Andrea Radrizzani now has enough ammunition to fire Victor Orta as fresh Leeds United controversy emerges
Andrea Radrizzani has more than enough ammunition to fire Victor Orta as yet another Leeds United controversy has emerged, with the club told to pay Jean-Kevin Augustin £24.5million after they were found to have breached his contract [The Athletic].
An ongoing dispute since the player’s loan move to Elland Road in January 2020, FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber found partially in favour of the former Whites forward, with the Whites having already lost their Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) case.
But majority owner Radrizzani certainly had a long list of reasons to remove Sporting Director Orta from his role before the latest mess.
Perhaps the most obvious reason is the position that the club currently finds itself in, with Leeds fighting in a fierce relegation battle once again, having only just staved off relegation by the skin of their teeth last season.
The Whites avoided the drop by three points last time out, and are now just two points off the drop this time around, with the 5-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday (9 April) serving as a reminder of how real the threat of relegation really is.
Linked to such poor displays this season is, of course, the failed signings from Orta. And right at the top of that list is January arrival Georginio Rutter, who joined from Hoffenheim for a club-record £35.5million.
The stuttering striker typifies the club’s poor decision making in the transfer window, in that when they get signatures wrong, they get them horribly wrong.
That brings the discussion onto the managerial situation, with the club investing so much money in transfers for Jesse Marsch to try and build a successful squad, only for the American to be sacked shortly after.
And while many clubs have an immediate successor lined up to try and help steady the ship, as has been the case for several of the teams who have replaced their manager this season, Leeds took their time in appointing a new boss.
Javi Gracia was eventually brought in after a few weeks in what was undoubtedly a protracted search for a successor to Marsch.
This was all around the time that an image emerged of Orta appearing to mock Leeds fans during the club’s 1-0 defeat to Everton, when an emerged of the Spaniard pointing to his ear during the fixture, much to the anger of many supporters.
The new man in the dugout has earned some respect in these early stages, but the latest crushing defeat to Palace has put him right back to step one, particularly given the fact it came at home and to a club infamous for their lack of ability to find the back of the net.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites are set to be without three first-team players for their Premier League fixture against Liverpool on Monday (17 April).