Finance expert makes ‘£120m’ Sunderland promotion claim
Sunderland still have every chance of promotion despite their recent defeat at Elland Road.
A 2-1 defeat to Leeds United certainly provided a blow to their hopes of achieving automatic promotion, but with 13 games still to be played, anything can happen.
Heading into a home clash with Hull City, Sunderland find themselves eight points behind Sheffield United in second, and 10 behind Leeds, the two of which face off against each other on Monday night.
Whether it be through a top-two finish or through the play-offs, the Black Cats still have a shot at a Premier League return and could gain access to some ludicrous finances.
| Promotion race in the Championship | W | D | L | P |
| Leeds | 21 | 9 | 3 | 72 |
| Sheffield United | 22 | 6 | 5 | 70 |
| Burnley | 17 | 14 | 2 | 65 |
| Sunderland | 17 | 11 | 5 | 62 |
Sunderland would be boosted massively financially with promotion
While the return of top-flight football is something everyone on Wearside would love to see, it also serves as a huge incentive to the hierarchy who would see the books boosted significantly with the cash prizes on offer.
Speaking exclusively to Mackem News, finance expert Dan Plumley outlined the benefits of promotion for Sunderland from a financial point of view.
Plumley explained; “Huge opportunity [to get promoted], certainly if you look at where they’ve been in the last few years, they’ve not had the Premier League money, their revenue’s about between £25-£35million on average in any given season.
“Promotion’s going to get you £120m, minimum, and then of course, if you can stay there, you can repeat that for the next season.
“So that’s what they’re aiming at, it’ll be a £120m uplift in revenue for that club, which would be huge in the context of where it’s been financially in recent years.“
Sunderland still in with a shot at promotion
The season is far from over for Sunderland, and neither is the race for a top-two finish. While Leeds may be out of sight, the Black Cats will be hoping for a favour from the Whites when they travel to Sheffield United on Monday.
Granted, Sunderland still have to beat Hull City on Saturday for it to matter, but a Leeds win would see the gap from the Blades reduced to just five points if it happens.
With 12 games to be played after that, Sunderland would be well and truly back in the conversation with some tidy fixtures left to be played on paper.