Leeds United’s upper hand in negotiations revealed for 13-assist man as Whites urged to raid stricken club

Leeds United appear on course for automatic promotion back to the Premier League this season with four games of the Championship campaign remaining and a five-point gap to the play-off places.

Should Leeds do what is expected of them and secure a spot back amongst English football's elite, the club will be in line to receive up to an additional £100 million in broadcast revenue, along with improved commercial deals and other income streams with the capacity to increase turnover.

Leeds are expected to do plenty of business this summer, both incoming and outgoing, as the Whites prepare their squad for what will hopefully be a year or more in the Premier League.

While club coffers will be boosted if promotion is confirmed, there will not be a bottomless pit of cash to spend, as well as a Profitability and Sustainability headroom reduction to contend with.

To that end, the club would be best placed to recruit smartly and efficiently, repeating signings such as that of Ao Tanaka for £3 million from Fortuna Dusseldorf, as opposed to spending upwards of £30 million on several players, which did not pay off in the past.

For that reason, the Championship may well prove a happy hunting ground for the soon-to-be promoted Whites. The YEP opined earlier this week that Sheffield United's Michael Cooper would be a shrewd addition to resolve Leeds' goalkeeping situation, provided the Blades do not also go up, most likely via the play-offs.

However, Chris Wilder's men will most probably be favourites to win promotion via the secondary, non-automatic route, in which scenario Cooper would probably prove prohibitively expensive.

A team less likely to go up this season are West Bromwich Albion, whose form has waned since the departure of Carlos Corberan midway through the campaign but remain in the play-off picture. Sitting in seventh place at the time of writing, the Baggies are in with a shout of promotion as they are scheduled to play three relegation-threatened sides Derby County, Cardiff City and Luton Town before the end of the season.

Although, defeat in their next match versus Frank Lampard's Coventry City could see a five or six-point gap open up between them and the final play-off spot, which could prove insurmountable over the final three matchdays.

In West Brom's 2023/24 accounts released earlier this year, the club reported a £33.9 million loss, up by over £20 million from the £11 million loss reported a season prior.

This was largely due to the fact the Baggies' turnover halved to less than £30 million with the absence of Premier League parachute payments. The club had been in receipt of the top flight parachute funding between 2021 and 2024, reducing from 55 per cent in the first year, to 45 per cent, followed by a 20 per cent allocation in the third and final year.

West Brom co-owner Shilen Patel also expects a similar loss to be reported for the 2024/25 season, the results of which will be released next spring.

Consequently, the Baggies are in a tricky position financially and belt-tightening a necessity. West Brom spent approximately £10 million on signings this season whilst recouping around £6.5 million from player sales. Squad planning has already begun for next season with ex-Leeds man Kyle Bartley's contract extended by a further year in what could be described as a low-cost solution.

Who should Leeds target from the Baggies' squad?

This year, England Under-21 midfielder Tom Fellows has been one of the Championship's emerging talents, registering 13 assists for The Hawthorns club after a coming-of-age loan spell at Crawley Town last season.

The 21-year-old is currently out in front in the Championship's assists leaderboard and is one of a few saleable assets in head coach Tony Mowbray's squad.

While Fellows has not been the division's best creator statistically, in terms of producing opportunities deemed most valuable, he has been consistent. An adept carrier of the ball, predominantly from the right flank, Fellows has created 29 chances at the end of a ball-carry, while 23 have resulted in a shot. Meanwhile, eight of his 13 league assists have come as a result of the England youth international's carrying.

Leeds are relatively well-staffed for wide attackers but a permanent deal for someone like Manor Solomon is not likely to be an inexpensive one given his current salary at parent club Tottenham Hotspur, their failure to qualify for Europe this season and the subsequent need maximise any possible summer sale to make up for lost European competition revenue.

The Baggies, on the other hand, are not likely to be in a strong negotiating position, particularly if Leeds are promoted, therefore a low-cost deal for one of the Championship's most reliable attackers this season is possible. These types of transfers are rare but the club which Fellows plays for, their financial position and likely continuation as a Championship club, makes him a realistic transfer prospect who would not break the bank, hypothetically speaking.

Fellows is contracted at The Hawthorns until summer 2027, however, his most recent contract extension came almost 18 months ago, before he had come to the fore as a Baggies mainstay. This means he is likely to be earning a salary in line with his previous level of importance to the squad, which given West Brom's comparably smaller wage bill, will be significantly less than what Leeds or another club higher up the food chain could offer this summer.