Ex-Astros GM Jeff Luhnow has surprising new business venture
Oct 13, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow before game one of the 2017 ALCS playoff baseball series against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow is back in the sports world, though not in the United States.
Luhnow is the head of an investment group that completed the purchase of Spanish soccer club Leganes. The disgraced ex-GM even appeared in Spain at a press conference to speak about the acquisition, as publicized by the club’s Twitter account.
📹🎙️ PRESS CONFERENCE | Jeff Luhnow: "What we want is to make Leganés grow and continue what Victoria and Felipe have done in the last fourteen years".
More info 👇🏾https://t.co/AGHuEq2Wuh pic.twitter.com/pbG9HR60di
— C.D. Leganés 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇦🇺 (@CDLeganes_en) June 23, 2022
American businesspeople have invested in European soccer more frequently in recent years, but Luhnow isn’t exactly a name anyone saw coming. It is not clear how active Luhnow intends to be in the day-to-day running of the club.
Luhnow was heralded for his work as Astros GM, as his analytically-minded approach helped mold the team into contenders. He was ultimately fired over the team’s 2017 sign-stealing scandal and served a full one-year suspension handed down by MLB. He has not worked in baseball since, though his name briefly popped up in relation to one GM job late last year.
