Leeds United are better-prepared for relegation from the Premier League than West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, according to ex-Manchester City adviser Stefan Borson.
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With seven games left to play for each of the clubs in England’s top flight, the battle near the bottom of the table is intensifying.
Safety could be beyond Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley but there is just a handful of points separating 18th-placed West Ham and those hovering just above the drop zone.
Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham are the clubs dangling precariously over the edge.
Borson, who advised Manchester City on financial matters, believes Leeds are more adequately braced for life back in the second tier than some of their rivals.
Leeds United advantage
He told Football Insider: “The benefit that Leeds have got is, as a club that goes up and down over the last few years, they’re set up for relegation in a way.
“They understand that dynamic much better than say West Ham, who have had a long period of no relegation. Leeds’ contracts across the organisation will all envisage a scenario where either they’re in the Premier League or they’re in the Championship.
“Now, that won’t always be the case with every team that gets relegated. It won’t be the case with every contract in the Tottenham portfolio. A lot of those contracts will be designed for Premier League, for always being in the Premier League.”
Leeds United’s last relegation
Leeds were last relegated from the top flight in the summer of 2023 and had to endure a summer of drama.
The likes of Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon were shrewdly recruited, but the Whites lost a raft of players due to contract clauses enabling loan exits.
Leeds required two seasons to clinch promotion back to the promised land, eventually clinching the Championship title in May 2025.
It is a brutal reality that Leeds will need to plan for the possibility of relegation. However, with ambitious plans involving stadium redevelopment in the pipeline, the Whites will be desperate to avoid the drop.