Two moves don’t look smart, Radrizzani must negotiate tougher at Leeds this summer

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Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has had a mixed first season at the club.

Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has had a testing first season at the club since completing his full takeover last summer.

The Italian has had to deal with manager Garry Monk walking out, and his decision to replace him with Thomas Christiansen did not work out either.

Radrizzani admits he wanted to fire Christiansen sooner [via Yorkshire Evening Post] and held back, and this is an example of where he has been a bit too nice, to his own cost.

More light was shed on the summer departures of Chris Wood and Robert Green yesterday during a club hosted Q&A, where Radrizzani may regret not being tougher in the summer.

Leeds agreed to sell Wood to Burnley but the Clarets are paying the fee in instalments over three years, Leeds Live report.

The Whites have already spent this year’s instalment but look set to fall short of the play-offs as it stands.

Had they received the full £15 million, it could have made the difference this season.

If Burnley were desperate to sign the striker, Radrizzani should have been more forceful and said, ‘give us the full £15 million or no deal.’

Radrizzani was also a tad ‘too nice’ regarding Robert Green.

Leeds let Green go in the summer as they could not offer him guaranteed first team football, and that has been a big error with replacement Felix Wiedwald struggling.

The Whites should have considered that Wiedwald was an unknown quantity in his first season in England and arrived with a reputation in Germany for making mistakes.

It would have been prudent to keep Green around but Leeds ceded to Green’s wishes and allowed him to leave despite him being under contract.

Radrizzani should have been tougher and made him wait out until January at least before taking a decision.

A play-off spot is not yet impossible for Leeds but it will be difficult.

If the club are to be better off next season regardless of which division they are in, Radrizzani may need to drop the Mr Nice Guy persona and become a tougher negotiator.