Given Leeds' history, we are reticent to say the madness is now officially over, but it has surely been scaled back.
Madcap owner Massimo Cellino has officially left the club, as Andrea Radrizzani has completed his takeover of the club. Radrizzani acquired a 50% stake in the club back in January, and today he has gone about claiming the remaining half.
Radrizzani told the club's official website:
I am delighted to have the opportunity to become a custodian of this great football club.
The heritage and history of Leeds United attracted me to the club and having spent time at games and at Thorp Arch, I can see that we are ready to move forward to the next level.
This is a long-term commitment, there is a lot of hard work ahead of us and I am aware of my responsibilities as owner of Leeds United.
I can assure all supporters that everyone at this club will be doing all we can to build a successful team at Elland Road.
Cellino, meanwhile, marked his departure with a quote that at least shows some self-awareness about the absurdity which envelops him and all he touches. In a post entitled "A Message From Massimo Cellino", the outgoing owner told fans that "if you can survive working with me, you can survive anything!". Read the statement below:
I have been proud to work at Leeds United, with nice people who have worked at the club with me.
If you can survive working with me, you can survive anything!
I have always taught people to work for the club and not for me and in the end the staff have done so in a beautiful way.
I wish Andrea good luck, I am sure he will continue what I have started and show that people from our country are honest and hard working people.
Owners come and go but Leeds United will be there forever, for the fans - keep Marching on Together.
Goodbye and farewell.
The club performed creditably under Garry Monk last season, with a late collapse in form denying them a place in the play-offs. This was in spite of the chaotic ownership of Cellino, who once urged the dropping of Paddy Kenny as he was born on the 17th of May - Cellino believes number 17 brings bad luck.
Former manager Neil Redfearn opened up on what life was like under Cellino in a wide-ranging interview last November, in which he was equally unflattering toward Kenny:
He drained all the water out of the pool. The pressure of the water had kept the tiles in place and they started buckling. It cost £25k a year to heat and treat and he said ‘we’re not having that.’ He made the cleaners redundant, getting the apprentices to do it. That’s when the bug went round. Spores from the swimming pool area caused a sickness bug. He got rid of security. On a night when we had hundreds of kids in, anyone could walk in. He was getting rid of people on £12k a year and still paying Paddy Kenny, who couldn’t stop a pig in a passage, £20k a week....
...We played Brighton away [when Redfearn became manager]. Cellino was banned and said ‘Andrew Umbers is coming to the game and he’s bringing his wife. His wife has never seen us win. You need to get something lucky. You need to wear something purple - socks or a belt. Or you need to shake Eddie Gray’s hand, he was born on the 17th.’ He sent it me in a text.
Leeds also confirmed today that Garry Monk would remain on as manager for the start of next season.
See Also: Sam Allardyce Tells Crystal Palace He's Quitting The Club
