The 49ers Enterprises fully acquired Leeds United in 2023, and they had big plans for the club. And since then, the Whites have experienced some of their best seasons in recent memory.
Club chairman Paraag Marathe mentioned how the new ownership saw the potential of Leeds, and plan to work on that in the next five to ten years. He was speaking in an interview with The Athletic:
“The Premier League needs Leeds. Call it whatever you want.
“The way we play. The tenacity in which we play. Our history. The Premier League needs us.
“They know that they need us because we make the league more special.
“There is something different about Leeds. It is not like these other clubs. A lot of these clubs have had great success.
“Better success than we have had. But we have something that they do not have.
“There is a movement beneath the surface, and I want to be a part of that movement and I cannot wait to see what that becomes in five, ten years.”
QUIZ: Can you name the Leeds game these 10 goal celebrations are from?
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49ers achieve £6.5bn valuation after major sale
Paraag Marathe
Credit: Imago Images
Leeds’ ownership have done more and invested more in the club than previous owners. So many brand deals and partnerships have been agreed since they fully acquired the Whites. Red Bull, Adidas, BOXT and most recently, Seat Geek are examples of the kind of business Leeds are a part of now.
TBR Football reported in August that the 49ers Enterprises are aiming for Leeds to be valued at £1billion before they eventually part ways. Which means they have a lot of plans for the future.
This week, Leeds chairman and president of 49ers Enterprises Paraag Marathe sold a 3.2% stake in their NFL franchise, the San Fransisco 49ers, for around £208m. This means the total valuation of Leeds’ ownership group as a whole is now around £6.5billion.
What does this mean for Leeds United?
This indirectly means that Leeds could be more welcoming of minority shareholders in the near future. The 49ers have already sold a minority stake of the club to Red Bull, which is believed to be around 10%.
The leaked documents show that the plans for Leeds to reach £1billion, are set for the near future. And the only way they can achieve that is by selling minority shares to realise value. This could be a much shorter way to reaching the £1billion figure than a full sale of the club.
so it clearly shows there only interested in self gain as a business. flip the club as soon as it reaches a price and run for there lives. these owners are not to be trusted for football on the pitch.. the team will suffer as they will not invest on the pitch in proper terms.its going be a sell sell club.. rebuild the ground to create higher assets with borrowed money and leave the club with hidden debts like the Glazers.