Heckingbottom shares how Leeds dressing room responded to stinging Radrizzani criticism
By Richard Parks
Paul Heckingbottom has claimed that the Leeds United players privately accept the stinging criticism aired at them this week by owner Andrea Radrizzani.
The United owner told talkSPORT in an explosive interview on the Jim White Show on Tuesday morning that he felt let down by the players following a season that has failed to live up to expectations and was particularly angry with those handed lucrative new deals following his full takeover last May.
Speaking at his media briefing on Thursday, Heckingbottom revealed that those in the Leeds dressing room accepted Radrizzani’s outburst and that he deserves to have his say given the investment he has made in the club.
“The players have been fine, they’ve been okay with it,” Heckingbottom said, as quoted by the personal Twitter account of BBC Radio Leeds journalist Adam Pope. “The owner’s put his money in and has every right to say what he thinks it right. The players know that.”
Football Insider verdict:
The Leeds players should be hurt and angry at Radrizzani’s outburst, and desperate to either prove him wrong or win him over. Sure, many of them were handed lucrative new contracts last year and are sitting pretty on long-term deals that give them financial security for the coming years. But personal pride is at stake, not to mention Leeds’ place in the Championship table. Radrizzani’s public criticism is a thinly-veiled attempt at cajoling improved performances from those he has backed financially. Some players will be embarrassed at what the owner has said, some may not give a toss, but they should all be desperate to prove them are good enough to be in the Leeds team.
In other Leeds United news, it can be revealed that NINE senior players at the club are in Radrizzani’s firing line and fighting for their jobs.
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