‘If we stay up this year’: Angus Kinnear shares update on proposed Elland Road expansion

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Speaking on The Square Ball Podcast, Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear has shared an update on the proposed expansion of Elland Road.

The Yorkshire club announced plans to expand their stadium at the club’s centenary celebrations back in 2019, but here we are in 2021 and nothing has changed as of yet.

However, Kinnear says that the process could begin in 2022 if Leeds stay in the Premier League this time around.

What’s been said?

Kinnear gave an update on the development.

“If we stay up this year, then construction wouldn’t start next year, but the process would,” Kinnear said.

“And that process is planning, full designs. And actually the financial commitment you need before you start construction is tens of millions of pounds. So the first gate that you need to go through is we [stay] up again, and therefore that’s tens of millions of pounds to take us to the point where you can put a shovel in the ground.”

Need to stay up

Leeds staying in the Premier League this season seems to be doubly important after this update.

Of course, the Whites were comfortably in the top half last season, so there isn’t much of a threat of relegation at the moment, but as we saw last term with Sheffield United, second season syndrome is a very real thing.

Leeds may have aspirations of qualifying for Europe at some stage, but it seems as though the most important thing this season is still avoiding relegation.