Outgoing Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has accepted the blame for failing to keep them in the Premier League but insists he is leaving the club in good hands.
Radrizzani’s six-year stint at Leeds saw the club promoted back to the top-flight before being relegated to the Sky Bet Championship at the end of last season.
He has now sold his majority share in the Yorkshire club to 49ers Enterprises, who will be tasked with providing the infrastructure to take Leeds back to the Premier League once again.
“It was a very sweet time in my life but unfortunately it didn’t end in the way I wished,” Radrizzani told Sky Sports News. “But I take with me a lot of nice memories and good friendship… it was a unique experience.
“The criticism over the club’s relegation is justified because I failed, so I’m happy to take this blame.”
Owners of the San Francisco 49ers, 49ers Enterprises already held a 44% stake in Leeds but has now completed a takeover.
Radrizzani believes the new owners are more than capable of delivering another successful stint for the club.
“I want them (supporters) to know that the club is in good hands,” he added. “I’m sure if they don’t bounce back immediately under the 49ers, I’m sure they will come back to the Premier League.”
Radrizzani refused to rule out one day buying another English club as he revealed the errors he feels he made in the timings of sacking former managers Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch.
Marcelo Bielsa was appointed by Radrizzani (left) and took Leeds back to the Premier League (Mike Egerton/PA)“He (Bielsa) actually said, ‘you should change me or you should change all the players because we can’t do better than that unless we make changes’,” Radrizzani continued. “I wasn’t brave enough to make such a decision after finishing ninth in the league.
“Jesse did a great job in that time but over a longer period I was expecting to see the coach come out and to show a similar playing style to Marcelo – personally, I wanted to make a change before the World Cup, then I was persuaded to hold on.
“I think it was a huge mistake as we had the slot of six weeks to make changes. Other teams successfully used this period but we ended up making the change in February, with very few options.”
Leeds would ultimately be relegated after Sam Allardyce replaced Javi Gracia for the final four games.
'Cole needs to be protected' - Maresca explains Palmer's Europa Conference League exclusion
Cole Palmer was left out of Chelsea's Europa Conference League squad because he "needs to be protected", Blues head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed.
The England international was the most notable exclusion from Maresca's 23-man party, with Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia were other players not included.
Palmer, who had more direct goal involvements (33) than any other player in the Premier League last season, has built on that momentum this term.
The 22-year-old became the first player in Premier League history to score four goals before half-time in a single game, with his quadruple during Saturday's 4-2 victory over Brighton.
And Maresca explained the reasoning behind Palmer's absence, ahead of Chelsea's Conference League opener against Gent at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
"We played some games without Cole, but sure and for us, Cole is something extra that you need," he told reporters at his pre-match press conference.
"We also need to think a bit to protect some players. They need that. There is a reason behind it, and I think Cole needs to be protected."
Chelsea will be able to amend their squad when the league phase of the Conference League ends in January, meaning Palmer could be included for the knockout stages, should they make it that far.
The Blues will also face Panathinaikos, Noah, Heidenheim, Astana and Shamrock Rovers during the initial stage of the competition.
'This is the year' for Arsenal, says Saka
Bukayo Saka believes this is Arsenal's year to end Manchester City's reign over the Premier League, ahead of winless Southampton visiting the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Arsenal and City are the only unbeaten teams in the Premier League after six matchdays, with both taking 14 points to trail Liverpool by a single point at the summit.
Mikel Arteta's team secured a thrilling 4-2 win over Leicester City last week before seeing off Paris Saint-Germain by a 2-0 scoreline in the Champions League on Tuesday.
With many tipping Arsenal to again challenge City, particularly after the champions lost midfielder Rodri to a serious knee injury, Saka believes the Gunners have a golden opportunity.
"I don't want to put too much pressure on us but I do think that this is the year," Saka told CBS Sports after the win over PSG.
"I think we've been close the last two years and we're getting closer but this hopefully will be the year."
Speaking to Amazon Prime, the 23-year-old later added: "Previous years, I've come runners-up a lot. It's just that spirit in me that I want to win this season and of course, I believe in myself a lot.
"With those two things, it helps. We believe in ourselves, we believe we're a top team. I did tell the boys we have to make a statement when teams are coming to the Emirates."
Southampton have taken just one point from six league games since winning promotion from the Championship, making this the joint-worst start to any league campaign in their history (also one point in the top flight in 1998-99).
They were beaten 3-1 by south coast rivals Bournemouth last time out on Monday, leading defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis to slam their performance levels.
"I think it's just about taking ownership as players, doing your bit and not going inside yourself, not playing a solo game," he said.
