The Premier League season ended well for Leeds. It looked dark for a long time, until Daniel Farke and the Leeds players found their rhythm in the second half of the season, rising above the relegation mud battle between Tottenham and West Ham, while the gang from Elland Road went all the way to the semi-finals of the FA Cup. It therefore came as a bit of a shock to the supporters this week, when the club management confirmed they are selling one of Farke’s key players. Now comes the explanation.
We have seen clubs such as Leicester and Everton get points penalties for breaking the PSR rules (rules for sustainable and profitable club operations). For Leeds, the plan was made before the season, a plan to ensure that the club stays on the right side of the rules.
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Unwanted sale of Pascal Struijk was part of a larger plan at Leeds
Pascal Struijk has been sold to Brighton for around £20 million. The player who has worn the Leeds shirt for over eight years, the player who has helped lift Leeds back to the Premier League twice. A player Farke definitely did not want to sell.
Now comes the explanation from the club management.
“Last summer, a decision was made to keep all the key players at Elland Road to give the club the best possible chance of surviving in the Premier League. At the same time, the expectation was that it would be necessary to sell players to comply with the rules of profit and sustainability (PSR) during the three-year accounting period, which ended on June 30, 2026, the club writes.
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“The club’s better-than-expected 14th place in the league and the road to the semi-finals of the FA Cup justified this decision. The increased revenues and the sale of Struijk alone were sufficient to ensure that the club continues to stay within the framework of the PSR rules, it is explained.
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