move on. Whether he stays as any part of that deal we’ll have to wait and see, but I can’t see how the existing status quo continues fruitfully in the Championship, because where’s the money going to come from?
“I can’t see a way forward to make that squad competitive with the existing structure to get them straight back up.”
Clarity required
A veto seems unlikely to be used when Radrizzani looks to have at least half an eye on his next step after Elland Road already.
The positive is that the 49ers are apparently not put off by relegation, but a definitive arrangement for next season needs to be reached as a priority if the top flight handover that everyone would prefer doesn’t end up being possible.
If Everton lose on the final day and the Whites come up with a win against Tottenham then there remains a slim chance that the plan stays on track at the last, but it has to be considered unlikely.
And with the valuation of the club expected to fall to as little as £150million in the second tier Radrizzani is obviously not going to get the return he would in the Premier League, and the 49ers are sure to be unwilling to overpay, so a new agreement needs to be reached.
The club goes on whether the incumbent owner and the prospective one have the rug pulled out from under their deal, and it needs to be known who will be stumping up the cash for transfers and development going forward.
Radrizzani looks like he might be prepared to cut his losses and move on either way, but he isn’t going to just give his shareholding away, so while a veto would be a nuclear option on his part which seems farfetched there does need to be a clear advance from the no man’s land the club is currently operating in.
In other Leeds United news, Sam Allardyce came off badly amid a “scathing” rebuke of one flop in the loss to West Ham according to Phil Hay.
