During an interview with The Square Ball Podcast, Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear spoke about Leeds’s journey to establishing themselves in the Premier League. In the video, he praised the Brighton & Hove Albion model but told supporters of the Whites that it would take time for the transformation to take place.
Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear in Interview Asks Fans for Time
Kinnear Positive About Leeds United Head Coach
Kinnear, a former managing director at West Ham, admitted that some Leeds fans might still be holding the loss of coach Marcelo Bielsa against the ownership of the club. The Argentine coach was responsible for gaining the Whites promotion in 2020 but left the club after a horrid start to the 2022/23 campaign.
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Comparing the new head coach, Daniel Farke, to Bielsa, Kinnear stated, “His approach is much more like Marcelo’s, which is, I want to run everything.” The Leeds CEO seemingly likes how the German is operating, suggesting harmony between the coaching staff and board members.
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Coaches and Players
Kinnear knows how hard it is to get out of the Championship – and how the right man is needed. He said that Jesse Marsch was: “Not the Right Man for the Job” to keep Leeds in the Premier League. One of the ways that the Whites are preparing themselves for a run in the English second division is by improving the financial situation and investing where needed: “The £40 million the club has saved through salary workings.”
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“The whole premise is that these players are going to be able to deliver at the level.” Kinnear sees the purchases that Leeds have made as good moves. The Whites sit 15th in the Championship, with one win, three draws and one loss. A loss to lowly Salford City in the EFL Cup typified the club’s inconsistent start to the season.
Troubling Clauses
Many players brought in to keep Leeds in the Premier League had questionable loan clauses in their contracts – allowing them to spend a season away from the club if they were relegated. Thanks to their poor showing last year, many of these footballers are playing outside Elland Road this year.
According to Kinnear, the clauses were included – so that players would not leave permanently: “Players that left would have preferred to leave on permanent deals.” The salary money saved by Leeds will be critical in developing a team under Farke that will hopefully bring the club promotion.
Main image credit: Lufc83, CC BY-SA 4.0.
