Bielsa, badge gate and promotion - Kinnear's Leeds legacy

BBC News

07-03-2025

Everton have announced that Leeds United chief executive Angus Kinnear is to join the Premier League club in the summer.Kinnear will have spent eight years at Elland Road by the time he moves, along with Everton, into the new stadium at Bramley Moore.BBC Radio Leeds Adam Pope reflects on the legacy Kinnear leaves and what qualities will have attracted him to Everton.
How much of a surprise is the news and why is Kinnear in demand?
I understand Everton's owners Friedkin Group have been speaking to Angus since December so he was on their shortlist as they completed their takeover. I also hear that Newcastle United may have expressed an interest in bringing Kinnear to St James' Park.Firstly, Kinnear is a very experienced operator at a very high level in English football. Prior to Leeds he was commercial director at Arsenal, where he led their move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium. He then became managing director at West Ham, re-opening the Olympic Stadium as their new home in 2016. He's also served as a director of Commonwealth Games England and chairman of British Weightlifting.
What are his strengths?
He was very keen to work with the council and build relationships and I particularly remember him and councillor James Lewis being very excited when the stadium was bought by then chairman Andrea Radrizzani from the previous owner, believed to be Manchester businessman Jacob Adler. It was bought back for around £20m, but it was in private hands again, namely Radrizzani's company Greenfield Investment Pte Ltd. The terms were far more benign but by the time Radrizzani was almost gone, he was prepared to offer Elland Road as security in a deal to buy Sampdoria.Which brings me on to one of the talents that Kinnear has - handling maverick owners.I'll never forget the night of the gala dinner to celebrate the club's centenary in 2019 when Radrizzani had been keen to ensure that his name and company, Eleven Sports, were front and centre on the proceedings. By this time the 49ers Enterprises were invested in the club and so Kinnear had to navigate a conciliatory path between the two parties which became increasingly fractious.Another trait of Angus is that he is financially astute and, despite admitting the club has sailed close to the wind on occasion, they have not encountered any issues regarding Profitability and Sustainability Rules.My initial impression was that he was very keen to maintain a relationship with the local media and was a big supporter of local radio. Initially he would speak regularly to us but that diminished over the years. He appears to have been willing to engage with supporters. The Trust and Supporters' Advisory Board have had close contact. It's fair to say he was more eager and open in the early years but probably no surprise that, as he's become more embattled, he's been less conspicuous. But if mistakes were made then he seems willing to have worked through them.
What were the contentious moments of his tenure?
Remember badge gate in January 2018? Radrizzani, set on a new club crest after six months of research, went into producing it having allegedly consulted 10,000 fans. It depicted the 'Leeds Salute' but was described as "awful", "horrendous" and "shocking" by fans on social media. To his credit, Angus was booked in to come on Radio Leeds that night prior to the crest being revealed and he still came in and faced the music having had to tell his boss the badge was an awful idea!He also had to contend with Radrizzani announcing the club would play two matches in Myanmar at the end of that 2017-18 season in a tour sponsored by a bank with close links to the regime accused of ethnic cleansing and human rights abuses against its Muslim Rohingya minority.Kinnear defended the decision and said the squad were "very excited for the chance to represent the club in Asia".After the tour, Radrizzani's company announced Eleven Sports had signed a nine-year global rights deal with the Myanmar National League.
What are the positives he leaves behind?
They were the most contentious issues but on the upside he was very involved in bringing Marcelo Bielsa to Leeds United.I remember calling him and he was unable to say where he was as he was on his way out to meet the Argentine in South America.I think a lot of credit went to sporting director Victor Orta, who suggested it, but Kinnear must take some of it too for helping the deal through and granting Bielsa's requests to enhance the training ground. Although he must be able to take criticism for Bielsa's departure, Jesse Marsch's appointment and the Jean-Kevin Augustin transfer debacle, he must be commended for enabling the relative success that Daniel Farke is currently enjoying.It's fair to say that, with the help of the 49ers, the club under his stewardship is as stable as it has been for many years.He will also be remembered for his programme notes which were entertaining and outspoken. He made it clear that he was deeply against the idea of an independent regulator in English football (which will endear him to the Premier League), and a transfer levy on Premier League clubs, comparing it to Maoism and the Great Chinese Famine.He is also a football romantic, who supports Luton Town, and along with fellow Premier League executives helped block the proposed European Super League to stop domestic football from dying 'on their watch'. When the top flight's 'big six' signed up to become members of the ESL, Kinnear admits he felt compelled not just to stand up for the interests of Leeds, but all those not involved in that controversial cabal. He felt betrayed by the clubs he was working alongside in the Premier League at the time and said "the pyramid is the heart of English football. It means that every city, community and town has the ability to play at the highest level." He was also active and proud of his work with the club's foundation and was in regular contact with supporters' groups, some of which felt he was willing to work through thorny issues, such as ticket pricing and allocation, rather than be dismissive like previous regimes.Ultimately, if you can say you have left the club in a better state than when you arrived, it is a job well done. Should Leeds return to the Premier League this season then Kinnear will have done that.
Who will replace him at Elland Road?
It is almost 18 months since Morrie Eisenberg, who ran business operations during the opening of the San Francisco 49ers Levi's Stadium, moved to Leeds United as chief operating officer. His remit included commercial revenue and business operations as well as longer-term strategic initiatives, including the initial stages of the stadium redevelopment plans. So it removed some of the burden on Kinnear.It is my understanding the club will assess the management structure as they appoint Peter McCormick as executive vice chairman to work with Kinnear and the board until the end of the season. McCormick, who is an ex-director at Elland Road, is not Kinnear's replacement. Whether United promote from within or not remains to be seen but the San Francisco 49ers use a consulting company called Elevate, whose CEO and chairman is 49ers president Al Guido.It would be no surprise if a fresh appointment was to be made then it would be instigated by them.Listen to West Yorkshire Sport Daily, weeknights at 18:00, and subscribe to BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast on BBC Sounds