This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Presented with three investment options, it’s fairly obvious which one many involved at Leeds would prefer.
Option one is the potential purchase of a stake from the owners of PSG, QSI, a firm that gained over €542mÂ(£467.1m) in revenue during the 2017/18 campaign.
The second option is a supporter based in America and the third is more Italian investment, but from an individual that currently owns a club in that region.
That’s according to their current owner Andrea Radrizzani, anyway.
He told The Times this week that QSI could put Leeds on a level that would compete with Manchester City. However, their third option bears similarities to darker days and Massimo Cellino. There’s no prize for guessing the preferred choice.
But not only would it be up there in comparison to their former controversial owner, but it also looks like a short-term plan, as opposed to one that helps them compete over an extended period of time.
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Radrizzani said: “Another one is the owner of an Italian club. With another club you can create synergy to be more competitive and to target the Premier League — we could maybe get a loan to increase the quality of the team.”
Cellino owned Cagliari for 22 years, a few months of which crossed over with his tenure at Leeds – a time in their history where they were subdued to mid-table mediocrity and controversy wherever the Italian went.
At one stage he was deemed ineligible to be an owner or director by the EFL as they cited his handling of money.
An official statement in 2014 read: “Mr. Cellino was recently found guilty beyond reasonable doubt by a Court in Sardinia of an offence under Italian tax legislation relating to the non-payment of import duties on a boat.”
That isn’t to suggest that all owners of a football club in Italy are of a farcical nature but he did implement a pie tax on supporters. He also sold a player after one training session and refused to sign someone because he was born on the 17th day of the month.
It was a completely ludicrous time in the memory of supporters and it could all come flooding back too – certainly, that seems to be the case already.
Radrizzani is left with a highly promising option in QSI but he could ultimately land investment from a similar source that once caused the club so much chaos.
However, that only scratches the surface of the issues that reside in this third opportunity he’s spoken about.
Managing to establish a link with another team on the continent would be cunning but that stinks of a team happy to sit in the Championship, not one who actually wants to compete in the top-flight.
The sheer revenue QSI earn at PSG dictates the effects could be felt at Leeds for a long time.
It would presumably allow them to purchase highly-rated players, rather than simply loaning them in for a temporary stay.
Even if Radrizzani would prefer investment now, Leeds need something fresh and exciting. They need investment capable of taking them towards a bright new future, not from someone that reminds fans of darker times.
Cellino was a horrible anomaly but if bringing someone in from the corrupt nature of Italian football failed at the first time of asking, it would be foolish to explore a similar boat.
For Leeds’ grounded owner, QSI must be their only option – it could just well transform them.
