Leeds targeting fresh off-field move in key step towards replacing Kinnear

With CEO Angus Kinnear reportedly set to move to Everton next season, Leeds United have reportedly set their sights on welcoming a key figure to commence their restructuring away from the pitch.

Leeds set to lose Kinnear

Despite sitting top of the Championship and on course to secure their place back in the Premier League at the second time of asking, Leeds are likely to have no choice but to restructure away from the pitch courtesy of Kinnear’s likely departure. The CEO will at least see the current campaign out, but then it’s seemingly back to the drawing board for the 49ers.

Kinnear has been at Elland Road since 2017, overseeing promotion back to the top flight for the first time in 16 years in 2020 before watching on as Leeds suffered relegation back to the Championship in the 2022/23 campaign. Now two seasons on, he could bow out with a second promotion before swapping Yorkshire for Merseyside and Leeds for Everton.

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It is, however, an exit that the 49ers are already planning for, with one particular option recently emerging as one of their top candidates to replace their CEO this summer.

Leeds target Samir Arabi

According to Sky Sports Germany, Leeds and the 49ers are now targeting a move for Samir Arabi to replace Kinnear this summer. The 46-year-old was the sporting director at Arminia Bielefeld for 12 years before departing in the summer of 2023. In that time, like Kinnear, he oversaw both promotion and relegation as Bielefeld battled to become an established Bundesliga side.

A man who knows German football well, Arabi could work well with Daniel Farke to continue Leeds’ recent trend of signing players from the Bundesliga, especially if they find themselves back in the Premier League in his first season at the helm.

The likes of Ao Tanaka and Ilia Gruev have arrived from Germany in recent years, with Tanaka particularly impressing at the heart of a Leeds side gunning for automatic promotion.

So, Arabi’s arrival would certainly help build on that trend but there may still be some concerns over his experience. Aside from his long-term stint at Bielefeld, the sporting director’s only prior experience came as a chief scout at third division club Alemannia Aachen, which should concern those at Elland Road.

If the Whites are to return to the Premier League and stay up at the first time of asking, then they cannot take such gambles. Arabi may have enjoyed a solid period at Bielefeld, but the Premier League and the job at Leeds is a far bigger task – one which requires the experience that he arguably lacks.

That said, whether it’s Arabi or another candidate, the 49ers certainly have a big decision to make in the face of Kinnear’s likely exit this summer.