Leeds United: Brian McDermott 'remains' as manager

Leeds have said Brian McDermott will stay as manager, a day after the club's prospective new owner Massimo Cellino reportedly told him he would be sacked.

Cagliari owner Cellino has agreed to buy a 75% stake in Leeds, subject to the deal being approved.

Continue reading the main story

“The club would like to make it clear that Brian McDermott remains our first-team manager. He has not been dismissed from his post as has been suggested.”

Leeds statement

But, after a 5-1 win over Huddersfield, the club stated that McDermott would remain in charge at Elland Road.

"The club would like to make it clear that Brian McDermott remains our first-team manager," a Leeds statement said. 

"He has not been dismissed from his post as has been suggested. We look forward to him continuing in his role with us in taking Leeds forward."

McDermott's assistant manager Nigel Gibbs was in charge for the win over Huddersfield, which ended an eight-match winless run for the team who are now 11th in the Championship.

On Friday McDermott, who was appointed as manager in April 2013, thanked Leeds fans for their support, describing them as "amazing" after being told he was sacked.

Former Middlesbrough player Gianluca Festa was linked with the position.

On Saturday, outgoing owners GFH Capital released a statement confirming the sale had been agreed but did not go into detail about the management of the club.

The statement read: "Following recent media reports and speculation, GFH Capital would like to confirm that it has agreed to sell a 75% stake in the club to Eleonora Sport Ltd, a company owned by the Cellino family.

"They have many years experience in football and plan to invest substantially in the club including the re-acquisition of Elland Road.

"The Cellino family come to English football with an ambition to support Leeds United financially to take it to the Premier League and a belief that the club can sustain top-flight status."

Dubai-based private equity group GFH Capital purchased the club for a reported £52m from Ken Bates in December 2012.

In February last year, the group said it was looking to bring new investment into the club, but rejected a takeover bid from a consortium involving former defender Lucas Radebe last November.

In an interview with the Sporting Intelligence website  late on Friday, Cellino, the 57-year-old owner of Italian Serie A side Cagliari, said he had "no choice" but to sack McDermott. "I want a coach for the club, not a manager," he said.

"Gianluca [Festa] is a nice guy but he wasn't in my plans before all of this. Leeds are a special club who have had difficult times. But what is beyond question is that the club's fans are very, very special."