Leeds News

“You Start To Worry Again” – Former Leeds Player Has Wage Worries & Seems To Think It’s Promotion Or Bust

|

Former Leeds United fullback and now pundit, Danny Mills, has said that he fears for the club should we not achieve our aim of getting out of the Championship and back into the Premier League this year, as he has massive concerns over our current wage bill.

It’s been a steady start to the 2019/20 campaign for manager Marcelo Bielsa’s boys, but it hasn’t been spectacular, however, we are only two points off top spot and we’ve already had games go against us that shouldn’t have.

Speaking to Talksport on Wednesday morning, Mills said that we simply had to gain promotion this year as we did have the best squad in the division, but it was down to the players to step up and prove their worth.

“They are the best team in the Championship, but they have got to prove it week in, week out. They have got a good squad of players, they have now got a good bench. They are stuttering and starting. The wage bill at the moment for Leeds, including the manager and his staff, is £35/£40million. That is big for the Championship. They need to get up this season. If they don’t, you start to worry again. The owner has just come out and done a rare interview and said there might be new investment and he could be looking to sell the club. We’ve known that for some time. But if they don’t go up this season with that sort of wage bill…it will be difficult times again for Leeds.”

The less reactionary fans amongst us will point out Mills is using figures that are out of date from the last set of accounts, and although the new deal for Kalvin Phillips, the loan of Eddie Nketiah and Ben White, let alone the signing of Helder Costa would’ve grown our wages – we also jettisoned a number over the summer which would’ve helped address things.

As ever, with Financial Fair Play, it’s about proportion in terms of revenue and the last tally of available information that I saw, relating to wage comparisons in 2018/19, had Leeds very much middle of the pile, so it seems a little spurious to question our potential future unless you are doing it for effect.

Not least because we have saleable assets if needs be, and we know Bielsa himself is on a good wage, and he has plenty of spies working with him in a bolstered backroom staff, so it’s all a little relative.

Our desperation for promotion isn’t naturally linked to our wage bill and given the way we have shrunk the playing group, I would say the Board are incredibly aware and where we are and where we need to be for the next FFP assessment, and Andrea Radrizzani doesn’t seem the sort of chap to put his eggs all in one basket on a promotion or bust basis.

Previous Article:

Should Leeds Be Concerned About A January Recall – Certainly Not At This Stage

Share this article