Former Crystal Palace owner and TalkSport regular Simon Jordan has been speaking about the ownership model at Leeds United.
Jordan, talking on the radio station TalkSport, believes that The Whites are an ‘ownership model away from being a very significant, competing football club again.’
Many Leeds fans will hate to agree with Simon Jordan, but this time I think he has it spot on. Andrea Radrizzani recently admitted he feels he has taken the club as far as he could and it was time for a fresh approach and new ideas to get the club into the upper echelons of the Premier League table and compete for domestic trophies and European cup competitions.
Radrizzani has done extremely well in getting the club back into the Premier League after 16 years in the doldrums but it is the general feeling around the club and the media, the club needs stronger financial backing to take it to the next step. Stadium redevelopment and expansion is due to commence in the next two years and the San Fransisco 49ers’ have an agreement to take majority control in January 2024. Whether they will be the right people to take the club further, only time will tell.
Jordan said, “With Leeds, I think they’re an ownership model away from being a very significant competing football club again and I think if they stay in the Premier League, we might see that ownership model change. Andrea (Radrizzani) has done a great job, we spent time with him in Qatar, and he’s done a great job getting Leeds back into the Premier League. I do think there probably is an ownership model change that needs to happen, you’ll probably find it’s the Americans because you don’t see American investment into football clubs without necessarily some degree of engagement and that’s why you’ve got an American manager in the dugout.”
“I think Leeds are a management decision away from being a bigger football club, because I don’t think Jesse March has got the chops, and I think the ownership model will change and I think you’ll see Leeds kick up on a gear. I think that ultimately Leeds are going to have to spend more money than they’re currently spending.”
“These clubs get £120, £130 million pounds for opening their gates from the Premier League, plus, you know, from TV companies, plus whatever else they get, they can afford to be spending £30, £40, £50, £60 million pounds per season on capitalisable transfer values, I don’t look at it and go wow, Leeds are really going after it, you’ll see, I watched Leeds in the last couple of games over the last week or so. I watched them against West Ham, and I’ve watched them in the cup and clear to me, whilst they’ve got good little players up top they need a centre-forward. Bamford I don’t think is ever going to be what he once was before, so they need to spend on players and £35m is a centre-forward isn’t it?”
Leeds have indeed started to spend on players, Max Wober arrived in a deal worth around £12m and according to numerous reports, the club are set to announce the capture of 20-year-old Georginio Rutter from Hoffenheim. The France U21 International forward could be set to switch to the Premier League in a deal worth around £30m plus add-ons. The forward is set to arrive in Leeds in the next 24 hours to complete a medical ahead of the transfer.
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