There was a big sigh of relief from many Leeds United fans when Andrea Radrizzani came into the club, initially via a 50% ownership deal with Massimo Cellino.
That initial 50% segued into full ownership and last season was a steep learning curve for the new Italian at Elland Road. A promising start turned into a freefall drop as Leeds went from top to mid-table with consummate ease, the Whites ending up scrambling around that part of the table.
Many were thinking that the 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship would have been a springboard for Radrizzani and co to reflect on, learn from and leap forward. One leap has been to sign up Marcelo Bielsa, a man rightly lauded as a coaching guru.
It was expected that with Bielsa there would be a raft of high-class signings knocking the door down to play under him at Elland Road. The door is still up. There have been two players brought in on loan from Chelsea. That is it. Total.
Far from providing Bielsa the ammunition to shoot for promotion to the Premier League, Radrizzani and co. have left the Argentine with an empty gun. It is an empty gun with bullets that don’t quite fit.
However, away from the football side of things, Andrea Radrizzani is buying up viewing rights to the likes of Serie A, La Liga, the Dutch Eredivisie, the Chinese Super League, the PGA Championship. If he carries on at this rate then he’ll only have the Lower Bogthorne Worm Charming Championships not in his portfolio come the start of the 2018/19 season.
The EFL season that is, not the Worm Charming season.
Yet whilst all this buying up viewing rights is going on with Radrizzani and Eleven Sports, fans are sat there wondering on thing – when are you going to start buying players Radz?
It’s not an awkward request to ask, not really. Fans sit there channeling their hard-earned cash into supporting their club, the one that Radrizzani has bought. They sit there expecting riches with the appointment of Marcelo Bielsa but instead of the finest silk they see their club being clad in the coarsest hessian.
And all the while Eleven Sports keep buying up the viewing rights to various sporting competitions. This hasn’t gone unnoticed. There is a backlash gathering. Here’s what some fans are saying about Radrizzani’s lack of activity in the transfer market.
Even if #LUFC was an interpreter for the deaf it still wouldn’t make any signings
— Gelly (@Gelly_LUFC) July 23, 2018
It’s going to be a long season if you don’t sign any bloody players
— dean digweed (@thedog1989) July 23, 2018
Sign some players and give me my Oxford tickets
— Felix (@FelixLUFC) July 23, 2018
Can’t sign players and can’t stream games. Preseason the Leeds United way. 😂 #lufc
— Paul McGrath (@WesterosBatman) July 23, 2018
@andrearadri come on now Andrea when are we going to sign some quality players? Getting beyond a joke now #lufc
— Sacha (@sashkatoon82) July 23, 2018
Release the new kit and sign some decent players, is that possible please? #lufc
— Barry Dunne (@BazDunne) July 23, 2018
Have we sign……….. You know what forget it 😂 #lufc
— Matt (@MWJS82) July 23, 2018
Everyday I wake up I die a little, some people say I’m insane. That’s what happens when you wait for @LUFC to sign a player.
— paul Roy. (@paulrpowell1) July 23, 2018
To Iranian President Rouhani: TELL #LUFC TO SIGN SOME PLAYERS.
— Rob Stanworth (@Stannie655) July 23, 2018
As the 2018/19 Championship campaign rapidly approaches, the need for Leeds United to sign some players becomes more urgent. If this doesn’t happen, I wonder how many Whites fans will turn up to watch the Lower Bogthorne Worm Charming Championships – assuming that Radrizzani hasn’t got the rights on those too.
