The news had been widely anticipated, but the recent announcement that Andrea Radrizzani had purchased a 50% stake in their club (with the option to secure 100% ownership in the summer) was nonetheless a huge relief to the vast majority of Leeds United supporters.
After years in the doldrums under a succession of atrocious owners, there is genuine optimism that the West Yorkshire club could finally be on the right track both on and off the pitch. Leeds Utd are currently best odds of 9/2 (5.50) to win promotion with a number of online UK sportsbooks and the fans are starting to believe.
In February, pending an appeal, Massimo Cellino will start an 18-month ban from football activity for breaching the FA's football agent rules over the sale of Ross McCormack to Fulham in 2014 (his third ban since taking over at Elland Road in April 2014), so his involvement in the day-to-day running of the club could effectively be over at that stage.
Radrizzani can only be judged on his future actions, but the early signs look encouraging. In what is a refreshing change for Leeds' owners, there are apparently no skeletons in the cupboard and the early impressions are that he will probably keep a relatively low-profile.
The timing of Radrizzani's arrival will provide an early test of his credibility, coming as it does at the start of the January transfer window. In his initial statement, the Italian stated, "I am very impressed with the job Garry Monk has done this season and I will do all I can to support him and the team moving forward."
The immediate priority is to ensure that permanent deals are tied-up for Pontus Jansson, Pablo Hernandez and, if possible, Kyle Bartley, whilst also looking to get Charlie Taylor to commit to a new contract.
The club are said to be in the process of tying-up Hernandez's full-time transfer from Qatari side Al-Arabi until the end of the season, with the option of extending his contract for a further 12 months thereafter.
Leeds also have the option to sign Torino centre-back Pontus Jansson for £3.5 million once the Swedish defender makes his 22nd appearance of the season (he's made 20 appearances at the time of writing). Any failure to cement that deal would not go down remotely well with the Elland Road faithful, for whom Jansson has rapidly acquired hero status.
Kyle Bartley is on a season-long loan from Swansea City, so making his deal permanent in January doesn't perhaps have quite the same urgency, but he's another who has performed admirably for club this term and would be a hugely popular addition. Bartley is under contract at the Liberty Stadium until June 2018, so a fee will be required to prise him away whether Leeds look to sign him on a permanent basis in the current transfer window or at the end of the season.
Charlie Taylor's willingness to pen a new deal could change once Massimo Cellino is out of the picture, but as things stand he is out of contract at the season's end. Were he to extend his stay, it would be another show of faith in the incoming regime.
Keeping the current squad together whilst adding one or two additional players would go a long way to building on the current momentum at Elland Road. There is now genuine cause for optimism and, although nobody is taking anything for granted, there is reason to believe that a return to the top-flight for the first time since their relegation in 2004 might just be on the agenda.