It’s an interesting time for Leeds United, their new owners, managerial and backroom staff, players and supporters.
Relegation from the Premier League last season felt like an inevitability from not long after the midway point of the 2022/23 campaign, and old owner, Andrea Radrizzani, did too little, too late to save the club from plummeting into the Championship.
Often in times of adversity, however, you get to see the best of people.
Daniel Farke has certainly started off on the right foot, and his side gave as good as they got in a narrow mid-week pre-season defeat against Man United in Norway.
The German’s task is a relatively simple one in that immediate promotion to the English top-flight is preferred.
Leeds’ new owners have an equally simple brief. Back their manager’s expertise in the transfer market and let him go about his work.
Farke’s stint at Norwich City will have given him the tools to use as and when required once it becomes clearer if the all whites are going to be genuine promotion contenders or not.
Behind the scenes it’s all going on too, after it was revealed by The Independent (subscription required) and other outlets, that one of the stakeholders in the new 49ers Enterprises ownership group was none other than NBA star, Russell Westbrook.
The LA Clippers point guard joins golf’s major winners, Jordan Speith and Justin Thomas in backing the Elland Road outfit.