By George Overhill

9th Sep, 2023 | 8:40am

Andrea Radrizzani deletes his account after Friday night Leeds United rampage against Angus Kinnear and fans

Andrea Radrizzani hit out at Angus Kinnear and argued with Leeds United fans online on Friday night before deleting his account.

Having already responded to a supporter on Twitter to apportion blame to the club CEO for players’ release clauses the former majority shareholder continued to react to fans through the evening as he claimed Kinnear “made millions from working with me” and can’t “judge how much money I have or can invest in football”.

The Italian responded to criticism over his time in charge at Elland Road to suggest it will be looked back on in a better light and “let’s move on”, then he replied to one fan who told him he didn’t get a say on the club any longer with “I can say whatever I like, feel free to unfollow me”, before all the messages and his account were later deleted.

Kinnear had spoken to The Square Ball (7 September) to reiterate his previous claim that under Radrizzani the club couldn’t afford to risk relegation without wage reduction and release clauses in contracts.

While praising the former majority shareholder for investing heavily in the club and putting his own wealth at risk he had also said: “We’d be in a different world if we had the 49ers funding and full ownership earlier” [The Athletic, 7 September].

Overdone it

Radrizzani would hardly be the first person to get too emotionally invested in an argument on a Friday night, and it isn’t even the first time he’s been too eager on social media when it comes to Leeds United.

It looks like until the account is reactivated he, or somebody close to him, has decided not much good is likely to come of getting into it with a fanbase who aren’t going to be easily won over in the circumstances.

That is especially the case when the Whites are only just coming through the other side of a dramatic summer of upheaval, following a chaotic final year with him at the helm that ended in relegation.

Granted, Kinnear as CEO throughout, and to a lesser extent Paraag Marathe and the 49ers as minority owners prior to their buy-out, can’t fully wash their hands of responsibility for the mess that engulfed Leeds United last year.

But ultimately Radrizzani was the man in charge, and whatever positive intensions he had the way things turned out were decidedly negative.

The manner in which he eventually left and the subsequent delays in starting the new era, as well as the relegation release clauses, have undoubtedly damaged his reputation around Leeds.

He may be right that in time supporters will be able to look back and focus on the high points of Marcelo Bielsa’s management and the return to the Premier League, but that likely won’t come for some time yet.

In other Leeds United news, the club are set to cancel the contract of a £15million signing.