Leeds United have gone from strength to strength since Andrea Radrizzani bought the club, but perhaps the best indicator of their progression will be at this summer’s European Championships.
Indeed, for the best part of the last two decades, Leeds’ players have seen the summer as a chance to relax and recover, but it’s a different story this time around as a number of the Whites’ star men head to the Euros.
Kalvin Phillips, Ezgjan Alioski, Liam Cooper, Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, Tyler Roberts and Mateusz Klich are all heading to the tournament, and that shows just how far United have come under Andrea Radrizzani.
Radrizzani bought into Leeds back in January 2017, just after the end of the last European Championships, and at that tournament, the Yorkshire club only had one representative in the shape of Stuart Dallas, who turned out for Northern Ireland.
Now, Leeds are heading into the Euros with seven of their first-team players turning out for their countries as well, and it’s not even as if they’re playing for minnows either.
Indeed, the United stars will likely be key players for the likes of England, Germany and Spain, and there’s every chance that one of those countries will go on to win this tournament.
Compare this to where Leeds were back in 2016. At the last Euros the Whites had just one player at the tournament, and even then, he represented rank outsiders in the shape of Northern Ireland. The difference between then and now is simply staggering.
Leeds have gone from having fewer representatives on the international stage than a team such as MK Dons, who had two players at Euro 2016, to having more players at the tournament than Arsenal, who only have three players heading to this year’s edition of the tournament.
Why has this happened? Well, Leeds have progressed massively under the ownership of Radrizzani. Victor Orta has bought well, signing the likes of Koch and Llorente, while the existing cohort have massively improved under the tutelage of Marcelo Bielsa, leading to the likes of Phillips and Klich playing on the biggest of stages.
United having so many representatives at this summer’s tournament just shows how far they have come in recent years.
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