Phil Hay has shared some more detail about what Paraag Marathe has told him about Red Bull’s investment in Leeds United.
The global energy drinks brand agreed the most lucrative sponsorship in EFL history last week to become Leeds‘ official front of shirt sponsor.
Red Bull will be taking over the spot left by SBOTOP in what is their first foray into English football, amid their investment in the likes of Leipzig and Salzburg, among others.
Unlike with those clubs, though, Red Bull will not be taking over a seat in the boardroom at Elland Road, meaning they have no power to change either the name, stadium or badge.
Despite the controversy that comes with the brand, it certainly looks like a positive move for Leeds, with Football Finance expert Adam Williams also exclusively telling LeedsUnited.Newsit will give them more leeway in the market.
How Red Bull’s sponsorship of Leeds will change if promoted
In the days that followed the announcement of Red Bull’s deal, Marathe discussed with the press how Red Bull can benefit Leeds going forward.
The Leeds chairman echoed the claims made by Williams in that it will help them in the transfer window. He also suggested their vast scouting network could benefit Leeds when it comes to identifying potential targets.
And now on the latest episode of the Square Ball Podcast, Athletic journalist Hay has shared what else Marathe told him about the deal.
Hay has claimed that if Leeds are to win promotion next season, there will be a ‘significant uplift’ in the amount it is worth on a yearly basis.
He said: “There was never any doubt when 49ers came in they were going to try and drive Leeds as forward commercially as they possibly could, that is what they are doing.
“Interestingly, and this is not a surprise, but Marathe was saying there is quite a significant uplift with the deal as well when/if they get promoted.
“It will be worth a lot more and given that SBOTOP was somewhere in the region of £7m a year, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Red Bull was in excess of that. It is a good deal financially.”
Leeds developing off-field structure to become a powerhouse
Though the disappointment of missing out on promotion is still there, 49ers are putting all the building blocks in place for Leeds to be a long-term success.
When Leeds were promoted under Andrea Radrizzani, Leeds just did not have the funds or structure in place to keep on improving, which is why they went down.
However, the same cannot be said with the 49ers in charge. Leeds now have a much larger recruitment team in place, and are clearly fare more attractive for potential sponsors.
Hopefully the things that are being done behind-the-scenes can reflect on the field so they can really flex their financial muscle as a Premier League club.