Leeds owner approached Conte, Claudio Ranieri and Roberto Martinez
Monday 20 August 2018 14:36, UK
Leeds attempted to appoint Antonio Conte before they made Marcelo Bielsa their new manager in the summer, says owner Andrea Radrizzani.
Bielsa has impressed early on in his tenure at Elland Road, overseeing three victories at the start of their Championship campaign. They are second in the table.
But Radrizzani has admitted Conte, who left Chelsea in July, was his first choice and he also revealed that he interviewed former Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri as well as contacting Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez.
"I do not deny that I made an attempt for Conte, I have a weakness for him, I would have offered £20m too," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"With him, I was sure that promotion to the Premier League would have been assured.
"There was an interview with Ranieri, an exquisite person. He was flattered by our interest, but at that moment he declined waiting for the right call.
"I also contacted Martinez, but there were not many margins because of his agreement with the Belgian national team.
"But we are extremely satisfied with Bielsa, we have chosen one of the best in the world."
