Angus Kinnear has been widely expected to move on from his CEO’s role at Leeds United since it emerged that he is the top target for Everton’s new ownership. The Premier League club held talks with Leeds over getting the 47-year-old to Goodison Park ahead of the summer. He still has a contract at Leeds but it seems the two clubs have sorted out an agreement for the move. Leeds will now have to get to work to fill the role ahead of the big summer when they are expecting to build a squad for the Premier League.
Daniel Farke and his Leeds United players are focused on ensuring that they get back to the Premier League by the end of the season but changes are set to take place ahead of the summer.
Kinnear has been at Leeds since 2017 as their CEO and has served under two different ownerships while being a steady hand behind the scenes for the club.
He has played key roles in appointing Marcelo Bielsa and Daniel Farke as the club’s manager and has been a key part of their recruitment process over the last few years.
However, Everton’s new ownership laid their eyes on Kinnear as they seek to bring in a new management for the club ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Kinnear’s experience of transitioning clubs into new stadiums at Arsenal and West Ham previously has been a big reason behind Everton wanting him.
Everton set to announce Kinnear’s departure from Leeds United
It seems Everton now have a deal in place to have Kinnear as their new chief executive ahead of the end of the season and Leeds have given their consent to the move.
According to Sky Sports News, the Toffees are imminently set to announce the arrival of the 47-year-old later today and he will join the club in the coming months.
Kinnear will remain at Elland Road as Leeds’ CEO until the end of the season and then link up with Everton over the summer as part of the plans.
Everton are also set to announce the departure of their director of football Kevin Thelwell as part of the shake-up in their management ahead of the next summer transfer window.
Kinnear has spent eight years at Leeds and has played a vital role in turning Leeds from a midtable Championship club to a Premier League side during his tenure.
Leeds are expected to return to the top flight before Kinnear officially leaves his post to move to Goodison Park as the new Everton CEO.
The Whites will now work towards bringing in a new CEO soon and hope to have his replacement lined up before Kinnear officially moves on from Elland Road.
Leeds have been expecting this, but now what?
Kinnear’s departure has been expected ever since Everton’s interest became public knowledge and it seemed clear that he was keen to move on.
As things stand, Leeds do not have a sporting director, their chairman is involved in acquiring Rangers and their CEO is on his way out in the next couple of months.
As stable Leeds have looked on the pitch this season, there seems to be a state of flux at the management level ahead of one of the biggest summers of the club.
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Leeds have already squashed rumours that they are set to appoint Samir Arabi as their new sporting director and there is no clarity on who would replace Kinnear.
However, this is the 49ers’ opportunity to bring in their own man as the new CEO as Kinnear was one of the last remnants of Andrea Radrizzani’s reign.
It remains to be seen whether Leeds look to bring in someone British or European or push to sign an American as the new CEO.
