By Kieran Maguire

24th Aug, 2023 | 7:00am

Kieran Maguire tips Leeds United to take advantage of 'huge' opportunity

Leeds United can use their new celebrity investors to grow their fanbase in the USA.

That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who explained to Football Insider that Premier League clubs have a ‘huge opportunity’ to grow their popularity in America.

Leeds were taken over by US-based 49ers Enterprises this summer, with a handful of celebrity stars also acquiring a minor stake in the club.

Michael Phelps, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are three of the many high-profile athletes to have invested in the Yorkshire club this summer.

Other English clubs have completed similar deals, with Liverpool partially owned by LeBron James while Tom Brady acquired a minority stake in Birmingham City this month.

Maguire insists celebrity endorsement will help Leeds to grow their fanbase and unlock new marketing and commercial opportunities.

“Influencers and endorsements are part of the growth opportunity for any business,” Maguire told Football Insider‘s Sean Fisher.

“We are seeing it more and more in football on the back of the success of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at Wrexham.

“The links between Liverpool and LeBron James is another high-profile example.

“As far as the US is concerned, there are still huge opportunities for football.

“Whilst football will never get close to the level of attention that the NBA and the NFL have, it can certainly become the best of the rest in terms of being a significant player.

“Enhancing and increasing the appeal of football by having it linked to celebrities based in the US gives them a sprinkle of Hollywood which can only help Leeds to grow the interest in their club.

“They’ve already had the Amazon documentary which enhanced interest.

“It all equates to increased opportunities for preseason, increased merchandise sales and so on.“

In other news, Kieran Maguire reveals 49ers plan amid £200m Leeds United news