Leeds United: Alan Brazil reacts to ‘unbelievable’ finance expert revelation
Alan Brazil has reacted to the “unbelievable” Leeds United news revealed by finance expert Kieran Maguire.
The Whites’ 2022/23 accounts were released on 10 April, with the club posting a £33.7million loss following their relegation from the Premier League.
Maguire dug deeper into the numbers and brought a new development to light – and one that makes for grim reading for Leeds.
Speaking live on talkSPORT [11 April], he said: “Well, possibly [Leeds could be in trouble], and the reason for that is that, under Jesse Marsch, Leeds spent a fortune on players last season.
“They bought players for £170m and Leeds fans were saying, ‘Well, that’s great, but we thought the owner was looking for a way out, so where’s he getting the money from?’
“It turns out [former chairman Andrea Radrizzani] has effectively used the Leeds United credit card. So Leeds now owe other clubs £190m in unpaid transfer fees. How are they going to do that in the Championship?”
Brazil was astonished by the news, saying: “That is unbelievable! How has that just come out? That is incredible.”
The financial importance of promotion cannot be overstated for Leeds United
The revelation of Leeds’ precarious financial situation has provided clarity on just how important it is that the Whites go up this term.
The monetary boost that comes with competing in the Premier League will be vital as the club attempt to balance their books – and the sale of star players such as Crysencio Summerville may also be necessary to help achieve that aim.
It will not help, then, that Leeds have stumbled of late in their pursuit of an automatic promotion spot.
Just one win and five points from their last four Championship games has cost them, with the Whites slipping down into third – a point behind Ipswich Town in second and Leicester City at the top, with the Foxes boasting a game in hand.
Daniel Farke’s side face Blackburn Rovers at home before back-to-back away matches against Middlesbrough and QPR before what could be a decisive last match of the season at Elland Road against high-flying Southampton.
The German will surely view each of these four games as must-win encounters if the Whites are to have any chance of avoiding the lottery of the play-offs.
Should they end up finishing third, though, it is imperative that Leeds find a way to win – there may be consequences if they fail.
In other Leeds United news, Don Goodman has blasted this forward for his “poorest” performance ever against Sunderland.
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