Leeds United returned to the Premier League under the ownership of Andrea Radrizzani. The Italian has insinuated he sold the club at the wrong time, when financial reasons are considered.
The 51-year-old initially bought half of the Whites in 2017, and two years later, he completed a full takeover.
Radrizzani also hired Marcelo Bielsa as manager and the Argentine was instrumental in taking the Whites back to the top-flight. Leeds United had an identity under him but as often happens with Bielsa, it didn’t take long to fade.
Regret over sale timing
Radrizzani has spoken to SportsPro about his sporting ventures and was asked about his spell with Leeds United.
He made his regret clear, noting how he sold the club at a low point.
“Unfortunately, the mistake was selling too early. We sold at the lowest point. Normally, you don’t sell at the lowest point.”
Radrizzani clarified the decision made little sense from a financial perspective but from a personal standpoint, he had to go ahead with it.
“I was overwhelmed by the relegation, so it was a great decision for my mental health. From a business perspective, however, it wasn’t a great decision.”
Offering more detail, Radrizzani revealed he invested a lot into the club after the initial purchase.
“I sold the club at four times enterprise value but I did a lot of investment – I bought the stadium and I invested in the club. It could have been much better if we stayed in the Premier League. But that’s why [football is] like investing in a very risky business, because it’s volatile.”
Beyond that, the Italian revealed the decision to sack Bielsa was taken out of necessity.
“I sacked Bielsa in a moment where I thought there was no other way to stay in the Premier League.”
“But I didn’t think most of the fans would have preferred to be in the Championship with Bielsa rather than me sacking him and stay in the Premier League.”
Bielsa loss was key
In hindsight, Leeds United overperformed significantly in the Premier League. Bielsa’s system brought a lot out of players and promotion allowed the club the finances to make signings like Raphinha.
Overperformance doesn’t sustain over a longer term and this became clear. Beyond that, the ex-Whites’ manager’s system does take a toll on players and this was seen towards the end of the campaign.
Despite all of that, Radrizzani still has a special place in the club’s history.
