'The mistake was to sell too soon' - Andrea Radrizzani makes Leeds United admission and Marcelo Bielsa claim
Andrea Radrizzani has opened up on his sale of Leeds United - and the decision to sack Marcelo Bielsa
Former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has claimed his decision to sell the Whites was made “too soon”.
In the summer of 2023, following Leeds’ relegation from the Premier League, the Italian businessman sold the club to 49ers Enterprises.
The latter helped to get Leeds back on an upward trajectory and a return to the top flight was secured within two years of their takeover.
Andrea Radrizzani’s Leeds United admission
Speaking at SportsPro’s ‘Investment Summit’, the 51-year-old said: “Unfortunately, the mistake was to sell too soon. We sold at the lowest. Normally, you don’t sell at the lowest.
“I was overwhelmed by the relegation, so it was a great decision for my mental health. Business-wise, it was not a great decision because I sold at the lowest and the Championship was the bottom in my journey.
“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.”
Decision to sack Marcelo Bielsa
One of the most controversial decisions of Radrizzani’s spell as owner was made in February 2022, when the immensely-popular Marcelo Bielsa was axed as manager.
His successor Jesse Marsch kept the Whites afloat on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign, but oversaw a nosedive in his second term that eventually resulted into a return to the second tier.
Radrizzani said: “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.”