Adam Pope shares unknown 49ers detail as new Leeds backroom appointment revealed
Leeds United are undergoing major changes behind the scenes at Elland Road with 49ers Enterprises considering a restructuring of the management.
Daniel Farke and Co are on course to earn Premier League promotion as they sit atop the Championship table with 76 points, three more than second-placed Sheffield United.
However, Leeds are facing uncertainty off the pitch, particularly at the management level. Gretar Steinsson was one of the high-profile exits earlier this season, while Angus Kinnear has now been confirmed to take charge as the Everton CEO at the end of the season.
The nature and speed of these changes make one wonder if they will start to affect the performances on the pitch at some point, although that has not been the case so far.
Leeds appoint Peter McCormick to work alongside Kinnear
For the time being, Leeds have appointed former board member Peter McCormick as the executive vice chairman, according to Adam Pope.
McCormick is not Kinnear’s replacement though. Instead, he is starting in his new role immediately and will work with Kinnear between now and the end of the season.
Pope is not aware if the 49ers will appoint a like-for-like replacement for the departing CEO and if that will be made through a promotion from within.
However, he revealed that the Elland Road outfit are set to review their management structure amid the new changes behind the scenes.
| Name | Role | Status |
| Angus Kinnear | CEO | Joining Everton as CEO on 1 June |
| Gretar Steinsson | Technical Director | Joined 49ers as Technical Director |
| Jordan Miles | Head of Recruitment | Departed, replaced by Alex Davies |
The journalist also added that Leeds could use Elevate, a consulting company helmed by 49ers president Al Guido, to hire a new CEO if needed.
“It is my understanding the club will assess the management structure as they appoint Peter McCormick as executive vice chairman to work with Kinnear and the board until the end of the season”, Pope wrote on BBC (7 March).
“McCormick, who is an ex-director at Elland Road, is not Kinnear’s replacement.
“Whether United promote from within or not remains to be seen but the San Francisco 49ers use a consulting company called Elevate, whose CEO and chairman is 49ers president Al Guido.
“It would be no surprise if a fresh appointment was to be made then it would be instigated by them.”
Farke and Co to focus on promotion
Amid all the changes behind the curtains, Farke and his players cannot afford to lose track of their primary objective – promotion.
A lot of Leeds’ plans for next season will depend on achieving that target and it is imperative that they ensure they make no mistakes.
With Sheffield United just three points, the Whites will look to continue their march towards promotion when they face Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Sunday, 9 March.