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Leeds to step up move for HealyRichard Sutcliffe
THE PAST two-and-a-half years have seen Leeds United undergo so much chopping and changing at the top that fans have been left wondering if Elland Road's main gates had been replaced by a revolving door.
During that time, Leeds have had five managers, five chairmen and so many prospective owners that it has been difficult for the club's long-suffering fans to keep pace.
United have also slipped from missing qualification for the Champions League by a point in the 2001-02 season to today being in the bottom half of the newly-named Coca-Cola Championship.
Everyone from Colonel Gaddafi's son to a lifelong Arab fan professed their interest in taking over a club whose finances spiralled so far out of control that they owed more than £100m as recently as March. But nothing came of the talks.
However, today's revelation that a British-American consortium led by Sebastien Sainsbury is set to take over at Elland Road looks like bringing to an end the most uncertain period in the club's history.
The move comes exactly a year to the day that Leeds announced a record pre-tax loss of £49.5m, taking their debts to £78m.
Sainsbury has linked up with Nova Financial Partners president Michael Lucas and executive Burl Sheppard to negotiate a £25m deal for United and the prospective new owners have big plans for the future.
Elland Road, whose value has risen considerably in the two weeks since Stanley Leisure paid £5m to build a proposed casino on land behind the Kop, will not now be sold and plans are afoot to buy back United's Thorp Arch training ground.
Supporters will be heartened by the news, but their most pressing concern is how it will effect what happens out on the pitch.
Manager Kevin Blackwell has worked wonders to put together a squad capable of competing in the Championship this season. The player exodus of last summer left him with just Gary Kelly and Michael Duberry of his established players available with both Eirik Bakke and Seth Johnson long-term injury absentees.
The rest of his squad was made up of promising youngsters and the phrase 'doing a Sheffield Wednesday' was increasingly being whispered around Leeds, with many forecasting United would soon follow their Yorkshire rivals into the third tier of English football.
Blackwell has banished that talk by making his side hard to beat, but if United are to progress the squad badly needs some creative influence and, above all else, a goalscorer. The prospective new owners have pledged that money will be available and Blackwell knows what he wants.
David Healy remains at the top of his shopping list, but a bid of £300,000 that could double depending on appearances and goals was last week rejected by Preston. The player's contract runs out next summer when he will be available for free and Blackwell has intimated his willingness to wait. But with cash suddenly at his disposal Preston's hand could be forced.
Blackwell has also been keeping tabs on a number of other targets so expect the Leeds manager to switch his attention should the Lancashire club remain unwilling to budge.
It should be noted that although United's strikers have managed just three goals between them all season, something they cannot be accused of is missing a host of chances.
This has been down to Leeds's midfield lacking a creative edge, particularly since Jermaine Wright was sidelined with injury. That has left the midfield in recent weeks consisting of two converted full-backs (Frazer Richardson and Danny Pugh) out wide, a central defender (Simon Walton) and a holding midfield player (Sean Gregan).
Blackwell spoke to Alan Pardew about bringing Don Hutchison in on loan last week, but the West Ham manager was unwilling to let the Scottish international leave before last night's Carling Cup tie at Chelsea.
That could now change and it could be a considerably altered team that Blackwell puts out in the coming weeks.
Leeds to step up move for HealyRichard Sutcliffe
THE PAST two-and-a-half years have seen Leeds United undergo so much chopping and changing at the top that fans have been left wondering if Elland Road's main gates had been replaced by a revolving door.
During that time, Leeds have had five managers, five chairmen and so many prospective owners that it has been difficult for the club's long-suffering fans to keep pace.
United have also slipped from missing qualification for the Champions League by a point in the 2001-02 season to today being in the bottom half of the newly-named Coca-Cola Championship.
Everyone from Colonel Gaddafi's son to a lifelong Arab fan professed their interest in taking over a club whose finances spiralled so far out of control that they owed more than £100m as recently as March. But nothing came of the talks.
However, today's revelation that a British-American consortium led by Sebastien Sainsbury is set to take over at Elland Road looks like bringing to an end the most uncertain period in the club's history.
The move comes exactly a year to the day that Leeds announced a record pre-tax loss of £49.5m, taking their debts to £78m.
Sainsbury has linked up with Nova Financial Partners president Michael Lucas and executive Burl Sheppard to negotiate a £25m deal for United and the prospective new owners have big plans for the future.
Elland Road, whose value has risen considerably in the two weeks since Stanley Leisure paid £5m to build a proposed casino on land behind the Kop, will not now be sold and plans are afoot to buy back United's Thorp Arch training ground.
Supporters will be heartened by the news, but their most pressing concern is how it will effect what happens out on the pitch.
Manager Kevin Blackwell has worked wonders to put together a squad capable of competing in the Championship this season. The player exodus of last summer left him with just Gary Kelly and Michael Duberry of his established players available with both Eirik Bakke and Seth Johnson long-term injury absentees.
The rest of his squad was made up of promising youngsters and the phrase 'doing a Sheffield Wednesday' was increasingly being whispered around Leeds, with many forecasting United would soon follow their Yorkshire rivals into the third tier of English football.
Blackwell has banished that talk by making his side hard to beat, but if United are to progress the squad badly needs some creative influence and, above all else, a goalscorer. The prospective new owners have pledged that money will be available and Blackwell knows what he wants.
David Healy remains at the top of his shopping list, but a bid of £300,000 that could double depending on appearances and goals was last week rejected by Preston. The player's contract runs out next summer when he will be available for free and Blackwell has intimated his willingness to wait. But with cash suddenly at his disposal Preston's hand could be forced.
Blackwell has also been keeping tabs on a number of other targets so expect the Leeds manager to switch his attention should the Lancashire club remain unwilling to budge.
It should be noted that although United's strikers have managed just three goals between them all season, something they cannot be accused of is missing a host of chances.
This has been down to Leeds's midfield lacking a creative edge, particularly since Jermaine Wright was sidelined with injury. That has left the midfield in recent weeks consisting of two converted full-backs (Frazer Richardson and Danny Pugh) out wide, a central defender (Simon Walton) and a holding midfield player (Sean Gregan).
Blackwell spoke to Alan Pardew about bringing Don Hutchison in on loan last week, but the West Ham manager was unwilling to let the Scottish international leave before last night's Carling Cup tie at Chelsea.
That could now change and it could be a considerably altered team that Blackwell puts out in the coming weeks.
