By George Overhill

9th Sep, 2023 | 9:03pm

EFL were unhappy with Leeds United over 49ers takeover this summer - Phil Hay

The EFL were not “very happy” with Leeds United this summer for announcing their takeover before it was fully ratified, according to Phil Hay.

The Athletic journalist said on The Square Ball Saturday (9 September) that the Whites didn’t come “a cropper” for putting out such a brief statement on 9 June, to state that an agreement had been reached between 49ers Enterprises and Andrea Radrizzani’s Aser Ventures, because the new rules now brought in against it were not quite in place.

It wasn’t until over a month later that the league approved the sale to the club’s new owners (17 July) after a torturous wait, and Hay believes it is “telling” that the EFL have introduced regulations to avoid such a situation.

He said (14m 45s): “It’s quite telling I think that the EFL have introduced new rules now which mean that you cannot announce a takeover in principle.

“Leeds did that and I don’t think the EFL were very happy about it, although I don’t think that Leeds came a cropper because I don’t think that the rules were in place quite at that point, but they certainly are now.

Information vaccum

Now that the 49ers are in full control of Leeds United, and the managerial and transfer market questions have been answered, the club are in a far more secure position than they were a couple of months ago.

While Angus Kinnear has now come out and spoken at length with The Square Ball (7 September) there were sustained periods during the summer where fans knew little about what the future looked like at Elland Road.

Andrea Radrizzani may be in Italy now and firing back at his former CEO via Twitter, but there was a window where there was a prospect of his sale being rejected and the club being thrown into even greater turmoil than they eventually came through.

While it would have saved the EFL from being the subject of Leeds supporters’ frustrations for five weeks it would have arguably made things worse for the fanbase had the new rules already been in place before the deal in principle was agreed.

It was a definite failing of the former owner, and also the new ones, that contingency plans hadn’t been put in place for relegation, and delayed so many vital moves as a result.

The days that passed following the confirmation of a return to the Championship were bad enough without them becoming weeks before a sale became public.

Whites fans largely assume the EFL are unhappy with the club at the best of times so Hay’s latest update will come as no surprise, and most will just be glad that the turmoil of the summer is now largely over.

In other Leeds United news, Willy Gnonto’s place at the club is now thought to be under threat after developments late in the transfer window.