Fabio Paratici ‘instrumental’ in Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani takeover talks as ex-Tottenham man role emerges
Fabio Paratici’s role in Andrea Radrizzani’s move to buy Sampdoria has emerged as the former Tottenham director “skilfully” moved the Leeds United owner onto the stricken club after Inter interest, according to Il Secolo XIX.
The Whites chief had been looking at purchasing the Champions League finalists while the proposed sale of his shares in West Yorkshire to the 49ers was still in with a chance of going through as a Premier League side.
But he then spent the week the club was relegated from the top flight heavily focused on a rescue bid for Sampdoria, which has helped complicate the situation at Elland Road, and it is reportedly Paratici who had a key role in that, although Radrizzani is unable to bring in to help run the Italian side because of the ban which saw him leave Spurs over the scandal at Juventus [Guardian, 20 April].
According to Il Secolo XIX: “The Paratici track does not seem feasible. The former sporting director of Sampdoria, before becoming one of Juventus and Tottenham, is inhibited precisely because of the Juve investigation and therefore could not carry out a whole series of important tasks for a top manager.
“It is true that he has an excellent relationship with Radrizzani and it is true that he was instrumental in this negotiation. It was Paratici’s words that completely convinced Radrizzani of the opportunity to buy the club. The Lombard financier was thinking about Inter, the sporting director skilfully helped him choose Sampdoria.”
Thanks Fabio
Even allowing for the major spanner in the works that relegation has brought about there is more reason to believe that a deal with the 49ers might have been worked out by now if it wasn’t for the Sampdoria distraction.
With Inter’s season still not over until the showpiece final against Manchester City next Saturday (10 June), and obviously not in the kind of financial straits that relegation has inflicted on Sampdoria, Radrizzani may have focused on sorting out the future of Leeds United instead of spending so much time in Italy at a key point.
As it is, there are still no answers at Elland Road a week after a return to the Championship was confirmed, and indeed only more questions have been through up in that time.
Radrizzani apparently attempting to secure a loan for the Sampdoria purchase against the Whites’ stadium [The Athletic, 1 June] has made him hugely unpopular among the fanbase, and may have caused problems for the 49ers negotiations, as they were apparently kept in the dark over the proposal.
If the Leeds United owner had spent more time ensuring he had a plan to sell the club he already controls before trying to pick up his next venture then perhaps the future wouldn’t be so clouded in uncertainty.
Doubt over whether he would have been able to purchase Inter has since arisen, so Paratici turning him onto the Sampdoria cause looks to have been a move that the Whites could have done without.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has shared that the club are now expected to keep hold of a “high fee” player for the Championship next season.