Attanasio is on record saying he did not initiate the managerial change; it was Knapper. And according to Attanasio, he and his colleagues at Norfolk Group were "surprised". Knapper made the case to the owners, and they felt they had to back him as "the expert" in the situation. The question was raised directly with Attanasio on last week's Pink'Un podcast:
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Attanasio's account chimes with what the Pink'Un reported at the time, that it was Knapper who instigated JHT's removal. The only source I know of who said it was instigated by the owners was the BBC's Nick Mashiter on X, in a tweet that was later deleted.