Leeds United: Radrizzani to jet in for league clash with Derby

Andrea Radrizzani will fly into England to begin work at Leeds United next week and is set to make his first appearance as the club's co-owner at Friday's league game against Derby.
Andrea Radrizzani, right, will be joined by Ivan Bravo, left, at Leeds United clash with Derby County.Andrea Radrizzani, right, will be joined by Ivan Bravo, left, at Leeds United clash with Derby County.
Andrea Radrizzani, right, will be joined by Ivan Bravo, left, at Leeds United clash with Derby County.

The Italian is preparing to meet with head coach Garry Monk and other members of senior staff at Elland Road after sealing a deal to buy a 50 per cent share in United from Massimo Cellino.

Radrizzani’s investment was formally announced on Wednesday with full approval from the Football League but both he and Cellino were out of the country as confirmation of their agreement broke.

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Cellino is due back from a break in Miami shortly and Radrizzani has arranged to come to Leeds to begin speaking with key figures at the club and assessing United’s structure. He and Cellino are both expected to be present at the home clash with Derby. Radrizzani was pictured alongside Ivan Bravo during Leeds’ 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United in November, a man who appears to be in line for the job of sporting director at Elland Road.

Bravo currently works as director general of Qatar’s Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, an organisation which hones footballers and athletes for the country’s national teams. The Spaniard previously worked for Real Madrid as head of strategy.

Leeds have not employed a sporting director since Nicola Salerno left the club 18 months ago, though Martyn Glover worked for half a season as head of recruitment following the appointment of Uwe Rosler as head coach in 2015. Radrizzani, however, gave his unequivocal backing to Monk after sealing his takeover on Wednesday, saying he had been “very impressed” by Leeds’ performance under Monk this season.