Leeds United have the chance to record their first back-to-back wins in the Premier League in almost three years when they face Brighton on Saturday afternoon – but despite the Whites’ grandeur and global standing when it comes to reputation, their opponents represent where most of the league wish to be financially.
Leeds finally secured a return to the Premier League after a 100-point campaign in the Championship, ending a two-year wait without top-flight football.
Much of their fanbase will believe that they deserve a place at the top table of English football, and with great reason. They were the last winners of the old First Division before the Premier League took shape, before spending 12 years in the league before financial collapse.
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Champions League nights, UEFA Cup runs and top five finishes became commonplace in West Yorkshire, though it was a long road back after a 17-year wait.
In that time, Brighton have risen from the ashes to show clubs the blueprint for stabilising themselves in the league – and we’ve tasked TBR Football’s financial expert Adam Williams with comparing the different nature of both clubs.
A general view of Elland Road, with a closeup shot of the Leeds United badge on a corner flag in the foreground
Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images
Why Brighton are above Leeds in Premier League food chain as Saturday clash shows financial disparity
This season represents just Leeds’ fourth in the Premier League since 2004, a poor tally for a club of their size. Meanwhile, the current campaign is Brighton’s ninth consecutive season in the top-flight, with three top-half finishes from their last four attempts.
Such is their financial standing, that Brighton signed Georginio Rutter from Leeds last summer for around £40million, and even prior to that, Brighton rejected interest for defender Ben White from the Whites.
And Adam Williams has answered why a naturally ‘bigger’ club in Leeds remain somewhat behind Brighton in the Premier League food chain.
Williams said: “Leeds United recognise that there is food chain in English and European football – and that hierarchy is 90 per cent based on finances.
“Brighton pay decent, performance-weighted wages and, crucially, they promise that they won’t stand in a player’s way if they get a sufficient offer from a ‘bigger’ club. They are basically an incubator for the more established teams, and they play that role unbelievably well.
Player Transfer fee sold for Club sold to
Moises Caicedo £115m Chelsea
Marc Cucurella £63m Chelsea
Joao Pedro £60m Chelsea
Ben White £50m Arsenal
Alexis Mac Allister £35m Liverpool
Yves Bissouma £35m Tottenham
“Pound-for-pound, they’re the best-run club in the Premier League, if not the world.
“Because of the credit they have in the bank, they can afford to play hard-ball over players like Ben White. Unlike a lot of clubs, they have such an inventory of developing talent that they can afford not to sell when it suits them.
“Leeds are a massive club – you only have to look at their commercial income, even when they are in the Championship, to see that they are one of Europe’s best supported clubs. However, that cachet alone isn’t going to give them the edge over clubs like Brighton when it comes to recruitment and retention.
“The 49ers are attempting to implement a value-driven approach to recruitment that helps them consolidate in the Premier League and, if they can survive for a couple of seasons, gives them both a financial and personnel foundation to push on up the table. Player trading is going to have to play a part in that, as is scaling the club commercially.
“Where they have the edge over Brighton is that they are a global brand. The badge is recognised all over the world and, unlike a nouveau riche club like Brighton, that is the case regardless of what division they are in.
“If they get the football strategy right and the owners are ambitious enough, they can be a giant. I think Brighton’s ceiling is the odd season in Europe here and there. In the long term, Leeds should be looking higher than that.”
We’ve seen the likes of Aston Villa rise from Championship obscurity into Champions League challengers in recent seasons, whilst Newcastle have followed suit thanks to their takeover. With West Ham also having won a European trophy just 11 years after being in the Championship, that will be Leeds’ long-term aim.
Daniel Farke celebrates as Leeds United beat West Ham in the Premier League
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Leeds have £13m edge over Brighton and long-term success could see financial picture skyrocket
Leeds’ brand is evidently bigger than Brighton’s due to their illustrious history, and they’ll need to remain in the Premier League for that to grow into financial superiority over their weekend opponents.
Brighton owner Tony Bloom has done incredibly well to take Brighton from a third-tier outfit to European contenders in most of their campaigns. But even last season, Leeds’ commercial income eclipsed the Seagulls’ final figures.
Taking sponsorship, merchandise sales and more into account, Leeds earned £13million more than Brighton on all fronts, showing just how much bigger their brand is.
Considering that figure was also whilst they were in the Championship, the difference in fiscal disparity will only likely grow in the Premier League thanks in no small part to Leeds’ name playing the big guns once again.
If Leeds can remain in the division for at least three years or so and consolidate themselves as regulars in the top-flight, we could see them return to the European glory days once again.