Brutal Leeds United decisions on hold as Andrea Radrizzani wields power to improve 2023/24 Whites chances - YEP 23/5/23

A three per cent chance is still a chance but most would look at Leeds United's predicament and consider it to be all over bar the screaming and shouting.

By Graham Smyth

This is not flagrant negativity or the local media's public vote of no confidence in its team, yet when you're required to have faith not only for one result but two others as well, it speaks volumes about the situation the Whites are in.

There will be no going quietly, of course, for BT Sport have decided that, should it come to that, the relegation will be televised. All that can be asked, really, is that Leeds United at least go out with a bang, if they are to go. The plea to the players can only be to go out on their shields, fighting to the last.

If, and it's the biggest if of all, the events in three fixtures conspire to keep Leeds in the Premier League then we can call them Big Sam and his three percenters. The summer, though still bringing big change, won't be quite as manic.

If not and the Championship beckons, then Sunday will represent Leeds' farewell to the promised land Marcelo Bielsa delivered and an Elland Road goodbye for a good number of players.

It has to be that way because a reset is so badly needed and the argument to keep many of the first team seniors has grown weaker and weaker as this season has progressed. There are players whose value will realise necessary funds to balance the books in the event of relegation. There are players who simply don't have a future at Elland Road because their wages would not make sense in the second tier or because, well, they just don't. And then there are players whose departure would signal to fans, and the Championship, that Leeds are serious about a reset.

Any lingering sentimentality over promotion heroics, work that could be completely undone by Sunday evening, needs to be weighed against the part veterans would actually play next season. If a player has not delivered in goals, consistency, appearances or whatever it is you want from him in his position this season, while getting another year older, how strong is the case to rely on him next season? Quality and experience of escaping the Championship is one thing, an injury record is quite another. It's not a baby and bath water situation but maybe all the names, the big names, the familiar, household names should be in the mix when the departures are being decided.

Victor Orta's departure and the emergency call to Sam Allardyce did not just signal the end of a project, but the beginning of the end for a team. Brutal as it might seem, it need not be such a scary thing, not when you look at just how much Burnley changed in order to bounce straight back at the first attempt.

In the good times there was always a lot of talk about how good the Leeds dressing room was, how strong a culture they had developed. It played a big part in them sticking together through adversity and a pandemic, in the promotion season. It hasn't been such a part of the conversation for a while. You only need to watch the squad arriving at grounds or warming up for games to see that there are groups within the group. Of course they might all be the best of friends during the working week and then simply choose not to interact at all with certain others in the public eye between getting off the coach and back on it at the end of a matchday. Or perhaps the group is already disbanding, before it is formally disbanded. If the magic, unseen glue that once held them is no longer binding together young and old, recent additions and long-serving members, the downsides to wholesale change are difficult to list.

Some continuity would be ideal - it was not a completely new XI that started the season for Burnley and if you can keep someone like Tyler Adams in the second tier then you can build a team around him - but who brings continuity to the squad is a matter for a director of football, or whoever is going to come in to put together a new project.

There lies the rub. Leeds, as we speak, do not yet have that decision maker in place, nor can they appoint one unless both sides of the boardroom come to an agreement on their identity before a takeover is complete. That appointment, which is so key, all seems to hinge on the transition of power between Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers.

When you consider, though, the sorting out and decluttering that needs to take place this summer, that work should really have started yesterday. Time is of the essence if Leeds are to hand a yet-to-be-appointed head coach what needs to be a mostly-formed squad for the start of pre-season. Think of the players coming back from loan and the deals that need to be done to free the club of the previous regime's dead wood. Think of the hard work and creativity it will take to shift some of that. Think of the youngsters who will want guarantees of game time or loan moves. Think of a scenario that sees upward of 10 being sold and maybe just as many recruited.

Parachute payments and Leeds' strong financial footing will help soften the landing should they find themselves hurtling towards the Championship this Sunday, but it is and will be again a terrifyingly competitive and difficult division. Coming straight back up is a must and others are already well on with their preparations.

All of this is why Andrea Radrizzani, when he's not focusing his energy and attention on a deal for Sampdoria, must make side before self his mantra at the club he actually owns. Anything he can do to expedite the process will allow Leeds to move on and start their new life. It has to be goodbye, if indeed he shows up on Sunday, but it can still be more of a conscious uncoupling than an angry pursuit of a taxi. Some screaming and shouting is to be expected, of course, however the sooner Leeds United can take its new form, the better its chances of avoiding the word predicament next season.