Angus Kinnear salutes passionate Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani with 'no appetite to sell'

MANAGING director Angus Kinnear says owner Andrea Radrizzani has no appetite to sell Leeds United with "unfinished business" to seal promotion to the Premier League after last season's near miss.
NO APPETITE TO SELL: For Leeds United owner and chairman Andrea Radrizzani. Photo by George Wood/Getty Images.NO APPETITE TO SELL: For Leeds United owner and chairman Andrea Radrizzani. Photo by George Wood/Getty Images.
NO APPETITE TO SELL: For Leeds United owner and chairman Andrea Radrizzani. Photo by George Wood/Getty Images.

Radrizzani is into his third year at the helm of the Whites having acquired a 50 per cent share in January 2017 before buying out Massimo Cellino's remaining 50 per cent four months later.

Having finished seventh in 2016-17 under Garry Monk, United slipped to a 13th-placed Championship finish in Radrizzani's first full season in charge with Thomas Christiansen and then Paul Heckingbottom in the dugout as head coaches.

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The investment arm of NFL giants the San Francisco 49ers then acquired a shareholding of more than 10 per cent of United in May 2018 and Leeds then looked destined to win promotion under newly appointed head coach Marcelo Bielsa last season only to fall out of the automatic promotion places in the final month of the season to end up third.

Play-offs heartache to Derby County then followed but Kinnear says United's Italian owner has been even further fuelled by last season's near miss to now finally take Leeds into the Premier League at the third time of asking.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Radio Leeds reporter Adam Pope on Monday, Kinnear was asked if Radrizzani would entertain the idea of selling this season at any point and said: "No. I don't think there's any appetite to sell.

"The feeling from everybody on the board and the one from the manager was one of unfinished business and I think we all want to achieve this together.

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"So at the moment there is no focus on selling and even the discussions around investment take second place to the day to day running of the business and ensuring that we win football matches.

"Andrea is involved every single day.

"He remains hugely passionate about it and I think the disappointment of last season has made him even more determined and strengthened his resolve to get this club back to where it belongs."