The Together Leeds consortium are meeting Massimo Cellino this evening to see if they can work together to save our club from going into administration.
The consortium is fronted by the Manchester-based Mike Farnan and includes Welcome to Yorkshire's chief executive, Gary Verity, the former Hull City chairman Adam Pearson and the Red Strike Marketing executive Frank Devoy, and the group released a statement prior to this evening ‘s meeting.
"Massimo Cellino and Eleonora Sport Limited have and continue to be in discussions with Mike Farnan and Together Leeds regarding strategy, partnership and co-operation. The talks have been very constructive. Everyone should be excited by these discussions as they are in the best interests of all parties including the Football League, Leeds United, its players and staff and, most importantly, its loyal and enduring fans."
In an interview with BBC Yorkshire, Farnan later added: "[Cellino's] impressed me with his passion. We think we can work together. We both feel that this is for the good of Leeds. Obviously we've got the appeal decision coming up so we'll have to see how that goes. We have enough [money]. We have a clean, clear strategy. We have the funds available."
But it’s not yet clear how any joint bid could be completed if Cellino loses his appeal against the Football League’s ruling that he has failed their ‘fit and proper persons’ test. That would prevent him from acting as a director, not just as the majority shareholder, and he doesn’t come across as someone who would simply had over his money and allow others to make the decisions as to how it is spent.
There is still no word as to which way the appeal is going to go, after an independent QC said on Monday that he would need more time to come to his decision, but Cellino told Sky News today that the League are hurting Leeds United more than they are hurting him.
"The message I have to the Football League is that they should look after the clubs they represent in the proper way. I have been submitted to a couple of trials like someone who has come to England to do something bad, which was not my purpose. I just went there to challenge for Leeds and to find something nice with Leeds. This situation is a nightmare."
And like Brian McDermott he has vowed not to walk away from the club during this difficult time. "The big problem is what damage is being done to Leeds as they are losing a lot of games for a lot of reasons. They need another four or six points to stay in the Championship. The supporters are really hurt and not being respected, that is the main problem. I hope everything is going to be alright and they let me run the club the way I know."
Cellino has put up to £10m into the club already, and has promised that he will pay the he would pay the players’ wages if and when his takeover of Leeds is given the green light by the Football League.