Credit: Imago

Daniel Lewis

Mon 18 May 2026 15:10, UK

Coventry City should not take one bit of notice of some advice provided by Chris Waddle amid a bizarre take on Leeds United.

The Sky Blues finished top of the Championship this season and will be back in the Premier League in 2026-27 after a 25-year absence.

Coventry will be looking to replicate the success of Leeds and Sunderland this season in surviving their first season back in the big time.

Burnley were the exception from last season’s three promoted clubs as they have gone down without much of a fight.

But if Waddle’s comments are anything to go by, Leeds’ season has perhaps not been as successful as supporters think.

Coventry told to spend £300m to avoid Leeds ‘struggles’

Daniel Farke has a strong claim to be the Premier League’s Manager of the Season thanks to the work he has pulled off at Elland Road.

Leeds spent around £100million following their promotion to the Premier League, with the £18m spent on Noah Okafor from AC Milan being the most expensive signing in terms of upfront fee.

Many fans felt Leeds should have done more in the summer transfer window, but Farke worked with what he had and Leeds survived with ease.

While it is true the Whites were in the relegation picture until fairly recently, it has been months since supporters ever truly feared going down.

And Leeds secured their place in the Premier League with three games to spare, with a top-10 finish even still a possibility.

Yet in quotes via the Coventry Observer, former player and now pundit Waddle has put a different spin on things.

“Leeds have struggled because they didn’t spend like Sunderland did, and Leeds were the best team in the Championship last season with Burnley,” he said.

“Burnley hardly conceded a goal in the Championship and look what happens to them in the Premier League. It’s a completely different competition.

“Looking at all the clubs that could go up, I would say the three that will go up will be the three who come back down next season.”

Waddle added that Coventry will have to spend in the region of £300m – three times Leeds’ outlay from last summer – if they are to avoid an instant return to the Championship.

When were Leeds last in Premier League relegation zone?

The narrative that Leeds “struggled” is a million miles off, and if anything highlights that you do not have to break the bank to stay up.

This is not to say Coventry have the same quality Leeds did last season, but there is more to avoiding relegation than spending stupid sums of money.

Leeds’ win over Brighton at Elland Road on Sunday places them 14th in the Premier League and just two points off the top 10.

Not since matchday 13, back in November, have Leeds been in the drop zone. A change of formation away at Manchester City saw to that.

Since then, Leeds have bounced between 17th and 14th and have always managed to stay at least one result away from any real danger.

Farke’s mission is complete and it was far easier than anyone envisioned – even if Waddle sees it differently.