"It's just about sticking together... we cannot be 3-0 down with the quality and characters we've got in that group, we cannot be. That's obviously including myself."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arsenal – Kai Havertz
One player who has particularly enjoyed turning out at the Emirates lately is Havertz, who netted against PSG on Tuesday and has also scored six goals in his last six league games on the ground.
He has netted in four successive home Premier League games, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the last player to score in five straight for the Gunners, in September 2019.
Southampton – Aaron Ramsdale
Former Gunners shot-stopper Ramsdale could become the ninth goalkeeper to face Arsenal in the Premier League after previously representing them in the competition.
Only one of the previous eight, Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez, has previously kept a clean sheet in his first such match, doing so in a 3-0 victory at the Emirates in November 2020.
MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN
Southampton have actually caused Arsenal problems lately, going unbeaten through the teams' last three Premier League meetings (one win, two draws), with both of their matches in 2022-23 finishing level – including a 3-3 draw at the Emirates.
However, Saints have visited Arsenal 24 times in the Premier League without ever tasting victory, drawing eight times and losing 16. That is the most any team has visited another in the competition without winning.
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 28 home league games against Southampton since a 1-0 defeat in November 1987. Only against Fulham (a current run of 31) have they had a longer unbeaten home run in their league history.
Across 2024-25 and their relegation season in 2022-23, Southampton are now winless in 19 Premier League matches, drawing five and losing 14. Only once in their top-flight history have they endured a longer such run, going 20 games without a victory between August and December 1969.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last 40 Premier League home games against promoted clubs, winning 35 and drawing five. Only Chelsea (43 between 2001 and 2015) and City (41 between 2007 and 2020) have had longer such runs in the competition's history.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Arsenal – 78.5%
Southampton – 8.7%
Draw – 12.8%
Guardiola has to 'take care' of Man City superstar Haaland
Pep Guardiola took off Erling Haaland against Slovan Bratislava to "take care" of Manchester City's superstar striker.
Haaland scored in the 58th minute to make it 3-0 to City in Slovakia on Tuesday.
He was taken off two minutes later, to be replaced by James McAtee, who went on to score his first City goal and round off a 4-0 Champions League rout.
With focus now switching back to the Premier League, and Saturday's clash with Fulham, Guardiola explained the substitution was made to protect the striker, who has already netted 10 goals in England's top flight this season.
Asked if Haaland had been frustrated to be taken off, Guardiola told City's media channels: "Erling is never disappointed with his manager.
"As a manager I am more secure and more happy when Erling is on the pitch.
"I will keep him on the pitch all the time but at 0-3 the game was almost over and with this amount of games we have to take care of him.
"He had a big knock in the last game against Newcastle [United] so that's why, after the fantastic goal with the pass from Rico [Lewis], it was better [to take him off]."
There was a moment of drama during Fulham's 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest last week, after Raul Jimenez took a penalty off the club's designated taker Andreas Pereira.
Jimenez went on to score the penalty, but Marco Silva was not happy.
He said: "It's clearly the fault of Raul. It is not going to happen again.
"Has Raul apologised? Yes. He had to because he knows the rules and how important discipline is in our squad."
City are unbeaten in their last 29 Premier League games (W23 D6), and if they avoid defeat in this match it will equal their longest run without defeat in their league history (30 games between April 2017 and January 2018).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Manchester City - Erling Haaland
Haaland has scored 60 goals in just 52 games in all competitions at the Etihad Stadium for Man City. He is already the fourth-highest goalscorer at the ground since it opened in 2003.
Fulham - Andreas Pereira
Only Everton's Dwight McNeil (21) has created more chances than Pereira in the Premier League this season (20).
Five of these chances have been for Rodrigo Muniz, who has had more shots on target without scoring so far than any other player in the Premier League this term (five).
MATCH PREDICTION: MAN CITY WIN
City have drawn their last two Premier League games despite opening the scoring in both (2-2 v Arsenal, 1-1 v Newcastle). The last time they failed to win three consecutive league games despite scoring first in each was in December/January in 2003-04 (D2 L1).
Since losing their opening Premier League game of the season 1-0 at Manchester United, Fulham are now unbeaten in their last five (W3 D2). They last had a longer run without defeat in the competition between August and October 2010 (seven).
Three of Fulham’s four Premier League wins against City have come at the Etihad Stadium (2006, 2008 and 2009). However, they are winless in their last 18 against them in the league (D3 L15), losing each of the last 13 in a row.
City have won each of their last 16 meetings with Fulham in all competitions, the longest winning run one English league side has had against another in history.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Man City - 72.6%
Fulham - 11.5%
Draw - 15.9%
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