Leeds United manager update: Final announcement deadline emerges after Daniel Farke and Patrick Vieira interviews
Leeds United hope to be able to announce the official 49ers takeover and the name of the new manager by next Sunday (2 July) at the “very latest”, the according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.
The agreement of a full sale from Andrea Radrizzani to the new owners was reached on 9 June, but with the EFL yet to complete their checks it has still not been confirmed, and amid an interview process involving Angus Kinnear and Paraag Marathe the new manager is also yet to be named.
Phil Hay reported in The Athletic (23 June) that Daniel Farke and Patrick Vieira had been part of that along with Scott Parker, with the Frenchman said to have “presented very strongly”, but with transfer talk growing around numerous players the Whites want the manager and ownership situations put to bed by the time the first players start arriving back at Thorp Arch for preseason on Sunday.
Graham Smyth writes in the YEP: “Leeds remain without a manager as they await the EFL ratification and full completion of the 49ers Enterprises takeover, but an appointment is expected to swiftly follow once the change of ownership is confirmed.
“The club hopes to be in a position to have announced both the takeover and their new boss by July 2 at the very latest.”
Drag
Processes as important as these can’t be rushed but it is a source of great frustration that almost a full month after relegation was confirmed there are big questions still to be answered.
Barring an unforeseen issue in the EFL’s checks on the 49ers investment group the key issue of the takeover has been put in place, but the official confirmation is surely contributing to the rest being backed up.
A temporary figure has arrived to fulfil the sporting director vacancy in Nick Hammond, but with a lot of work to be done on the playing squad it all seems to be waiting on the manager.
It has felt like Farke was the man for days now so if it does indeed end up being the German who is named as Sam Allardyce’s successor it will seem like the wait could perhaps have been avoided.
Leeds United are slowly churning through the huge amount of work they had backed up for themselves this summer after a chaotic campaign ended in relegation, and some of it will be happening behind the scenes regardless of announcements.
But the sooner the set up is made clear and the new boss can officially start working on his squad the better, with a promotion push relying on getting it right this summer.
In theory there is plenty of time left but if the season kicks off and deadline day approaches with the club scrambling to fill gaps it will be the past few weeks that loom large.
In other Leeds United news, the club are set to react to an impending Elland Road exodus with “ambitious” incoming transfer plans.