Paraag Marathe outlines Leeds United vision and opens…

Paraag Marathe outlines Leeds United vision and opens up on 'protecting' the Premier League

Leeds United vice-chairman Paraag Marathe has urged incoming American investors to leave the Premier League 'as it is.' The 49ers chief spoke with Dan Roan on The Sports Desk podcast, to discuss his plans for Leeds United and the part US investment has to play in the English game.

Gary Neville previously claimed US investment in English football was "a clear and present danger" to the game, but Marathe has outlined the respect he has for Premier League football and its culture.

"As far as I'm concerned, I don't proclaim to know all of the history and cultural things about what makes English football special and different and unique," he told the BBC. "However, I'm learning a lot about it and most importantly, I'm very respectful and appreciative of the current set-up as it is.

"The English football pyramid and with promotion and relegation and everything that exists with that, even to call fans 'fans' or even 'supporters', it's almost a misnomer because these are clubs that are part of people's families. These are clubs that are part of cities and communities the same way you would talk about a little brother, a little sister, a mum or a dad, you talk about your club.

"You can make fun of your club inside your home, but outside your home if someone talks bad about your club, you're going to protect it at all costs. That is just different, and I'm so respectful of that and want to protect what that is.

"If something changes the sanctity of what that is, I'm not a fan of it. If it improves upon it, or if it clarifies it or if it makes it more transparent and makes it better, then I'm a fan of it and supportive of it. It's a very special, unique thing that nobody else in the world has."

Chelsea owner and American investor Todd Boehly speaking in New York (SALT / YouTube)

New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly suggested a US style 'All-Star game' in the Premier League - a proposition that has gone down like a lead balloon. The emergence of the UEFA Super League, where three American owners voted in favour of the deal, also remains fresh in the mind of supporters.

However, Marathe says fellow investors should stop trying to fix the game, if it's not broken. "Again I just go back to the history and the culture of English football, it is something that is very special and rare, and it works," he said.

"And English football has its own version of different things. You have the FA Cup and different things like that that gives everybody a chance, a small club in a little known part of the country can win the FA Cup and the source of pride that comes from that, and there's money that comes with that as well.

"If it isn't broken, don't try to fix it. It works here, it's special, it's unique and it's rare, and you don't want to take away whatever that aura is that makes it rare."

"Speaking for myself, I got my start in my career 22 years ago and I came in very data-driven, very data-oriented mindset with how I approached football operations," Marathe added. "That was helping us figure out how to maximise return and minimise risk, salary cap and player contract structures that would be beneficial to the team.

"That's sort of how I made my career and being able to apply those things here in Leeds, certainly with Andrea's vision, Victor and Jesse now, even Marcelo [Bielsa] before, they always had that data driven approach but I think just adding a little bit more flavour to that, because at the end of the day we need to maximise every pound of investment. How to maximise return and minimise risk given the resources we have.

"Obviously there's FFP and all the other things that come into play, so the aim of the game is always financial optimisation, that's something that I think I have expertise in.

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