Sam Allardyce has suggested that Leeds United will have to spend bigger fees on players in their bid to stay in the Premier League next season.
The Whites have spent well in recent windows, with shrewd signings playing a key role in their promotion to the top flight. Leeds earned an impressive 100 points last term, dominating the EFL Championship alongside Burnley.
One player who shone for Daniel Farke’s team was Japan international Ao Tanaka. The 26-year-old joined for an undisclosed fee from 2.Bundesliga club Fortuna Dusseldorf last August. Tanaka scored vital goals for Leeds during the 2024/25 campaign, including against Championship promotion rivals Sheffield United.
But former Whites boss Allardyce has insisted that Farke’s men cannot rely on cheaper options in the hope that they will have similar success at Elland Road to Tanaka.
“You can’t keep going out for those, though,” he said on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast. “You can’t keep going out for the £4m (signings).
“If that’s the level that you want to achieve, somewhere along the line, Leeds are going to have to spend. These are where all the clubs previously have got relegated because they’ve spread the budget for maybe seven, eight, nine, 10 players and they’re not good enough.”
“If you’re going to play tippy-tappy football, you’re not going to pay to his strengths,” he added. “Because he runs in behind better than anybody else, so you can’t be playing it into his feet because it’s not his strength.
“Recruitment will be the hardest problem because there are not enough players available worldwide [to keep you in the Premier League], especially goal scorers and frontmen.
“That’s why Jamie Vardy might be a valuable commodity, because there’s not a great bunch of them worldwide anymore. I’m sure there are some, but finding them and paying for them.”
