MX23RW : Friday, November 22 05:43:06| >> :120:22216:22216:

Leeds United will return to a much-changed Premier League

England's top tier has gone through a number of changes in the 16 seasons since Leeds were relegated.

Leeds will find the Premier League has a very different landscape to the one they left behind 16 years ago after finally ending their top-flight exile.

The Yorkshire club's previous spell in the Premier League lasted 12 seasons before they were relegated in 2004 and since then some of the changes have been spectacular.

Power shifts on the field have been significant, but it is the Premier League's transformation off it that has left Leeds fans with the perennial feeling that they had missed the bus.

Chelsea have won the Premier League title five times since Leeds were last in the top flight
Chelsea have won the Premier League title five times since Leeds were last in the top flight (Adam Davy/PA)

Leeds were the last team to win the domestic title before the advent of the Premier League in 1992, but it was Manchester United and Arsenal who dominated the first decade.

Chelsea had yet to emerge as a major force after Roman Abramovich's buy-out when Leeds were last in the top flight, winning the first of their five Premier League titles the season after the Whites had fallen through the trapdoor.

Manchester City, who became one of the world's richest clubs overnight following Abu Dhabi United Group's 2008 takeover, finished two places above Leeds in 2004 and have since established themselves among the elite, crowned champions four times and finishing runners-up on three occasions in the last nine years, with another second-place finish pending.

Their manager, Pep Guardiola, has replaced Jose Mourinho, who had replaced Arsene Wenger, as the Premier League's most influential overseas visionary and Sir Alex Ferguson no longer stands over the top flight like the Colossus of Rhodes.

Pep Guardiola, centre, has won six major trophies with Manchester City
Pep Guardiola, centre, has won six major trophies with Manchester City (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Ferguson's United, City, Chelsea, Liverpool and, who could forget, Leicester have been champions since Leeds' relegation, while Arsenal won the league the year the Whites went down and their north London rivals Tottenham have challenged for the title in past seasons.

They have all made huge contributions to the Premier League's success story and its ever-increasing global appeal.

Liverpool this season ended their 30-year wait for a top-flight title, with their last coming in 1990 – coincidentally the same year Leeds last won promotion from the second tier.

When Leeds were relegated in 2004, the Premier League had in place a three-year £1.2billion deal for domestic television broadcast rights.

Eddie Gray oversaw Leeds' last Premier League game in 2004
Eddie Gray oversaw Leeds' last Premier League game in 2004 (Phil Noble/PA)

That had swelled to just over £3bn for 2013-2016, topping out at £5.14bn for 2016-2019 and although the latest 2019-2022 deal was a 'mere' £4.46bn, an 11 per cent shortfall was offset by burgeoning overseas television revenue, which soared to £4.2bn for the same three-year cycle.

During Leeds' absence from the top flight – they also spent three seasons in the third tier – the Premier League has established itself as a bigger money-earner from overseas broadcasting than any other sports league in the world.

Leeds at last can reap the benefits, an eager new addition to the Premier League's slick marketing machine, and their own revenues will spiral upwards accordingly.

No more trips for their away-day fans, for now, to Oakwell and Kenilworth Road.

Instead they will head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Emirates and the Etihad and it will then be apparent just how much the landscape has changed.

ID:406980: cacheID:406980:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8618:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta pictured together on June 17, 2020
Read Next:
The talking points ahead of this weekend's FA Cup semi-finals
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.15am
Steelers
@
Browns
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!