Leeds United at risk of future spending breach amid Premier League rule change and £11m concern — YEP 13/3/24
Proposed Premier League rule changes could negatively impact Leeds United.
By Kyle Newbould
Leeds United could be at risk of breaching Premier League
spending rules if they are promoted, following a meeting among the top-flight's
20 member clubs on Monday.
Premier League clubs met in London at the start of the week
to explore a change to the current profitability and sustainability rules (PSR)
that have been in headlines recently. Questions have been raised as to whether
the current model is fit for purpose, with Everton and Nottingham Forest facing
charges while Leicester could also be in trouble.
Current regulations allow clubs a loss of £105million over
three seasons in the Premier League. It is expected that a shift towards UEFA's
financial sustainability rules (FSR) - the successor to FFP - will alter the
constraints so that teams are permitted to spend a maximum of 85 per cent of
their revenue on wages and transfers.
In relation to those new proposed rules, football finance
expert Kieran Maguire mapped out the finances of last season's Premier League
teams to assess which could be vulnerable to a breach. Among them is Leeds, who
are forecast to be around £11.2million over budget and therefore in risk of a
future breach.
It is important to remember that Leeds' wage bill in
particular has been reduced significantly since they were relegated due to
contract clauses that saw drops of up to 60 per cent in some instances. Big
earners who were signed in the summer of 2022 have also been loaned out with
few, if any, expected to return.
But promotion back into the top-flight this season will
require a summer of further investment as 49ers Enterprises look to avoid the
mistakes made by previous owner Andrea Radrizzani. The American group will be
desperate to back Daniel Farke and give him the best chance of survival but
funds will not be infinite, whether these new rules are in place or not.
Those in charge at Elland Road will be hoping to see
improved performances from their loanees between now and May in the hope of
recouping much of what was spent in that summer under Jesse Marsch. Leeds made
small profits on Luis Sinisterra and Tyler Adams, who both went to Bournemouth,
while any sale of Jack Harrison will also likely bring in more than the £11m
sent to Manchester City in 2021.
Diego Llorente, Brenden Aaronson and Max Wober could also
bring in some money, although Robin Koch's loan move to Eintracht Frankfurt
will be made permanent once his contract expires in the summer.
