Ex-PL CEO drops game-changing verdict on £100m plan — Football Insider 1/6/24

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Ewan Kingsbury

Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has insisted stadium expansion at Leeds United would be a game-changer.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – claimed the Whites need promotion next season, which would allow them to rebuild Elland Road and become a “viable Premier League club”.

Football Insider revealed in November 2023 that the Leeds chiefs are planning a £100million stadium project after securing external investment, with capacity slated to rise to 55,000.

Leeds fell short in the Championship play-off final against Southampton on Sunday (26 May), meaning they will spend the 2024-25 campaign in the second tier.

The Yorkshire giants have benefitted from sold-out stadiums in each of their last three seasons – but were unable to compete with matchday revenues from clubs like Newcastle and Aston Villa in the 2022-23 campaign.

Wyness warned that promotion in 2025 is “crucial” to Leeds’ plans of becoming a “viable” top-flight side.

He told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “They’ve got two or three seasons of parachute payments. But when those stop, that’s when the buck stops.

“That’s when the musical chairs start, and you can get left without a chair. It can be really difficult without that extra money.

“They’ve got to make sure they get up next season, that will be crucial.

“That will set them up for stadium improvements, which will really allow the club to make sure they have the revenue to become a viable Premier League club.

“But getting there is very hard, and Leeds will have to do some clever dancing around the squad costs to make a competitive team.”

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