With news that Massimo Cellino has had his ban from the Football League extended until the end of the season, Leeds United can start to look forward to a life after their disruptive owner.
Cellino stepped away from the Championship side in order to clear his name and in February it was announced he would not be returning to the club – although this seems to be unconfirmed with different reports saying different things.
Leeds have already started to try and turn their season around after what has been a dire season for all involved in the club and have won their last two games in the Championship.
The club has been constantly in the news because of their controversial owner, Massimo Cellino. He purchased a 75% stake in the club through his company Eleonora Sport in April 2014 after his takeover was initially declined by the Football League.
In December he was disqualified from owning the club after the League obtained documents from an Italian court, which found him guilty of tax evasion. At first it was thought that he would return after his ban had finished but he decided to sell his personal stake in the Yorkshire club.
Despite what has been said about him, the former President has gone about things well in order to make sure that Leeds United don’t get caught up in any sanctions – the least everybody associated with the club deserves after what can only be described as the year from hell.
In Cellino’s absence, the club is being run by the chairman Andrew Umbers and chief operating officer Matt Child and Umbers is enjoying his new role making statements, talking to the press and hosting guests.
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While it might be the (possible) end of one Cellino, the club and it’s fans still have his two sons left to participate in the decisions of the club. Edoardo and Ercole Cellino remain on the club’s board and the identity of the buyer of Massimo’s stake is not yet known. So, will these two be able to bring in their father’s ideas like Cellino had said he wanted?
Hopefully, with the man at the top gone, who many fans despised, surely things can only get better for the side?
The problem is, it is still unclear whether Leeds are over the top of the mountain they’ve had to climb. There is still a lot of uncertainty around the club, transfers and the head coach, Neil Redfearn.
Umbers has not kept his opinions to himself and there has been confusion issues, particularly when it comes to emergency loan signings.
Redfearn has always been clear that his squad, whilst it is still improving, is unbalanced, and I am sure fans who watch their club on a regular basis agree with that statement.
Both the players and the manager are uncertain of their futures at the club – it has been announced that all contractual issues will be decided in the summer, which is risky when many of the players have attracted other teams around them in the league.
Despite Umbers’ best intentions, no major decisions will be made until the summer when Cellino may or may not return.
The club is one of the most well known in the country and, with all these issues off the pitch still to clear up, let’s hope we won’t see them slip like they did in the 2000s.
Somehow you just can’t quite believe this is the last chapter in the Leeds United and Massimo Cellino book.
We will just have to wait and see.
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