“As we did in Leeds…” – Matteo Manfredi says Sampdoria will follow Leeds United blueprint for success

Last summer, right after leaving Leeds United, Andrea Radrizzani and Matteo Manfredi completed the purchase of Sampdoria.

The Italian side, who are currently in Serie B, are having an average campaign. They’re seventh and will have to wait another year to try the promotion.

Manfredi has now been speaking to the Italian media about their first year in charge of Sampdoria, with ClubDoria46 featuring some of his quotes.

The club chief pointed out some of the work that has been done at the Serie B side, and recalled their work at Leeds United as well, with the stadium purchase seen as a blueprint from the Whites.

“When Sampdoria arrived we thought it was a great asset to own because of the legacy and we have a community that really cares. This year we have sold more than 18,000 season tickets, which is a lot more than the average Serie A team,” said Manfredi.

“These ‘sleeping giants’ are often opportunities so there are several things in common. We buy the stadium here in Genoa as we did in Leeds. The aim is to renovate it so that we can create a lot of value.”

Radrizzani and Manfredi arrived at Leeds United in 2017, and achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2020.

Despite a very positive first season in the top flight where the Whites finished 9th, the coming years were quite poor, first with a 17th placed finish and then relegation. Now there’s a new chance to get back there with the Championship play-offs.