‘They want us to be’: Angus Kinnear shares what the 49ers’ long-term vision for Leeds is

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Speaking on The Square Ball Podcast, Angus Kinnear has outlined what the San Francisco 49ers want Leeds United to be a top-half Premier League club who challenge for silverware and play in Europe.

Once upon a time Leeds were in that exact situation, reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League and regularly finishing in the top six, but those days seem a long way away now.

However, it seems as though the stakeholders at Elland Road have a bigger vision for the Whites in the future.

“The vision is not to be 14^th four years in a row, and if we are 14^th four years in a row, you know, one of the good things about the club is that we need to be unsatisfied with where we are, you know I don’t want the club to be satisfied with finishing mid-table,” Kinnear said.

“I want the club to be realistic about where we sort of are in the evolution, but there will be a point where if we’re not achieving and we’re not kicking on its right to get that feedback.

“I don’t want Leeds to be a lower Premier League club, and neither does Andrea, and neither do the 49ers, you know, they want us to be a top half club which wins trophies and play in Europe.

“We’ve never hidden away from that, but that ambition seemed miles away when we were mid-table in the Championship, but when you see the size and scale of the club and envisage a larger stadium of 55,000 people in a one-club city, there’s no reason why that should be the extent of our ambitions.”

This is incredibly exciting for Leeds fans to hear, and even more so when you consider that the 49ers are reportedly set to increase their stake in the club.

Indeed, the San Francisco-based group are keen to purchase an extra 15 per cent stake in Leeds from Andrea Radrizzani, and if that happens, the club may accelerate their growth, as the 49ers have a vast array of wealth behind them.

Radrizzani has previously said that he’s targeting a place in Europe in three to five years, and it seems as though the 49ers have the same view.

Leeds are certainly a big enough club to re-establish themselves in the Premier League, and this level of ambition is certainly achievable if the people behind the scenes continue getting things right.