“They have," Tomlinson told Football Presse. "They're also — they've got loads of money, so that always helps. But it feels like it's much more robust in terms of model. It feels like much more long-term, and they think they know much more about what they're doing.
“And they've got a system, they've got some decent people behind the scenes, they've got a widespread ownership around it, and they are in the long-term.
“They've done the development of the stadium before, as they did over there. They've done the culture piece.”
Tomlinson's main reservation is whether that corporate experience translates into an understanding of Leeds' particular identity.
“I'm not sure really they really get the heritage, the legacy. You talk to the supporters club and others, they're not sure about that.
“It feels like they are a bit corporate, Americanized.
“And I suppose the secret comes when they do develop the stadium and go into selling off the additional capacity. How many are going to go for normal supporters and how many is going to go into corporate?
“There's a real fear it's just going to be corporatized.”
That is why Tomlinson regards the stadium project as much more than a redevelopment.
“There's a real fear at the minute that they don't understand the legacy and they don't engage. And sometimes it feels like they tell a good story, but robustly underneath, not sure.
“I think the jury's still out to a certain extent, but you can't argue about the transfer business they've done.
“You can't argue about the financial stability. You can't argue they don't know what they're about and that they're not in it for the long term. They've been here quite a long time now.
“I think they've got a lot of legitimacy.”
Tomlinson also points to the importance of communication with supporters, arguing that the current ownership has not always matched the openness Leeds fans previously experienced.
“I think it was much more straightforward when Angus Kinnear was there, and people don't have a lot of time for Angus. They thought he did a lot of things badly, thought he was a corporate man, but he was very open, engaging and talked to people, and that was the good part.
“So the honesty that was in those Square Ball podcasts — fantastic.
“And what you see now, it's not about selling it for profit. It's basically finding a way to manage the current financials.”
Tomlinson nevertheless believes there is a great deal to respect about the way the club has been run since the 49ers took control.
“And I think for Leeds, it's also about at least we haven't done a Leicester City in terms of corrupt, and I think the right word is corrupt, cheating. Same with Everton, same as all these clubs going through.
“I think we do this honestly and openly and try to do our best around it and explain that in a real way.
“And I do value that. I think I do respect that. And I think it's important that we recognize that.
“It could have gone really badly after Radrizzani, but it hasn't.”
Tomlinson also believes the decision to maintain faith in Daniel Farke has been important in establishing that sense of continuity.
“Farke, enormous lot of credit for it. Enormous lot of credit for staying with him last season in the Premier League and giving him the opportunity, and it's come good.
“You've got to have continuity and faith and play the long game.”
But the ownership still has something to prove, and Tomlinson believes the stadium will provide the clearest indication of whether the promises around heritage and supporters are genuine.
“There's always a bit of doubt, so you're always a bit suspicious.
“I mean, there's all this been about the disabled supporters' parking bays being taken off them to give to corporates, as it seems.
“So you do get this suspicion. Are they really saying what they think, or what they want us to hear?
“So I don't think we're there yet. Another couple of years, if we get the investment and the stadium generates more money for us to invest, I think then that will be the acid test.
“A lot depends on the stadium and them living up to what they said.”
Tomlinson wants the expansion to increase Leeds' financial power without destroying the qualities that make Elland Road distinctive.
“So they want to keep the atmosphere, they want to keep the things that are good about it, they want to improve and move it forward.
“And it is a far better club than it was 10 years ago.”
Red Bull, meanwhile, initially generated plenty of suspicion among Leeds supporters because of the company's extensive involvement in football. But Tomlinson believes the reality so far has been considerably quieter than many expected.
“I think for all the apprehension, I think other than the colour, it's been remarkably quiet.
“Whether there's a plan for them to take it on eventually, I don't know. They seem to have just let the 49ers get on with it.
“People were suspicious they were going to come in and take it on. They might do. They might do still.”
Tomlinson believes Red Bull has nevertheless already provided significant value.
“I think Red Bull clearly have provided money. They clearly provide expertise behind the scenes. They've clearly given us that status, that critical mass and money to enable it to move forward.
“And the fact that they've not really pushed into that space in the way they have virtually everywhere else, I think they understand the UK is different, or England is different.
“I think they've been all right. They've been all right so far.”
The possibility of Red Bull eventually becoming more prominent, however, would raise an entirely different question for supporters.
“If it became Red Bull Leeds United or even Red Bull Elland Road, then that would be a marker.
“Some people think naming rights for the stadium. Does it matter? Well, symbolic, a lot of this, isn't it?
“You've got to keep the fans with you.
“It's a difficult course to steer here.”
The colour itself has also been a source of amusement among Leeds supporters, given the club's rivalry with Manchester United.
“You've got people saying, ‘Why are you so bothered about the red?’ Well, because we're Leeds. You don't really want red associated with Leeds, do you?
“But people get used to things over a period of time. You thought people wouldn't buy the shirt with the red on it, but they have.”
Tomlinson ultimately believes supporters will accept the commercial reality provided the fundamental identity of Leeds remains intact.
“It's symbolic. A lot of this is, isn't it? You've got to keep the fans with you.”
For Tomlinson, that is the challenge facing Leeds' owners. The financial opportunity is enormous, the demand for tickets is clear and the club has the potential to generate substantially more revenue from a modernised Elland Road.
But the commercial expansion cannot come at the expense of the identity that made the club worth investing in.
“It's about the stadium and them living up to what they said.
“They want to keep the atmosphere, they want to keep the things that are good about it, they want to improve and move it forward.”
Dave Tomlinson's book "Rise and Fall: Andrea Radrizzani's Leeds United" is from Pitch Publishing - which is available here.
