Jesse Marsch given assurances over Leeds’ budget if they get relegated

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free

Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Jesse Marsch has been assured by the Leeds hierarchy that plans are in place to safeguard the club’s playing budget if they are relegated from the Premier League on Sunday.

Leeds’ two-season stay in the English top flight will be cut short if they fail to better Burnley’s result on the final day of the season.

Marsch, whose side play at Brentford, while Burnley take on Newcastle at Turf Moor, insists Leeds will still be “very secure” financially if they fail to stay up.

The American, who expects to remain in the job next season, said: “We’ve not had any communication other than to say they (the board) have done some behind-the-scenes planning to make sure we’re in good shape in any direction the season may go in.

“That financially with the player pool, what the future may bring, that we’re very secure and able to move forward in a positive direction, which they said to me at the very beginning.

“Before I came here, and I asked the questions about what it would be like if it goes in this direction, or what it would look like if it goes in that direction.

“They were clear that they had a plan, they were able to map out what some of that plan looks like – there is clarity already.

“In that sense, they’ve kind of left me alone to not have to focus on anything other than the job at hand and do everything I can to keep us up.”

Leeds stand on the brink after Burnley leapfrogged them out of the bottom three by clinching a point in a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa on Thursday.

Both sides have 35 points but, crucially, Burnley have the advantage of a far superior goal difference.

With all the top flight’s final round of matches scheduled to kick-off at 4pm on Sunday, Marsch said he will be kept updated on the score at Turf Moor.

“You need to know a little bit about what’s going on in another match and how to manage that throughout the game and at half-time,” he said.

“We’ll have communication with our team at half-time for sure and throughout the second half, but the key is that the focus for us is to have a good start, bring ourselves into our match really well, be positive, find a way to get a lead.

“In the reverse way that can put Burnley under pressure if they know that we’re having a positive result in our match.

“We have to focus on ourselves, be at our best and play our best, but know exactly what’s going on in the other match.”

The former New York Red Bulls, Salzburg and Leipzig boss agreed he was preparing for the biggest game of his managerial career.

“Yeah, I was asked that in a few different interviews and I answered it in different ways, but in the end who cares?” he added.

“What’s important is our team and that we’re all ready for a huge challenge. We’re positive in our mindset that we’re going to get this done.”