Massimo Cellino has insisted Leeds United are not for sale but also left Neil Redfearn’s future in severe doubt after admitting he had not spoken to the head coach since returning from his own Football League ban.
In a lengthy and bizarre press conference alongside the new executive director, Adam Pearson, the Leeds owner answered an array of questions in an official capacity for the first time since his suspension ended this month. At one point he left the room for a cigarette break before returning and he ended by saying the club needed more than just passion – beating his chest to demonstrate.
Redfearn is expected by many to move on when his contract expires next month. Cellino spoke at length about his own future at Leeds and claimed that if the Championship side were not in the Premier League or poised to return to it by 2017, he would sell up.
“The club is not for sale, it never has been for sale,” said Cellino. “If in two seasons’ time I’m not ready to take the club to the Premier League, I’m going to sell it. To sell the club you need six months to do due diligence. What would we do for six months if I was selling the club?”
Redfearn was appointed coach by Cellino last November, United’s third manager of the season following the departures of Dave Hockaday and Darko Milanic. Despite the team’s poor start, Redfearn guided his young side to safety in the midst of the chaos.
His assistant, Steve Thompson, was suspended by the club without explanation, and Redfearn’s position now appears more perilous than ever. “As a man I tell you I am sorry because I like him [Redfearn],” said Cellino, the former Cagliari owner, of the situation. “In the club you have to take decisions. I don’t need to justify my decision. I need to choose the best coach for this club. Is Neil best for the future? Are you sure that he’s good or is it that you’re a coward with the fans because you won’t change it?
“The next coach, or Neil Redfearn, whoever is to be the coach, I cannot wait more. I have to take the decision because we are late. We are already late.”
Pearson added: “We’re going through a process of trying to make decisions in a processed way. The owner has invested a lot of his own money and has the right to make those decisions.”
Cellino was banned by the League after being found guilty of not paying import-duty tax on a yacht in Sardinia, a first-grade conviction in Italy. He has two similar charges against him regarding a separate yacht and a Range Rover, which may cause further complications for his ownership. He denies wrongdoing.
Cellino also suggested that Nicola Salerno, the sporting director, did not have a future at the club.
