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Radrizzani 'confident' Bielsa will manage Leeds in Premier League

Leeds United chairman and majority shareholder Andrea Radrizzani is confident that Marcelo Biels...



Radrizzani 'confident' Bielsa...
Soccer

Radrizzani 'confident' Bielsa will manage Leeds in Premier League

Leeds United chairman and majority shareholder Andrea Radrizzani is confident that Marcelo Bielsa will manage the club in the Premier League.

The 64-year-old has guided the Yorkshire club back to the English top-flight for the first time in sixteen years in just his second season in charge but he has left managerial posts in the past in strange circumstances.

His departure from Serie A club Lazio happened two days after he was appointed following a dispute over transfers while he also left French clubs Marseille and Lille in bizarre circumstances.

"Sometimes he can be an unpredictable man but I am confident that he will be with us next season," said Radrizzani. "We will sit down together this week, maybe in the next couple of days."

Bielsa agreed to a 12-month extension last summer after a list of demands were met with regard to the playing squad and the club's training ground at Thorp Arch.

If the Argentine wants to invest in players to help the club maintain their Premier League status, Radrizzani looks ready to back him.

"Yes, definitely," Radrizzani replied when asked if there will be further investment but the Italian businessman suggested that they may need a cash injection from elsewhere.

"Obviously we are happy. We have enjoyed the fantastic success that we have achieved but we have done it in a year when the impact of Covid-19 has also hit the club financially, so we will need additional investment to be competitive and to continue our project and to maintain our position in the Premier League so we will need to add on."

Radrizzani also stated his own intention to remain at the club after achieving promotion.

"I would love to stay another ten years or more, maybe twenty! I am still young so I don't have any rush, I am enjoying it."

There 46-year-old revealed that there will be no money spent on increasing the capacity of Leeds' home ground just yet.

The current capacity at Elland Road is just under 38,000 but Radrizzani would like the club to establish itself in the Premier League for a few seasons before that can be increased.

"I think we need to confirm [the club] in the Premier League as a priority for two or three years before we can look at an expansion plan in terms of capacity.

"But for sure we will continue to improve the facilities that we already started three years ago.

"We have already renovated many parts of the stadium and also Thorp Arch is all completely new."

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Andrea Radrizzani Leeds Leeds United Marcelo Bielsa Premier League