Cagliari captain Daniele Conti has blasted club president Massimo Cellino over his takeover Leeds United.

Cellino says Leeds are "like a Ferrari after driving a Fiat 500," referring to the Sardinians.

"I don't like someone saying some teams are like a Ferrari and here it's like driving a Fiat 500," snapped Conti on Sky Sport Italia .

"I am proud to have been driving this 500 for many years. This little car has been stable in Serie A for 11 years.

"Some phrases certainly irritated us. There ought to be more respect for the players. These are phrases that hurt football. We do feel offended."