Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe has provided an update on 49ers Enterprises’ plans to redevelop Elland Road.
The Whites‘ 1-0 defeat to Southampton in the Championship play-off final on Sunday has raised concerns over whether they will be able to move ahead with those plans.
It is said the 49ers have now been forced to delay their intention to redevelop by a further 12 months as a result of the failure to win promotion, as per the Daily Mirror.
Expanding Elland Road is something that has been discussed for a number of years by previous owners, but it is only the 49ers who have actually moved to do anything concrete.
They have held talks with shareholders from around the City in regards to increasing the capacity from 37,890 to around 50,000, which is somewhere closer to grounds such as Aston Villa and Newcastle United’s.
Currently, the demand for tickets way exceeds the amount of supporters Elland Road can hold, which effectively means Leeds are losing out on matchday revenue.
Marathe addresses ‘myth’ regarding Elland Road expansion plans
In the wake of Leeds’ defeat to Southampton at Wembley, which consigned them to another season of Championship football, Marathe has given a long interview to the press as to where it leaves the club moving forward.
A range of topics were covered, including what will happen with the returning loanees, as well as whether Daniel Farke will be handed any cash to spend on signings this summer.
Even despite not going up, it does feel like Leeds are in a good position to go again based on what Marathe has said, and that is no different regarding Elland Road expansion plans.
Marathe has insisted remaining in the Championship will certainly not put them on hold, with work continuing behind-the-scenes to ensure it all remains on track.
Via the Athletic, he said: “We’re still very much on the timeline to doing that. It’s been reported that nothing’s going to happen until we get to the Premier League — that’s a little bit of a myth.
“All of the make-ready work we have to do before shovels in the ground, it really didn’t matter if we were in the Championship or the Premier League.
“There’s still work being done and significant investment to line up all the things you do before you put a shovel in the ground. We’d be doing that anyway, and we’re continuing down that path.
“If you ask me a year from now, it might be a little bit more complicated because at that point, I’d be ready with a shovel. But everything right now is green-lit, as it would have in either case.”
Leeds need promotion to make Elland Road expansion worthwhile
Of course, the Elland Road expansion plans are still very much in its infancy, but it would be fair to say promotion will be needed to make it worthwhile.
Leeds comfortably sell out every week in the Championship at the moment but if the club were to get stuck in this division for a number of years, it remains to be seen whether demand would hold up.
Leeds have one of the best fanbases in the country, but at the same time, so do Aston Villa, and they did not sell out Villa Park every week when they were in the Championship.
That is not to say Leeds shouldn’t continue with their plans to redevelop, but they have to get things right on the pitch first.