Chris Wilder fires financial warning to Leeds United ahead of Sheffield United clash
Leeds United “have to go up” due to their exorbitant budget compared to other Championship clubs, according to Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference (17 October), the Sheffield United manager said the Whites are deserving of their ‘favourites’ tag in the Championship this season thanks to their superior finances.
Wilder’s side head to Elland Road on Friday (18 October) for a top-of-the-table clash, and the Blades boss name-checked Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear when discussing United’s financial situation.
He said: “They’re favourites to win the league, and rightly so.
“They know and their fans know they have to go up – they possibly should’ve gone up last year but didn’t.
“The squad is a fabulous squad littered with top players. I think their chief executive (Kinnear) has gone on record saying it’s the highest budget in the history of Championship football.”
Leeds United could face financial implications if promotion fails
Wilder is on the money when it comes to the Whites needing to be promoted this season, largely due to how the Premier League’s relegation parachute payments are structured across a three-year spell.
Sheffield United avoided such a scenario with their last promotion back in 2023 after relegation two seasons prior, but the drop in third-year parachute payments would have been ominous for the club.
The same possibility faces Daniel Farke’s side should they fail to return to the Premier League by 2025, having already experienced a bitter summer overshadowed by selling several key players.
Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter’s big-money exits – all to Premier League sides – headlined just how important it is for United to get back to the top flight as soon as possible.
Those departures have given the club a significant budget to work with this season, but failure to achieve promotion once again would put Farke and much of the squad’s futures in jeopardy.
In other Leeds news, Daniel Farke will be hoping five of his first-team players are back at Thorp Arch in time to face the Blades.
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