49ers Enterprises face Elland Road payment to get rid of Andrea Radrizzani for good at Leeds United
Leeds United supporters had hoped to have seen the back of Andrea Radrizzani after 49ers Enterprises completed its takeover of the club in the summer.
Radrizzani agreed to sell his controlling stake of Leeds in June, valuing the club in the region of £170million, which the EFL formally ratified the following month.
Having steadily increased its stakes in Leeds since first becoming a minority shareholder in 2018, 49ers Enterprises can now boast having full control of the Whites.
However, that is not to say Radrizzani is entirely out of the picture.
As confirmed by football finance expert Kieran Maguire on Twitter on Tuesday (10 October), the Italian is still earning money from the club through its Elland Road home.
Radrizzani controls Elland Road Ltd, which owns the stadium and made a profit of about £1.5m in 2021-22. The most recent accounts show Elland Road Ltd charges a rent of £1.7m a year to Leeds.
That lease does not expire until 2032, so Radrizzani’s figure could loom large over Leeds for close to another decade.
Maguire points out that 49ers Enterprises purchased some shares in Elland Road Ltd, but not enough to take control of the stadium.
However, it is noted that Elland Road Ltd bought Elland Road for £25m, meaning there is a possibility of buying out Radrizzani once and for all.
It may well be that Radrizzani plays hardball and asks for more money, but it does at least open the door for 49ers Enterprises to cut all ties between Leeds and the former chairman for good.
With a bit of luck, that will be the case by the time the latest accounts are released in a year’s time.
In other Leeds United news, a Bristol City coach admitted to being caught out by a decision Daniel Farke made at the weekend.