Andrea Radrizzani vows to repeat Leeds United tactic with Sampdoria after bankruptcy statement

Radrizzani spoke at length during the unveiling of new Sampdoria manager Andrea Pirlo and head of performance Nicola Legrottaglie on Wednesday afternoon, having agreed to acquire the club in the midst of financial turmoil earlier this month.

The departing Leeds chairman stated he hoped to repeat his achievements with the Whites, returning Sampdoria to Serie A and prominence within Italian football.

“We managed to save Sampdoria from bankruptcy which would have killed half of the city of Genoa,” Radrizzani said.

“This is just the beginning, now we must talk about football. We are here to present the first steps of our projects, Andrea Pirlo and Nicola Legrottaglie, our head of performance.

“We bought a club with many difficult situations. We are committed from day to night to restructuring a company which was poorly managed,” he added.

Sampdoria will play second tier football in 2023/24 for only the fifth time since the turn of the century after financial difficulties derailed the team’s Serie A campaign last year.

“Samp are one of the most represented and loved teams in the world. We want to return to that era [the 90s] with respect and style and remember the glorious past with an innovative view. That’s what I did at Leeds in the last six years and it’s what I want to do here,” Radrizzani said, as quoted by Football Italia.

Leeds’ takeover by 49ers Enterprises is expected to be ratified in the coming days, which will signal the end of Radrizzani’s tenure as club chairman and majority shareholder in West Yorkshire.