MOT View: Major £36m reveal proves Leeds ready to take huge step into European elite
Leeds United are set to take on more investment from the San Francisco 49ers, with the Daily Mail claiming that the global powerhouse is going to buy another 15% of the club off Andrea Radrizzani.
They claim the deal values the club at £240, and the extra 15% they’re buying will cost them £36m.
The great news for Leeds is that this money is going to be invested back into the club – not just on players but on getting Elland Road up to the level of the Premier League’s top six.
The Mail claims the deal is “on the verge” of going through and Leeds chief Angus Kinnear was already talking about how the extra cash will be spent.
He said that spending money on players and new contracts is “absolutely essential”.
But he also unveiled exciting plans to take Elland Road up to 60,000 seats, saying that would bring it up to the top-six level in the Premier League.
Looking at the latest numbers on Statista.com, it shows where the new Elland Road would slot in.
60,000 seats would see them behind just Man United, Spurs and Arsenal (by 704 seats), and level with West Ham.
It would see us with a bigger capacity than Man City or Liverpool.
The Nou Camp is Europe’s biggest with nearly 100,000 seats, while Real Madrid can house just over 80,000 fans.
Borussia Dortmund (81,365) shade out Bayern Munich (75,000) in Germany.
This is the level that Andrea Radrizzani is aiming at.
Getting (and keeping) the right players on the pitch is obviously vitally important. But increasing the capacity of Elland Road is absolutely necessary to keep growing the club and its coffers.
The £36m reveal is brilliant news but it’s not just the cash, either.
The 49ers have built the 68,500 capacity Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California and Leeds can leverage that expertise to ensure they get Elland Road right.
It’s all part of a long-term project that will see Leeds take their place at the top table in Europe again.
These are exciting times for Leeds fans.
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