Leeds United could now be open to new business ventures after Will Ferrell reportedly bought a minority stake in Daniel Farke's side.
Will Ferrell comes aboard
In news that took plenty by surprise, it was announced on Sunday that actor Will Ferrell was buying a minority stake in Championship side Leeds United, becoming the latest star to back the Yorkshire outfit. According to The Sun, the actor now owns a "significant minority stake in the club", but that does not come with any decision-making power.
“It’s true – Will Ferrell owns a share of Leeds,” a source told The Sun on Sunday.
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“He loves soccer and has been particularly impressed by the passion of the English game. And his aim now is to see Leeds back where they belong — in the Premier League. As far as Will and the 49ers are concerned, this is a serious investment opportunity.”
The news came just 24 hours after his new side missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League at the first time of asking, losing to Southampton on the final day of the season to ensure that no matter the result for Ipswich Town, it was the Tractor Boys who secured Premier League football next season, and consigned Leeds to the play-offs.
Ferrell joins Russell Crowe in part-owning Leeds, as well as golfing stars like Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, and his addition to their ranks could open up a host of new opportunities for the club.
Leeds tipped to follow Wrexham model
Now, according to The Sun, Ferrell's addition could see a new TV series about Leeds United begin, similar to that which followed Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's venture into and eventual success at Wrexham.
Welcome to Wrexham aired on Disney's streaming service to great success, and has seen Wrexham become a famous club in the USA, despite having only just reached the third tier of English football following their second successive promotion.
Ferrell was filmed as part of that series, and toured Wrexham's ground and changing rooms, courtesy of an invitation from friends and fellow actors Reynolds and McElhenney. Now, something similar could happen with Leeds, with the report adding that "his stardom could see streaming giants compete to air a new lucrative series on Leeds", who have already experienced the cameras in Amazon's series Take Us Home, which followed their promotion push in 2019.
It remains to be seen whether or not Ferrell is keen to follow his friends down the line of sports-drama, or if his investment in the Yorkshire outfit is simply a business opportunity deemed too good to turn down.
He will be hoping his new side make it out of the play-offs before considering next steps though, with Leeds facing Norwich in the semi-finals before a potential clash with one of Southampton or West Brom at Wembley should they make it that far.
Leeds' route to the Premier League
Opponent
Venue
Date
Norwich City
Carrow Road
Sunday 12th May
Norwich City
Elland Road
Thursday 16th May
West Brom/Southampton
Wembley
Sunday 26th May
They will have to make history to do so, with the Yorkshire side never having been promoted courtesy of the play-offs in their history despite five attempts.
