Leeds United are going into next season looking to consolidate in the Premier League, as nine of 20 teams compete in Europe.
Finishing outside the bottom three this season was the only objective for Daniel Farke, and ending up 14th with a comfortable end to the season was an emphatic way to accomplish that mission.
Looking ahead to next season, Farke wants to see ambition by competing higher up – he’s got plenty of incentive as almost half the division play in Europe.
Nine Premier League teams in Europe in 26/27 as Leeds United watch on
Leeds’ remarkable achievement of bucking promoted clubs’ trend of being relegated was dampened quite significantly, though, by Sunderland.
A win on the final day against Chelsea snuck the Black Cats into Europa League qualification. They are one of a whopping, and record-levelling nine Premier League teams set to compete in Europe next season.
Five teams will be in the Champions League, three in the Europa League, and one in the Conference League:
Champions League: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool
Europa League: Bournemouth, Sunderland, and Crystal Palace.
Conference League: Brighton.
As a result, Leeds are one of just 11 teams in the division that won’t have extra-curricular European commitments next season.
Leeds United face double-edged Europe update as Premier League congestion awaits
There’s pros and cons from Leeds’ perspective when looking at the sheer volume of teams in Europe next season.
You could argue it’s much more positive than negative for Leeds. Mainly, each of these nine teams are guaranteed to play at least eight more midweek fixtures between September and February – a level of congestion Leeds won’t have, putting us at an instant advantage.
When you look at how that hampered Crystal Palace in the league, it leaves Leeds able to put full focus on finishing as high as possible next season.
Then, there’s the financial headache bestowed upon each club.
Of course, qualifying for Europe is a lucrative achievement. But, each of the nine clubs are now faced with UEFA’s much stricter Squad Cost Ratio rules.
While the Premier League permit 85% of revenue to be spent on ‘squad costs’, UEFA competition only permit 70%. It leaves these clubs having to spin more plates with their finances than Leeds’ straightforward threshold.
On the flip side, for us match-going fans, it means there’s virtually no chance of regular appearances on Saturdays, especially 3pm kick-offs.
That’s because virtually every side in this group of nine won’t be playing on Saturday. If they’re playing against Leeds, we’ll be seeing more fixtures rescheduled for Sunday and Monday slots.
Fixture congestion will play out in Leeds’ favour, in the first half of the season and potentially into the run-in. But, rescheduled fixtures for broadcast will no doubt have the match-going populace at the bottom of the priorities list once again.
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