Leeds United’s play-off final defeat to Southampton means the club are going to have to sell players but it is also due to have a knock-on effect in terms of The 49ers’ plans for Elland Road.
In what is deemed the most-expensive game in professional football, Leeds suffered a 1-0 loss against Southampton at Wembley. It saw The Saints beat Leeds for a third time this season, under Russell Martin.
With Leeds required to pay £190m in transfer fees from past purchases, The Whites will now be forced into a number of player sales. Promotion would have given Leeds the cash to deal with these debts.
But failure to do so now means The 49ers are going to have to streamline their plans, and that is not simply in terms of player recruitment. It also affects plans in place to redevelop the Elland Road stadium.
That is according to a report from The Mirror in the wake of the play-off final defeat to Southampton, as Leeds failed to find a way past a stubborn Southampton rearguard after Adam Armstrong scored early.
The initial plans the 49ers had put in place for Elland Road
Back in April,it was reported that The 49ers had held talks with shareholders from around the City in regards to an expansion of Elland Road, with the 37,890 capacity deemed small compared to demand.
If in the Premier League last season, Leeds would have had the eleventh largest capacity. But The 49ers were keen to move that capacity towards the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle’s stadium totals.
A plan of expanding towards the 50,000 mark had been drawn up. Promotion would have given Leeds the financial capability to execute those plans, but Leeds are now set for another season in the Championship.
Leeds and 49ers now forced to wait for at least another season
The Mirror state that failure to go up, coupled with the club’s debts that were racked up under Andrea Radrizzani and Jesse Marsch’s splurge during the summer of 2022, means Leeds will now have to wait.
The 49ers who are renowned as sensible, well-measured owners will now have to pay off past debts to other clubs first as a priority and that means they have shelved expansion plans for at least a year.
Leeds need to return to the Premier League to afford, and warrant increasing the club’s stadium. It means Farke has got to deliver promotion in his second season after failing to do so on Sunday.