Kieran Maguire shares Leeds United 'big six' verdict after Premier League success — MOT Leeds News 12/2/24
By James Murray
Kieran Maguire believes Leeds United were “too good too
early” as they missed on being part of the “big six” clubs in the Premier
League.
Asked why the Whites and Blackburn Rovers aren’t in that
bracket of teams on The Price of Football podcast on Monday (12 February,
28:55), the football finance expert said Tottenham caught the crest of the wave
when the Premier League TV deal went up by nearly 200 per cent, suggesting that
it could have been the Elland Road club if that development happened a decade
earlier.
He admitted that Leeds were involved in the initial growth
point of the Premier League, adding that it’s about being in the right place at
the right time, with the league’s income increasing by 2,600 per cent since its
inception back in 1992.
“They (Tottenham) started to be successful on the pitch,
they started to creep into the Premier League on the back of making a couple of
decent signings,” said Maguire. “Harry Kane came through, Gareth Bale proved to
be a fantastic piece of business and that coincided with the Premier League TV
deals over the course of six or seven years going up in value by nearly 200 per
cent.
“They caught the crest of that particular wave in terms of
if you did finish fourth or fifth, especially if you look at the money that was
coming in from the Champions League at that moment in time, that catapulted
them into becoming more competitive.
“If that had happened 10 or 12 years earlier, I wouldn’t say
Leeds United were everybody’s second team, but they were a team that were great
to watch. We can remember the Yeboah years and some of the other players they
had, they were an exciting team to watch in terms of football.
“Of course, they won the league themselves, but they were at
that initial growth point of the Premier League as opposed to the level of
revenues that we have today. The income of the Premier League has increased by
2,600 per cent and a lot of that came in during the first half of that second
half existence of the Premier League in terms of growth.
“Leeds were too good too early in many respects. Just like
many things in life, it’s sliding doors moments, it’s right place, right time.”
Bad timing for Leeds United in the Premier League
It was bad timing for Leeds that their success in the
Premier League came when the money on offer was a snip of where the finances
are at now.
If that kind of cash was readily available to clubs back
then, there is every reason to suggest the Whites would have continued being a
force in the top flight for years to come.
But mismanagement at the top led to some poor decisions
being made, landing the club in a financial mess and being relegated as far
down as League One.
Leeds are pushing to get back in the Premier League
As was seen during their most recent spell in the Premier
League, it’s extremely difficult to cement a place back in the top flight
before potentially putting yourself in a position to start challenging for
European football on a regular basis again.
The West Yorkshire club fell victim to some poor decisions
by the previous ownership once again in the last couple of years, but they’ll
be hoping to stick around in the top flight next time they gain promotion.
