Simon Jordan says relegation could actually benefit Leeds United by ‘focusing some minds’ at boardroom level.
Jordan was writing in his latest Daily Mail column, where he claimed there have been too many people trying to make the big decisions at Elland Road and going down may reenable them to start pulling in the right direction.
Leeds are currently owned by both Andrea Radrizzani and San Francisco 49ers Enterprises, with the former possessing a majority 56% stake, and the latter having the remaining 44%.
After buying an initial 15% stake in the Whites, 49ers have purchased more and more over the years, which is set to lead to a full takeover this summer.
But with both consortiums owning a fairly high percentage of the club, there have undoubtedly been some conflict of interest in key decisions at times this season.
Jordan says relegation could help Leeds
A deal has already been agreed for 49ers to takeover in full this summer if Leeds secure survival, but with the club on the brink of relegation, talks over a fresh agreement – which could see Radrizzani lose £150 million – are well underway.
This is positive news for the Whites as it shows the 49ers have full commitment in taking the club forward, even if it means they drop down a division this season.
While relegation is not necessarily needed to conduct a huge rebuild, Jordan believes it could help ‘focus some minds’ after how poorly the last couple of seasons have been messed up.
He said: “It’s a different situation now compared to their last Premier League relegation and, while there is never a good time to go down, it might actually focus some minds at Elland Road.
“Relegation will lead to some much-needed clearer thinking at the top between Radrizzani and the San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise who plan to launch a full takeover. There have been too many cooks, with none of them making a particularly good recipe.
“Leeds have been a rudderless ship, with everyone seemingly pulling in different directions and distracted by different agendas. Maybe going down will clear up this mess because what has been going on is as clear as mud. So while this is nothing like the s*** storm Leeds faced back in 2004, they have turned themselves into a self-inflicted disaster zone.”
Given how long Leeds spent trying to return to the Premier League it is difficult to agree with this.
That said, without doubt they find themselves in a much better position to bounce back, and the Championship appears to be getting weaker and weaker.
A proper summer of everyone pulling in the right direction should lead to a good chance of promotion, but equally there is no reason why it couldn’t also be done in the top-flight.