How high Leeds United can finish in the Premier League - and how much it's worth
Leeds United head to West Ham for their final Premier League fixture of the season on Sunday.
Leeds United could still claim an unlikely top-half Premier League finish this season in what would be a significant boost to their finances.
Daniel Farke’s side have been mathematically safe from relegation for a full week but shown no signs of slowing down. The Whites marked their retained top-flight status with a battling 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur last Monday before enjoying a late 1-0 win at home to Brighton on Sunday.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin won it in the 95th minute, pouncing on a short Jan Paul van Hecke backpass before rounding goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and rolling into an empty net. That late finish gave Elland Road one final chance to celebrate and also kept Leeds’ very faint hopes of a top-10 finish alive.
Victory pulled Leeds onto 47 points for the season, enough to see them sit 14th in the table as things stand. But things are incredibly tight around mid-table and Farke’s side could still jump four places with a commanding final-day win at West Ham this weekend.
There are four teams above Leeds all level on 49 points, the highest of which are Chelsea in 10th. Below them in order are Newcastle United, Everton and Fulham by virtue of inferior goal difference.
Chelsea travel to Sunderland on the final day while Everton are due at relegation-threatened Tottenham. Elsewhere, Fulham host Newcastle with at least one guaranteed to pick up points.
Should the latter pair play out a draw at Craven Cottage, while Chelsea and Everton both lose, it would leave Newcastle in 10th on 50 points. The Magpies currently boast a goal difference of exactly zero, while Leeds are on -4 and Fulham are even further behind on -6.
Farke’s side would therefore have to thump West Ham 5-0 at the London Stadium to make a very unlikely - but not impossible - jump into 10th, finishing level with Newcastle and Fulham on 50 points but ahead of both on goal difference. More realistically, victory by a lower score could see them climb up to a still respectable 11th.
How much could Leeds United make from 10th-placed finish?
That would still require a draw to be played out at Craven Cottage while Everton and Chelsea would both need to lose. Victory for any of the four teams immediately above Leeds would guarantee they remain above Farke’s side come full-time around the grounds on Sunday.
Final day results around the grounds could have a significant financial impact on Leeds as well. The Premier League hand out merit payments to each of the 20 teams at the end of each campaign based on final league position, with each spot in the table worth just short of £3million.
Leeds could drop down to 15th on Sunday if they lose and Crystal Palace beat Arsenal, which based on last season’s figures would bank them £15.9million in merit payments. The Whites would receive around £18.6m if they retain their 14th place.
Should Farke’s side hammer West Ham and results elsewhere go their way, a cash injection of around £29.1m could be on its way to Elland Road, based on a 10th-placed finish last season. That’s a potential range of £13.2m in merit payments between 15th and 10th, a significant amount when Elland Road chiefs plan ahead for the summer.