Leeds told some home truths over Elland Road redevelopment by top source
Leeds United will potentially have to increase their ticket prices across the board in the coming years in order to fund their planned redevelopment of Elland Road.
That is according to former Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Whites must tread carefully with how they move things forward with their fans.
Leeds are currently embarking on plans to ultimately upgrade Elland Road to a 55,000 capacity, with work already underway.
Wyness believes that fans will "accept" a potential "percentage increase" across the board in ticket prices, but also feels that the club cannot be excessive with their raises.
Aston Villa are currently working on the redevelopment of the North Stand at Villa Park, with tickets for their Champions League home games rising as high as £99.
Wyness' former club have faced criticism for that decision, and the Scottish businessman is adamant that Leeds must approach the situation with more caution in future.
New Leeds scheme creates 'powder keg'
Villa's former chief Wyness - who served as CEO at Villa Park between 2016 and 2018 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs - believes that Leeds' plan to potentially use an AI-driven dynamic pricing scheme could create a "powder keg" among the fanbase.
The planned scheme hasn't been ruled out by the club, and could see fans pay different ticket prices for home games based on their loyalty.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why Leeds simply have to be measured with any price increases that occur in the coming years.
"If Leeds are careful here, the newcomers coming into the expansion, in terms of the hospitality increases and the new number of seats, are paying more than the people who are already season ticket holders at the current Elland Road," he said.
"I'd be very careful about handling that sort of issue. The dynamic pricing, as I say, is a powder keg. But the maths of the new expansion mean that there's got to be investment; it's got to be paid for somehow, I get that.
"But as I say, if they can show that the greater burden is coming on the newcomers and on the hospitality expansion, that makes sense, and I think the public will buy that and the fans will accept a percentage increase provided they are seen to have their loyalty rewarded.
"I think that's something clubs are going to have to get more and more into is actually genuinely rewarding loyalty rather than paying lip service.
"I'm hoping that Paraag Marathe is a bit smarter now; he's had enough seasons in the game to understand how that dynamic pricing would be received."
Leeds face battle to sign Igor Paixao
Football Insider revealed on Sunday that Leeds will face a battle from several Premier League rivals to sign Marseille winger Igor Paixao in the upcoming transfer windows.
The Brazilian is a long-term target for the Whites, and could be available on a cut-price fee within the next 12 months due to Marseille's financial issues.
However, sources say that the French giants remain reluctant to lose the 26-year-old in the middle of the season, so a deal next summer is more likely than in January.
Paixao notched 12 goals and six assists for Marseille last term, and has been on the radar at Elland Road for several seasons now.