Leeds United chairman apologizes to fans after Premier League relegation, says club will improve

2023-06-01 14:30

Leeds United chairman apologizes to fans after Premier League relegation, says club will improve

Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani has apologized to the club's fans following their relegation from the Premier League .


In a personal statement on Twitter, Radrizzani acknowledged that the board had made mistakes and wanted to make some "key appointments" in different areas of the club, but did not mention the possibility that Leeds could change ownership .


The 48 -year-old Italian was part of a consortium that completed the takeover of Sampdoria on Tuesday. He said: "The past few days have been very difficult for everyone involved with Leeds United . It is difficult for me to find the right words to express myself other than to apologize to all our fans for the club's relegation."


Radrizzani also said: "I am deeply sorry for the development of this season. We have made major investments to try to keep Leeds United in the Premier League, but while trying to improve the club, we have obviously made some mistakes. . We are reflecting on the decisions we have made to ensure we learn from them to improve our club and progress in the future."


Under Radrizzani's leadership, Leeds United appointed Marcelo Bielsa in May 2018 and brought the team back to the Premier League in 2020 . The popular manager was sacked in February 2022 and Leeds narrowly avoided relegation under Jesse Marsh. Marsh, Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce have all failed to prevent the side from slipping into the bottom three this season.


Radrizzani's statement follows news on Tuesday night that his firm Aser Group, in partnership with financial firm Gestio Capital , has completed a deal with financially troubled Sampdoria. The former Serie A champions were relegated to Serie B recently with three wins in 37 league games this season.


The deal is expected to see Radrizzani sell his 56 per cent stake in Leeds to the club's American partner 49ers Enterprises, the financial arm of NFL side San Francisco 49ers.


He added: " We have invested heavily in Leeds United since 2017 and have worked hard to get the club back to where it should be. With the support of our partners, we can move forward and bounce back."


"I'm very proud of the progress we've made in recent years. We've become a club that attracts fantastic players, is commercially strong, has an improved youth academy, has a girls' football team and so on. In many ways, the club has happened. changes, and we are committed to continuing this journey."


"I don't like making false promises, there's a lot of work to be done and change is needed. Leeds supporters deserve more. You understand the path we've taken and I hope you'll see it once the anger and disappointment subsides. until we can get stronger."