Leeds: Journalist drops exciting 49ers update - Football Fancast 15/5/23
HENRY JACKSON
The new owners will invest heavily if Leeds avoid
relegation.
Leeds United will be boosted by £100m worth of investment
from 49ers Enterprises should they avoid relegation and complete their takeover
of the club.
What's the ownership situation at Leeds?
The Whites have reached a critical point in their season,
finding themselves sitting in the Premier League relegation zone with just two
matches remaining. Saturday's 2-2 draw at home to Newcastle United has at least
kept them in the fight, although there is no doubt that they are now expected
to go down instead of either Everton or Nottingham Forest, who have both picked
up crucial wins in recent weeks.
Off the pitch, there is also plenty going on at Leeds, with
the 49ers group continually linked with gaining a majority share in the club
and becoming the new owners. It could be an exciting moment in the Whites'
history, certainly in a financial sense, even though relegation to the
Championship would clearly be a big blow.
Still, it does arguably feel like a case of when rather than
if 49ers become the new owners and a positive update has emerged regarding the
situation.
According to The Daily Mail's Ian Ladyman, the 49ers are
planning on redeveloping Elland Road, taking it to a 60,000 capacity, not to
mention moving Leeds away from their current Thorp Arch training facility:
"Leeds are part-owned by an offshoot of the San
Francisco 49ers NFL franchise and a 44 per cent stake is expected to become a
full buy-out this summer if Leeds remain in the Premier League.
"With that would come investment in the squad and an
acceleration of £100million plans to upgrade Elland Road into a 60,000-capacity
stadium and move the club’s training facility from Wetherby into the city.
"It would, in short, be the start of a new future for a
football club that has already seen a 98 per cent take-up on season tickets for
2023-24 with a further 20,000 fans on a waiting list."
This is a hugely encouraging update, although it is clear
that Leeds' potential impending relegation could slow down the process
significantly, should 49ers decide to hold off after a return to the second
tier.
The Whites should try and use this as an extra incentive to
retain their Premier League status, although that is clearly going to be tough,
with maximum points against away to West Ham and at home to Tottenham perhaps
required to keep them in the division.
Transforming Elland Road and moving to a superior training
ground could do so much to make Leeds grow as a brand, and the fact that 49ers
are American means they could become a greater force across the Atlantic, too.