What has been said by Andrea Radrizzani and Paraag Marathe following the San Francisco 49ers increased investment in Leeds United

Leeds United majority owner Andrea Radrizzani has sold a further stake in the Elland Road club to NFL giants San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers initially invested in the Whites in the summer of 2018 and have now increased their shareholding to 37 per cent for a reported £50m following the club's promotion to the Premier League last summer.

The new investment will also see Paraag Marathe, 49ers Enterprises president and current Leeds board member, become the vice chairman of Leeds United.

Here's what has been said by both parties on the deal and in recent months...

Andrea Radrizzani on the 49ers increased stake... (January, 2021)

“We are delighted to welcome further investment into our club from 49ers Enterprises and I am confident that this latest partnership will help Leeds United continue to grow and develop into the team our supporters deserve.

“I have always been open to bringing partners on this journey with me, as long as these actions can benefit the long-term strategy of the club. Paraag and the team at 49ers Enterprises are uniquely positioned to collaborate with myself, Angus Kinnear, Victor Orta and our management team to help us achieve our goals.”

Andrea Radrizzani on the future for Leeds United... (January, 2021)

“Now that we have achieved promotion and made a positive start to the new campaign, there is no better time to be looking ahead to the future, as we aim to take this football club to the next level, initially by becoming an established Premier League side before chasing our dreams of taking Leeds United back into Europe.

“We must also be focused on reaching our potential commercially and developing Elland Road and our training facilities.”

Paraag Marathe on increasing the 49ers investment stake... (January, 2021)

“Our 49ers Enterprises team has always shared Andrea’s vision for constructing a powerful and winning club in the most competitive football league in the world, and the experience of the last three seasons has been more exhilarating than we could have ever imagined.

“The hard work and bold leadership demonstrated by Andrea and his talented team has restored Leeds United’s rightful place in the Premier League and we look forward to playing an even bigger role in supporting their efforts to climb the table this year and into the future.”

Paraag Marathe on why now is the time for the 49ers to invest more in Leeds United... (January, 2021)

“We are increasing our investment in Leeds United now to support and augment the organisational infrastructure needed to remain competitive in the Premier League.

“We are committed to doing all we can to help the club compete for championships against the best football clubs in the world while providing an elevated supporter experience at Elland Road.”

Andrea Radrizzani on potential multi-club ownership model (November, 2020)

"I do believe that a consolidated group in football, with multiple club ownership, can be a benefit in terms of synergies and creating value in the development of the players and, in some cases, also on the commercial side.

“It’s something that I’m studying and exploring. I’m already in touch with some potential target clubs to acquire. I haven’t made any decisions yet.

“I’m still in an evaluation phase and I think that the model I have in mind is definitely different to what I see at the moment. It would be more focused on two or three countries in Europe where we can have close integration on the football side.

“The City [Football Group] and Red Bull models are very different; they have clubs in different continents. I don’t think that’s what I want to do.

“I want to do something much more integrated on the football side so there’s no big gap between the level of football quality between these clubs.”

Paraag Marathe on investing in Leeds... (July, 2018)

"The truth is that we could because of our brand, which is one of the most powerful in the world, we could have worked with a lot of club's and I'm not trying to toot our own horn, I just mean with our investment and our assistance, we could have worked with a lot of people but we wanted to find the right people where we felt like we could make a difference.

"There's no promises and no guarantees but we feel like this is as good an opportunity as anywhere else."

Paraag Marathe on Andrea Radrizzani... (July, 2018)

"His passion is infectious.

"There was a business connection there before I even knew he was involved at Leeds. There's something about him, he's sort of got that and this, he has that will and maniacal drive and it's people like that who you want to follow.