Leeds £78.3m reveal as Maguire shares financial accusations – ‘I’ve been contacted’
Leeds United are getting the most out of their hefty Championship wage bill and are on course for a return to the Premier League.
Daniel Farke‘s side sit five points clear at the summit of the second tier and have a healthy seven-point gap to third place; the Premier League now firmly in their sights with just 12 matches remaining.
Getting back to the top-flight after two years away will avoid the potential pitfall Leeds could face if they stay in the Championship for a third season, as Premier League parachute payments drop significantly.
Leeds, however, are seen as a team who arguably should be where they are in the table given their outlay in the summer transfer window and sizeable wage bill, drawing accusations aplenty from their critics.
Kieran Maguire shares ‘incorrect’ Leeds United admission
There’s no doubting that Leeds have one of the most expensively-assembled and well-paid squads in Championship history, having come down from the Premier League with some players on huge contracts.
However, accusations that United have the second-tier’s biggest ever wage bill have been disproven by football finance expert Kieran Maguire, who posted on X (26 February) with a table of his findings.
While Maguire’s table didn’t include the yet-to-be-published figures from the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, it showed that Leeds’ 2019/20 title winners were behind Newcastle, Aston Villa and Fulham.
Maguire said: “I’ve been contacted by some fans of Leeds United after accusations that their club has had the highest wage bills in the Championship. Those accusations are incorrect.”
Promotion a must for Leeds United finances
Although Maguire admitted last summer that Leeds’ latest failure in the Championship play-offs wouldn’t prove to be a financial “crisis”, failure to go up this time around could be a whole different story in LS11.
Premier League parachute payments have indeed given the Peacocks a financial advantage compared to sides who’ve been in the Championship for a longer period of time, but they’re not the only beneficiaries.
| Position | Club | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | GD | Points |
| 1 | Leeds United | 34 | 22 | 9 | 3 | +50 | 75 |
| 2 | Sheffield United | 34 | 22 | 6 | 6 | +22 | 70 |
| 3 | Burnley | 34 | 18 | 14 | 2 | +34 | 68 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 34 | 17 | 11 | 6 | +19 | 62 |
Sheffield United, Burnley, Watford, Norwich and bottom side Luton are all in receipt of the same payments this season, having each been relegated from the top-flight in the previous three campaigns.
Like Watford and Norwich, however, Leeds’ parachute payments are set to drop significantly next term if they stay in the second tier, something which would likely see plans to redevelop Elland Road put on ice.
United’s sheer demand for tickets and commercial revenue dwarfs that of most other Championship sides – justifying their spending both this season and last, as well as 2019/20 – but there’s no doubting that every aspect of the club will take a financial hit if they’re not a Premier League side next season.