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Leeds United’s partnership with 49ers Enterprises has just been massively boosted with the announcement that the NFL giants have upped their initial ~10% stake in the club. The exact cash injection is as yet unknown, but is thought to stand at around £50 million.
Papers were submitted to the American exchange authorities in December, with imminent clearance awaiting as they have made it clear in recent months that they intend to get even more involved with The Whites following promotion to The Premier League.
Not only does this see Leeds United receive a huge new injection of funds, but also puts in place a new Vice Chairman of the club. Paraag Marathe is the 49ers Enterprises President and has been the link between The 49ers and the Leeds United board since their initial investment in 2018.
49ers Enterprises increases Leeds United ownership stake to 37% after latest investment
— Leeds United (@LUFC) January 25, 2021
“Our 49ers Enterprises team has always shared Andrea’s vision for constructing a powerful and winning club in the most competitive football league in the world, and the experience of the last three seasons has been more exhilarating than we could have ever imagined,” said Marathe.
“The hard work and bold leadership demonstrated by Andrea and his talented team has restored Leeds United’s rightful place in the Premier League and we look forward to playing an even bigger role in supporting their efforts to climb the table this year and into the future.”
“We are increasing our investment in Leeds United now to support and augment the organizational infrastructure needed to remain competitive in the Premier League,” added Marathe.
“We are committed to doing all we can to help the club compete for championships against the best football clubs in the world while providing an elevated supporter experience at Elland Road.”
Travel complications meant deal took longer than expected to sort out. San Francisco 49ers go from 15 percent owners of Leeds to 37 percent. May mean more investment in squad, but plan is to further integrate 49ers operations into Leeds
— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) January 25, 2021
Leeds owner, Andrea Radrizzani has this to say:
“We are delighted to welcome further investment into our club from 49ers Enterprises and I am confident that this latest partnership will help Leeds United continue to grow and develop into the team our supporters deserve,”
“I have always been open to bringing partners on this journey with me, as long as these actions can benefit the long-term strategy of the club. Paraag and the team at 49ers Enterprises are uniquely positioned to collaborate with myself, Angus Kinnear, Victor Orta and our management team to help us achieve our goals.”
The San Francisco 49ers have more than doubled their stake in Leeds to 37 per cent. Club want to use the extra resources to qualify for Europe, redevelop Elland Road and build a new training ground. #lufc
— David Anderson (@MirrorAnderson) January 25, 2021
“Now that we have achieved promotion and made a positive start to the new campaign, there is no better time to be looking ahead to the future, as we aim to take this football club to the next level, initially by becoming an established Premier League side before chasing our dreams of taking Leeds United back into Europe,”
“We must also be focused on reaching our potential commercially and developing Elland Road and our training facilities.”
This is of course huge for Leeds United as a football club who are looking to cement themselves into The Premier League before challenging for Europe in the coming years. But we must keep our focus on the next game, there’s still a lot of work to be done.