Leeds and Southampton clash for a lucrative return to the Premier League

Leeds and Southampton will find a lucrative place in the Premier League when they meet in football’s richest game at Wembley on Sunday.

Promotion to the English top flight is worth around £140m ($178m) to the winner of the Championship play-off final.

No other game can offer such wealth, given the huge increases in match-day, broadcast and commercial revenue available to clubs that reach the Premier League.

Financial experts Deloitte say the team promoted this weekend could pocket £305m if they avoid relegation next season.

While the prize money is a huge bonus, the prestige of competing with Manchester City and Arsenal, rather than the likes of Plymouth and Oxford in the second tier, will fuel two sides desperate to regain their Premier League status after a year of exile.

Relegation from the top tier can be ruinous, but Leeds and Southampton handled their relegation smartly enough to move to a win after a return to the promised land.

There were regrets for Leeds, who finished third in the Championship, three points behind fourth-placed Southampton, after losing their grip on an automatic promotion place which went to Ipswich instead.

Leeds recovered to show their potential in a 4-0 demolition of Norwich in the second leg of their play-off semi-final.

Southampton, who beat Leeds twice in the regular season, also impressed with a place in the final on the line, beating West Bromwich Albion 3-1 in the second leg.

Both clubs feel the Premier League is a more suitable arena for their sizeable fan bases and history of sustained spells at the top level.

But the past also holds painful memories for Leeds, who have failed in five previous attempts to gain promotion via the play-offs.

The three-time English champions have not won at Wembley since the 1992 Charity Shield against Liverpool and will be making their first appearance there in 17 years.

They can enjoy the presence of boss Daniel Farke, who guided Norwich to automatic promotion to the Premier League in 2019 and 2021.

– “I didn’t like his decision” –

“We know it’s a massive game. It’s a final and that’s why you’re always more focused, but it’s also important to stay calm and find a good balance,” Farke said.

“It’s a 50-50 game. But that also means it’s a big chance of promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. For that we’re really excited.”

The promotion would be a Hollywood finish for Leeds, just weeks after movie star Will Ferrell became a shareholder in the club’s ownership group 49ers Enterprises.

This star-studded consortium also includes actor Russell Crowe, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

In a plot twist, Farke has a contentious history with Southampton boss Russell Martin, having played under the German at Norwich before his contract was terminated by mutual consent in 2018.

Farke complimented Martin on Friday, saying: “He was my captain at Norwich and always looked at things through a manager’s eyes.”

But Martin, who captained Norwich in their Championship play-off final win over Middlesbrough in 2015, admitted the Carrow Road exit was a difficult time in his career.

“I really didn’t like his decision at the time. I can’t sit here and pretend that’s the case,” he said.

“I’ve never had a personal problem. I think people really wanted us and still want us to do it now because it’s a beautiful story.”

Despite his reassuring attitude, winning promotion at Farke’s expense would clearly be a sweet moment for Martin, who urged his team to seize the opportunity.

“It’s a privilege to play in a game of this magnitude,” he said.

“They have the chance to experience something spectacular that they will remember forever.”

smg/nf