There is one important element that Leeds cannot get wrong, says the expert
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
10:39, 16 Apr 2026
Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe (L)
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Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe (L)(Image: Pat Scaasi/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The 49ers Enterprises’ main task upon Leeds United securing Premier League survival is to make sure the wage bill stays under control, says football finance expert Stefan Borson.
The released accounts for the 2024/25 Championship season show that Leeds were very close to matching their Premier League wage bill of two years prior, and that figure will have only risen since promotion.
Finance regulations are set to change from profit and sustainability rules [PSR] to squad cost ratio [SCR] this summer, although wages remain a significant factor and naturally count towards spending limits.
In the short-term, the new framework will leave United marginally worse off albeit as time goes on, the club will benefit from a greater spending allowance - as long as they stay in the Premier League, which is no guarantee.
That is why lawyer Borson pins survival as the main question for the 49ers, and beyond that whether the owners can ensure the wage bill does not bloat beyond their means. “The challenge really is, can they stay in the Premier League for a while?” Borson told Football Insider.
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“Can they stop being that yo-yo club and start to have two, three or four seasons in the Premier League, but also at the same time managing that wage bill, which is of course the hardest challenge for all these teams. Can you continue to succeed on the pitch while keeping the wage bill under control?"
As for this season, Monday night's win over Manchester United means Leeds have gone six points clear of the drop zone with six teams left to play, including all of the bottom four, starting with basemant team Wolves at home on Saturday.
Borson added: “What they need to do is just somehow try and put a few seasons together, then start to gradually increase the wage spend, which is a good proxy for where you’re going to finish and hope also that one or two of the relegation places are taken by clearly inferior teams.
“If they survive this season, they’ll be looking down and going, ‘Well, we really should be finishing above Coventry next season. Who else is going to come up?
"'Who’s the team coming up through the play-offs? Can we fluke it that a team come up that’s going to be clearly not good enough next season?’
“It makes life a lot easier because all of sudden you’re talking about one relegation place, not three. That’s the balance they’ve got to do, but staying in the Premier League for them is obviously key.”
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