What Massimo Cellino claims Andrea Radrizzani texted him after completing full Leeds United takeover in 2017 — Leeds United News 2/12/23

Danny Bloomer

Massimo Cellino has claimed Andrea Radrizzani told him he made a ‘big mistake’ when he completed his full takeover of Leeds United.

Radrizzani secured a full buyout of the Whites in the summer of 2017 having initially purchased 50% of Cellino’s stake in the club.

The 2016/17 season was Leeds’ best under the ownership of Cellino but a late collapse saw them miss out on the play-offs, prompting Radrizzani to want to buy the remaining 50%.

But in an interview with the Daily Mail, Cellino has suggested that Radrizzani realised after just two months that he made a mistake buying Leeds, labelling himself as a ‘fool’.

Cellino has also previously claimed in the past that Radrizzani still owes him money as a result of the sale of Leeds, which would indicate their relationship became strained, pretty quickly.

Who knows what to believe with Cellino

Cellino claims that he wanted to continue as joint owners until Radrizzani made it clear he wanted a full purchase, something which he seemingly regretted at the time.

“I thought it was in his interest to carry on together. But he wanted to buy all the club. He did it and then after two months he sent me a message saying, ‘I made a big mistake, I have been such a fool’.

“You know, when someone is short, they like to show they are stronger. They like to win all the time. Sometimes you have to draw. You have to accept that someone is better than you and try to get along.”

It is impossible to know what to believe with Cellino as he is one of the craziest owners Leeds have had, with his message to supporters in the same interview also taking fans by surprise.

As recently as last month, Sam Byram responded to comments made by Cellino about his exit from Leeds back in 2016 to clarify that he was offered a new deal before leaving, on much worse terms.

Radrizzani did a decent job in his first few seasons as Leeds owner which makes this claim from Cellino hard to believe, but having said that, it was his first time in charge of a club, and maybe it did take him by surprise.