I joined Leeds United for £11m and they'll need to spend big again to survive in the Premier League
Leeds United will have a concerning trend to buck if they achieve Championship promotion.
Robbie Fowler has warned of the difficulty Leeds United will face in recruiting for Premier League survival if they achieve promotion this season.
Fowler’s former side Leeds are on course to secure their top-flight return at the second time of asking, with an incredible 17-game unbeaten run leaving them top of the Championship. Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to West Brom saw momentum slow ever so slightly, but they remain the envy of their rivals with only 11 games remaining.
Such is the strength of position Leeds are in that some outside focus has already turned to what they do this summer, with the gulf between Championship and Premier League only widening. Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton all pipped Farke’s side to promotion last season but they look set to come straight back down with miserable campaigns all round.
Leeds transfer window demand
Should the current bottom three stay there come May, then it will be the second consecutive season in which the newly-promoted trio have dropped straight back into the Championship. And if Leeds are to avoid another repeat then Fowler, a big-money £11m arrival from Liverpool himself back in 2001, expects a summer of serious investment.
“If you look at the law of averages promoted teams have started to really struggle in the Premier League, looking at Burnley, Luton and Sheffield United last season,” Fowler said. “The form of Leeds at the moment is extraordinary. They are a Premier League club without a doubt, that’s where they deserve to be. They are a big club with a huge fan base, I've always seen them as a Premier League club.
“I think that Leeds will get promoted, but if they do they need a good investment to be spent on incoming players because we’ve seen how promoted sides have struggled. You need to get established players in the door to keep your club up, you have to have a really good look at the window to bring in capable players or you end up down again.”
Transfer lessons to be learned
49ers Enterprises will be no strangers to the challenges of survival, given they were involved with Leeds - albeit as minority shareholders - during their previous promotion under Marcelo Bielsa. The ensuing recruitment drive was led by then-sporting director Victor Orta and funded by previous owner Andrea Radrizzani.
In the immediate aftermath of promotion, Leeds moved to make goalkeeper Illan Meslier’s loan permanent while also spending significant sums on the likes of Rodrigo, Raphinha, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente. But after a promising first season which saw them finish ninth, only two senior arrivals came through the door and neither Dan James nor Junior Firpo had the desired instant impact.
Leeds faltered again after surviving by the skin of their teeth, with the decision to back Jesse Marsch by signing several Red Bull players - the likes of Tyler Adams, Rasmus Kristensen, Max Wober and Brenden Aaronson - not paying off. Those two disappointing summers ultimately played their part in relegation and 49ers Enterprises will be desperate to avoid the same mistakes.