Preston North End executive director Peter Ridsdale has pointed out that Leicester City and Leeds United’s wage bill is five times more than his side’s, in a swipe at parachute payments.
Leeds and Leicester both had a disastrous campaign last season and as a result of that, they were relegated to the Championship.
Both clubs have had parachute payments to fall back on which have meant they have been able to keep hold of a number of their stars.
It has paid off, with Leicester top of the table and Leeds sitting in second, as both bid to bounce back to the top flight at the first time of asking.
With no funding deal agreed between the Premier League and the EFL yet, Preston director Ridsdale stressed that the financial discrepancy, seeing sides such as Leicester and Leeds paying five times what North End can, is a real issue.
“All we want is to make sure we have a sustainable and competitive EFL and obviously you see the cliff-edge between the Premier League and the Championship, with the parachute clubs coming down getting something like £50m in the first year and £40m-odd in the second year, having got relegated”, Ridsdale was quoted as saying by the BBC.
“We’ve got teams at the top of our division paying five times more in wages than we [Preston North End] are, and that’s showing because they’re at the top end of the Championship – and they’re doing that based on parachute payments that are coming down from the Premier League.
“The top three teams are Leicester City, Leeds United and Ipswich, then Southampton are fourth.
“Three of those four came down last year and have got parachute payments.
“If we don’t keep it competitive and sustainable, then English football is finished.”
The third relegated side from last season, Southampton, sit in fourth spot in the Championship table, firmly in the automatic promotion battle, and have a ten point lead over fifth placed West Brom.
