Leeds United have already been handed Premier League promotion boost over Burnley, here’s why

Add as preferred source on Google

Leeds United and Burnley sealed their returns to the Premier League with two games to spare in the Championship.

After beating Stoke City 6-0 earlier in the day, Leeds knew that anything other than a Sheffield United win in their match at Turf Moor would secure their top-flight return, while a victory for Burnley would ensure automatic promotion for both in an ideal weekend.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	44	27	13	4	89	29	60	94
2	BurnleyBurnley	44	26	16	2	61	15	46	94
3	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	44	27	7	10	60	35	25	86
4	SunderlandSunderland	44	21	13	10	58	41	17	76
5	Bristol CityBristol City	44	17	16	11	57	49	8	67
6	CoventryCoventry	44	19	9	16	62	57	5	66

They claimed victory which means Daniel Farke joins Scott Parker in securing his third Premier League promotion. The only manager with more is Steve Bruce. However, the Championship title is still up for grabs and so is a 100-point record to become one of the highest tallies in history.

Leeds and Burnley are sat first and second respectively, both on 94 points, and now face a straight shoot-out for the Championship title with two games remaining. Leeds have a big advantage on goal difference, so just two wins will now get the job done.

• READ MORE: Leeds United told they do one thing ‘miles’ better than Burnley by EFL expert

How Burnley and Leeds United returned to the Premier League

For the Clarets it is an immediate bounce back up to English football’s top table, while the Whites took two years to secure their top-flight return. Leeds and Burnley will now hope they can buck the new trend of promoted teams going straight back down.

Only once between the Premier League’s foundation in 1992/93 and 2022/23 had all the promoted teams gone straight back down, but it is set to happen for the second season in a row currently.

Burnley’s last season in the Premier League was under Vincent Kompany after they cruised their way to promotion, playing front-footed and possession-based football. But they continued trying to play like that in the Premier League and it simply did not work

However, this promotion campaign has been very different in terms of the foundations from which it has been built. They are a more defensively sound and solid team out of possession from back to front. That should serve them well, but recruitment is going to be key to survival for both.

Leeds have been utterly dominant between both boxes, as exemplified by their goal difference. Both clubs could break the points record in the final games, but Leeds have been the standout competitor so far in terms of their overall quality at both ends of the pitch.

They have more points than they did in their 2019/20 Championship title-winning campaign under Marcelo Bielsa (93), having lost in last season’s play-off final at Wembley. They are promoted at the second time of asking and both gain the rich financial reward of promotion.

It now means a summer of building the club and squad to Premier League standards, which both sides will be looking to do with upgrades across the board. But are Leeds better placed to do that and make up the gap between second tier and Premier League?

• READ MORE: These 5 Leeds United players need to be offloaded as Daniel Farke’s side head for the Premier League

Leeds’ clever loan business compared to Burnley

Not only are Leeds’ underlying numbers promising but Leeds are also not tied into big money deals for players that are not likely to be at the required level. They may not be in the 2025/26 Championship line-up, but it could be another one-year stint away if they aren’t careful

The likes of Jaidon Anthony, Zian Flemming, and Bashir Humphreys are good Championship players; but can they make the step up? Marcus Edwards is the player who looks the most capable from his time in Portugal but even he is somewhat of a question mark.

It means they are spending a huge proportion of their Premier League budget on squad players or starters who could easily be found out when stepping up a level. Leeds do not have that issue. Not only is this a problem for the Clarets but it is also costing them in excess of £40 million to do so.

Leeds, by contrast, have far fewer squad building issues to contend with. They have just two loanees in Manor Solomon and Joe Rothwell, with the choice to pursue permanent deals or not. Burnley’s obligations to buy give them no say in the matter.

Leeds can be more selective with their budget and how they divide it up to other positions. Solomon has done well but there are no guarantees that a permanent deal will materialise and it could save them cash for a more pressing issue.

This approach to last summer has to be commended by Leeds and Farke, and it gives them a leg up immediately on their promotion rivals. Leeds are evidently the club with more leeway heading into the transfer market.