Football finance expert Dan Plumley has claimed that Leeds United should not be worried about any potential sanctions against the club.
The Whites spent a lot of last summer concerned about their position in regards to the profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
This led to the sales of players like Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville, with the Yorkshire outfit needing to balance the books in order to avoid any potential penalties.
However, CEO Angus Kinnear recently warned the Supporters Advisory Board that Leeds remain near the current financial fair play limits despite the money received from player sales last summer.
According to MOT Leeds News, the chief executive suggested that the club is close to the PSR limits at the moment, warning against possible sanctions from the EFL.
Leeds United financial update
Plumley has eased some of those fears, claiming that sanctions are unlikely at Leeds and that Kinnear’s communication of this should actually be seen as a positive from supporters.
He believes that relegation from the Premier League was always going to bring concerns, but that their communication about the issues should breed confidence that they are aware of the situation and have it under control.
“I don’t think so [that Leeds should be worried about PSR],” said Plumley, via MOT Leeds News.
“Certainly not if it’s coming from Angus Kinnear himself in a fan’s forum sort of setting.
“We knew that any club relegated from the Premier League was always likely to face a challenge with the Championship version of PSR given the parameters are the cumulative £39 million loss over three years.
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“Every club that gets relegated, you’re always looking at how will they adjust and I think the fact he has come out and spoken openly about that is a good thing actually.
“Communication with the fanbase is really key on that so if that’s what they’re putting out publically to their fans, they’re clearly aware of it, they’re tackling it.
“I don’t see any major issues, but it is always there in the background, a lot of it will depend on what happens this season.
“Following the disappointment of missing out last season, there will be another push for promotion this season as well
“It will all be factored in over the course of the season to follow where we are now.”
Championship standings 2024-25 (As of October 28th) |
||||
Team |
P |
GD |
Pts |
|
1 |
Sunderland |
12 |
+14 |
28 |
2 |
Burnley |
12 |
+12 |
23 |
3 |
Leeds United |
12 |
+11 |
23 |
4 |
Sheffield United |
12 |
+8 |
22 |
5 |
West Brom |
12 |
+6 |
20 |
6 |
Blackburn Rovers |
12 |
+4 |
19 |
*Sheffield United were deducted 2 points |
||||
Promotion to the Premier League will ease a lot of concerns over the club’s financial position given the monetary reward for being in the top flight.
Daniel Farke’s side currently sit third in the Championship table after the first 12 games of the campaign, level on points with second place Burnley.
Leaders Sunderland are now five points clear after the Whites drew 0-0 with Bristol City on Saturday.
Next up for Leeds is a clash at home against Plymouth Argyle on 2 November.
Leeds found out just how painful losing out on promotion can be over the summer, with Gray moving for a reported £40 million, via the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Summerville was sold to West Ham in a deal worth £25 million, according to the BBC, with the likes of Georginio Rutter and Glen Kamara also departing in big money moves.
Had the club managed to win the play-off final, then it’s possible that most, if not all, of those players might’ve stayed at Elland Road instead, and the team would be much stronger for it.
Leeds will be at risk of the same happening again in 2025 if they don’t earn promotion, which puts Farke under immense pressure to get the job done.
The longer they stay in the Championship the harder it will become to get back into the top flight if they’re constantly having to sell their best players each summer.