Richmond: I'm Like An Alcoholic In A Brewery

Last updated : 11 April 2004 By Kevin Markey

Richmond acted as an advisor to the consortium which recently took over at Leeds.

If offered the position, Richmond confirmed his priority will be to cut the wage bill which is in excess of £50m.

Richmond told The Sunday Mirror: "If I was asked to become chief executive I would do it. I thought I was finished in the game really. I had two years of hell. But now I'm like an alcoholic in a brewery.

"I'm really enjoying being involved. The buzz is fantastic. The aim is to make savings and we are very positive about doing this. There are too many players and the wage bill is unsustainable. We have 58 players with a £53m wage bill.

"And 15 players have contracts of more than £1m. I'm looking forward to the fact that players will go. But there will also be arrivals."

Richmond did not guarantee Alan Smith would not be sold.

He added: "It's wrong to be resigned to Alan leaving at the end of the season. If the club were relegated, for his own understandable ambitions, Alan would want to stay in The Premier League.

"If we stay up we're not prepared to put up a noticeboard and say this player will leave or stay. It will depend on many factors. But one thing is clear, the wage bill will have to come down."