Leeds United: Don Goodman reacts to ‘selfish’ call that will have implications at Elland Road
Don Goodman hopes to see the Premier League reach an agreement with the EFL over payments to clubs in an issue that could impact Leeds United.
The Daily Mail reported earlier this month that at least 10 clubs rejected a proposal that would have seen £900million move down the English football pyramid.
Some of those reported clubs, such as Bournemouth, Wolves and Nottingham Forest, have spent plenty of time outside of the Premier League.
Goodman can understand why they would want to protect what is best for themselves, but at the same time fears what could happen to certain teams further down the pyramid if an agreement is not struck.
“The bottom line is that football is quite unique,” he told MOT Leeds News. “These 20 clubs are literally protecting their own interests. That’s what most people in life will do – protect their own interests.
“If you’ve got money and have been asked to give it away to someone else, you’ll delay. So I understand it from that side of things. But I also know that if they don’t come up with a deal soon, it’s going to be taken out of their power.“
Premier League clubs reject £900m EFL support plan
Goodman added: “It’s a risk Premier League clubs are willing to take at this moment in time. Only time will tell if that’s a wise decision or not. Maybe they think the deal forced on them by the government or an independent panel won’t be as much as they’re being asked to hand over now?
“Maybe that’s their logic? Certainly from a selfish point of view, every Premier League club will try to protect their own interests and hand over as little money as possible to the Football League.
“That’s in their best interests and I understand it, but morally it’s a different debate because there’s literally only a handful of those clubs who have not spent time in the Football League.
“Most of them have – I’ve commentated on most of them, to be frank – so it’s one of those you hope gets sorted because we have the best football pyramid on the planet and we have to protect it.
“We have to. That’s what money going into the EFL does – it prevents scenarios where we’ve seen clubs going out of the league or worse still dying. We don’t want that.”
Reading among clubs under financial threat
This is a pretty delicate subject and, as Goodman points out, it is important to look at it from different perspectives.
Does a team like Bournemouth, for example, really want to be directly paying a sum of money to Leeds United should we not go up this term?
While EFL clubs are in need of money, some need it more than others. Just look to the third and fourth tiers for a better indication of that.
Even a side like Reading, who were in the Premier League not so long ago, have had their existence questioned due to the poor running of the club.
Assuming the government now steps in, it will be interesting to see what the next step is. Having a bit more clarity about who gets paid what, and what exactly that money is for, would help.
It may well be that Leeds are one of those Premier League clubs being asked to hand over money in a few months’ time. You would hope they see sense and do exactly that.
In other Leeds United, early team news has been shared ahead of the clash with Watford later this week.
For more Leeds news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.