Leeds United's Elland Road expansion plans receive major update — Football League World 24/4/24


BY DECLAN HARTE

Leeds United are planning to expand their home stadium to a capacity of 50,000

Leeds United have held talks with relevant stakeholders in the city as the club continues to take steps towards expanding Elland Road.

According to iNews, the Whites are working on plans to expand their home stadium to 50,000.

The Championship side is currently battling for promotion to the Premier League under Daniel Farke, but their place in the top flight for next year is far from guaranteed.

Elland Road has proven an iconic home for the club, with a capacity of 37,890.

But 49ers Enterprises, who took over full control of Leeds last summer, are hoping to expand the size of the stadium in the near future.

Leeds are beginning plans for the upcoming summer, but are unable to do anything concrete until their league status is secure.

Farke’s side currently occupies a place inside the automatic promotion places, but Ipswich Town are only a point behind in third and have a game in hand.

The new owners have worked to ensure the club’s finances remain healthy, but remaining in the Championship could have a big knock-on effect at several levels of the club.

It’s understood that there is a quiet optimism behind the scenes about the health of the Yorkshire outfit compared to their last promotion campaign in 2020, but failure to go up could change things quite quickly.

Expanding the stadium is seen as essential for keeping pace in the Premier League, so staying in the second tier might put a pause on any Elland Road plans.

The future of Archie Gray is also considered a big question mark, especially if they remain in the Championship.

The club’s wage bill is believed to be a major concern in regards to the financial rules, so his £50 million valuation could be a way to increase funds while battling in the second tier.

It would be far from ideal to lose such a talented youngster, produced from their own academy, but his sale would ease any financial burden on the club.

Securing promotion to the Premier League would put to bed any fears about needing to sell the midfielder, with clubs like Liverpool and Bayern Munich both reportedly interested in the teenager.

The future of the club’s director of football position is also in question, with Nicky Hammond currently occupying an interim role as a recruitment advisor.

He has reportedly impressed during his time in the role and is seen as a potential candidate for the permanent position, although plenty of interest is expected once the search begins for an appointment.

A lot of these plans for the Yorkshire side are quite exciting, and show the ambition that the new owners have for the club.

However, failure to gain promotion could put a lot of those plans on hold, and set the club back at least a year, if not more.

That puts a lot of pressure on the team to get the results needed to secure promotion in the next few weeks, but the 4-3 win over Middlesbrough on Monday showed their grit and determination.

This is set to be a huge final few weeks of the season for the Whites, who will have the safety net of the play-offs if they do miss out on a top two spot.

Popular posts from this blog

The huge initial fee Leeds are set to receive for Crysencio Summerville’s move to West Ham — Leeds United News 31/7/24

Leeds United board break silence after transfer window with statement on upcoming Elland Road development — YEP 2/9/24

Leeds United transfer state of play as Whites knock back low bid and assert wing pair stance — YEP 3/7/24