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Phil Hay hails new Leeds ownership after 'laughable' policy under Andrea Radrizzani
Phil Hay has hailed the 49ers Enterprise’s transfer strategy after the “laughable” Leeds United policy from former owner Andrea Radrizzani.
Speaking on The Square Ball podcast (20 October), praised the new owners’ intelligent transfers this summer through the acquisition of financially effective signings.
Hay was critical of Radrizzani’s overambition after their promotion to the Premier League, but suggested many fans were “seduced” into thinking it possible
Comparing the two ownerships, Hay said: “It’s all about the ceiling you set for yourself and the projections of what you can achieve.
“If you go back to when Leeds were promoted and the talk after that from Radrizzani and others at the club was about in what time frame and at what stage are we going to get into Europe – which seems pretty laughable now.
“But that’s how they were looking at it and I think a lot of us were seduced into thinking if progression keeps going as it has and you invest and you build properly and make good signings, if you’re talking about the Conference League or Europa League, it’s not beyond you.
“But what they’ve done this season is say, ‘Let’s get a squad together that can get us in the mix for promotion, so let’s not be stupid with what we sign.'”
Better times
While the 49ers’ tenure at Elland Road is still very young, their first transfer window and subsequent success on the field has left many Leeds fans impressed.
Radrizzani is firmly in the rearview mirror of Leeds’ history, but the implications of his ownership are still, of course, felt to this day.
The questionable loan clauses in many players’ contracts for one, but the club now have a quality core of young players pushing for promotion under the guidance of someone who’s done it all before, twice.
The overambition of Radrizzani caused many problems. While ambition is never a bad thing for a club, it must go hand in hand with responsible spending and good managerial appointments.
The 49ers seem to have taken that on board. While promotion should be on the cards, the nature of Leeds’ squad means they will remain strong and keep pushing. Leeds is a huge club, so players will feel content staying as they know promotion could be just around the corner.
Plenty can happen over the course of a season, but the early months have been positive.
In other Leeds United news, Real Betis may not be able to afford to make Marc Roca’s loan move permanent next summer