Genoa – Alessandro Barnaba in France, Andrea Radrizzani in England. The Roman financier and the Milanese entrepreneur, in pole position for take over Sampdoria, are already present in football. Barnaba with his partners at Merlyn Advisors Ltd has been the owner of Lille since 18 December 2020. «One of the things that had led us to take an interest in Lille – he said in the past – was that if from a financial point of view the work of the previous season was been disastrous, from a sporting point of view Campos had put together a team with all the trimmings».
Again Barnabas had taken a club in economic crisis. The president of Lille, Gerard Lopez, was unable to repay the outstanding debt of over 100 million with Jp Morgan and Elliott. “So – Barnaba explained – we were the ones who took over the club and restructured the debt with Elliott himself and Jp Morgan”. In Ligue 1, however, Lille flew: first after 15 rounds. Primacy held until the end also with Merlyn management, with the title won surprisingly in front of PSG. Barnaba’s winning move was not to sell anyone in January 2021, aiming for the revenues of qualifying in Europe. «The approach was not casual – he said at the end of the season – We are convinced that pure player trading, constantly looking for capital gains, leads nowhere in the long run. Our goal is to create shareholder value and therefore increase the value of the company».
Led by Galtier, Lille had bet on mix between the old men Fonte and Ylmaz and the talents Maignan, Botman, Sanches. But the sales to cover the coffers then arrived in the summer of 2021: 76.85 million from sales (starting from Soumaré, Maignan, Ikoné) and 25.60 invested in incoming (transfermarkt data). In 2021/22, as reigning champion, with Gourvennec for Galtier (who had chosen Nice) Lille finished 10th, won the French Super Cup, exited in the second round of the Champions League. New change of coach in 2022, with the advent of the former Roma, Fonseca. And also in the current season, the use of player trading has been important: 101.5 million obtained from sales and 26 spent. Two days from the end, Lille are 5th, close to returning to Europe and with a new star, for whom an auction is looming: David, Canadian striker born in 2000, 22 goals in Ligue 1, third among the scorers.
Andrea Radrizzani enters the Leeds in January 2017, for 6 months at 50% with Cellino, then as owner at 100% through his Aser Ventures. Investment of about 70 million, with the need to modernize a glorious company but out of the Premier League since 2004, to continue the recovery started by the Sardinian entrepreneur. After the 7th place in 2017, the first year alone is disappointing: 13th despite the 28.43 million invested in reinforcements (17.50 those collected). The turning point comes in the summer of 2018, Radrizzani goes to Buenos Aires and convinces Bielsa: “Ten hours locked in a room talking, he already knew everything about us, he captured me”. The entrepreneur is betting strongly on the coach (3 million euros salary for him and the staff) who, however, is asking for heavy investments in the structures rather than in the players. Between 2018 and 2020, Leeds spent just over 11.5 million euros on the market and earned 37: Bielsa came close to promotion in 2019, hit it in 2020, with 1st place.
The first year in Premier with El Loco it’s surprising: 9th place. But this time, thanks also to the large revenues from the English league, starting with TV rights, the investment on the market is substantial: 127.80 million. Zero revenue from sales, as in 2021/22 when 60 million are spent on the market. Something breaks though, Radrizzani exonerates Bielsa (“scelta painful”) after 27 days, calls Marsch and saves himself on the last day. In the current season, the millions for purchases have risen to 145.5 but 114.5 have come from transfers. Among the new entries the former Juve McKennie and the blue Gnonto.
One weekend to go need the miracle-encore. Allardyce, 4th manager of the season, will have to beat Tottenham, hope that Leicester doesn’t win and that Everton doesn’t succeed either. Indeed, in the event of a draw for the Toffees, he will have to beat Spurs with a three-goal margin to prevail on goal difference. The relegation, it is said, would affect the possible transfer of the majority stake in Leeds to the minority shareholder, the group that owns the San Francisco 49ers (150 million pounds, instead of 420). “I appreciate the work of De Laurentiis – Radrizzani recently declared – the key to modern football is to work on ideas, in the Premier League we throw away too much money”.
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