Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe insists Rangers will not become a feeder club under the new multi-club structure, or vice-versa, labelling it a ‘disservice’ to two sides aiming to compete in European football under his watch.
His immediate priority will be helping the Yorkshire club build a team fit to fight for top-flight survival, with reports today suggesting they’re closing in on a massive agreement with a highly-rated striker.
Marathe, who helped guide Leeds back to the Premier League last season, is also vice chairman at Rangers following the US consortium’s recent takeover at Ibrox.
He remains president of 49ers Enterprises, the NFL team’s investment arm, and will split his time between Glasgow and Yorkshire.
Speaking publicly for the first time since outlining Leeds’ ambitions Premier League plans under Daniel Farke, Marathe was clear in his intentions about the plans for Rangers and the connection to the Whites.
“The short, medium and long-term goal is to win. It’s win the league, it’s win cups, it’s all of the above,” he said.
“Do we think we have what we need to win? Absolutely. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t.
Speaking on his goals at Rangers, he continued, “We definitely have big belief in Kev [Kevin Thelwell] and Russell [Martin] to lead the football side. This is about building the right foundation and about doing it intelligently and thoughtfully, not just throwing money at it.
“Throwing money might solve something short term, but this is about trying to build something that will last, and outlast our tenures with the club and keep Rangers on a great trajectory it deserves to be on.”
Both Leeds and Rangers have ambitions of competing in Europe, and questions have been raised about potential conflicts of interest if the two clubs found themselves in the same UEFA competition. Marathe confirmed that a plan is already in place.
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“We have checked the box with those that we need to, to make sure that if and when there is ever even a situation when there is a perception of a conflict, we would solve that.
“That has already been solved, so we’re good there.”
The comments follow a wider conversation around multi-club ownership, with Crystal Palace also drawing attention this week after links to Strasbourg and a potential reshaping of their transfer model.
When asked about suggestions that one club could become a feeder for the other, Marathe pushed back strongly.
“It would be a disservice to Leeds and Rangers to consider one a feeder club to the other,” he said.
“Consider them both closed-loop universes that deserve proper attention and nurture and care – we will designate and assign resources appropriately.”
He added, “There are opportunities to learn from each other, whether it’s commercially or competitively on the pitch.”
On how he plans to manage both roles, Marathe said it wasn’t about logistics or time zones, but about competitiveness.
“As far as my time, I don’t see it as hours in a day, days in a week or weeks in a year. I really don’t.
“To me, I hate losing, and I want to win. Whatever I need to do to keep me on the winning side of the ledger at any club is all I care about. I don’t even know where I was two days ago. Honestly, right now I am here and thinking about this. That is all that drives me.”
Marathe’s message is simple: Both clubs deserve full attention, shared expertise, and clear ambition. And under his stewardship, neither Leeds nor Rangers will be left behind.