Stefan Borson drops Leeds points deduction verdict after signing drought
Leeds United failed to strengthen their squad with any new signings in the January transfer window despite their battle for promotion this season.
The decision to not bring anyone in has led to frustration among some of the club’s fans, who had hoped to see some fresh faces and more competition for places at Elland Road.
Leeds were believed to be close to breaching the profit and sustainability rules (PSR) for 2023-24 before selling Archie Gray to Tottenham for £30million.
Finance expert Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider the West Yorkshire giants are likely to be close to the spending limit again this season after deciding not to make any January signings.
Under the Premier League’s PSR rules, top-flights clubs are allowed to lose £105million over a rolling three-year period.
But the cap drops from £35million a season in the Premier League to £13million in the Championship, meaning clubs like Leeds need to closely monitor their spending.
Daniel Farke’s side currently sit top of the Championship table, five points above third-place Burnley after 31 games.
Leeds decided against taking January signing gamble
Borson suggested Leeds likely decided it wasn’t worth taking a gamble in January to avoid potentially being hit with a PSR blow further down the line.
He told Football Insider: “I suspect you would go and spend the money in an ideal world, but they are probably another one that are quite close to the limit.
“With the uncertainty of whether they are going to get promotion or not, they have probably looked at it and said ‘We are probably okay and probably have enough, so why would we take that gamble?’.
“If you then miss out on promotion, you have got that double whammy because you are stuck in a PSR issue.
“You just don’t need that kind of difficulty, so they have gone for caution first, which the fans are not delighted about.
“But from a positive side, they have not had any big sales.
“That could have been much worse.”
Leeds missed out on deal for Aston Villa star Louie Barrie
Leeds were interested in Louie Barry in the January window, but they missed out on a deal for the forward after he joined Championship rivals Hull City on loan from Aston Villa.
Farke’s side have seen several players chip in with goals this season, with Joel Piroe leading the scoring charts with 13 strikes in 33 appearances.
The Yorkshire club were knocked out of the FA Cup on Saturday (8 February) after falling to a 2-0 defeat against Millwall in the fourth-round tie.
Leeds face Watford at Vicarage Road on Tuesday (11 February) as they look to provide their promotion hopes with a boost.
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