Promotion party for U.S. owners – but can Leeds and Burnley survive? Plus: Man United keen on Cunha

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Hello! Leeds United and Burnley have regained their seats at Englands top table.

Its standing room only on the streets outside.

On the way: Promotion party for U.S.

groups Man Utd make move for Cunha Why Modric chose Swansea Serie A title play-off potential Back in big time: Leeds and Burnley promoted to EPL as U.S.

owners face big calls Any amount of time spent with Leeds United and my 18 years in their orbit was shorter than many other peoples will teach you one thing: they dont tend to take the stairway to heaven without wading through the depths of hell first.

The scenic way usually is the Leeds way, but not so yesterday.

Yesterday, they made life easy by firing Stoke City into the sun, routing them 6-0 to secure promotion from the Championship.

The club are back in the Premier League.

Another American owner is joining (or rejoining) the party.

Advertisement 49ers Enterprises the investment vehicle controlled by the San Francisco 49ers and the majority stakeholder at Elland Road didnt set out to run a Championship team.

It sought a top-flight acquisition but changed its plans after Leeds were relegated in 2023 .

Two seasons in Englands second tier have been expensive, largely because Championship clubs are money pits.

In 2023-24 alone, Leeds lost 60million ($80m).

Promotion, though, means Premier League revenue, which in turn creates big opportunities, just as it did when Leeds last went up in 2020 .

If recent briefings are accurate, the 49ers will press the button on the long-overdue stadium development soon.

Leeds have a long summer now in which to reorganise their squad, ready for the sharp jump in levels.

They built a talented roster for manager Daniel Farke (the detail about captain Ethan Ampadus attitude towards bonuses , contained in Beren Cross inside read, says a lot about the ethos in the dressing room, too), but its a talented Championship roster.

Costly upgrades will be essential to make them competitive.

Minus that, the threat of relegation will be very real again.

They learned that lesson two years ago and the Premier League has been no less forgiving since.

But Leeds suit Englands top flight.

Im one of the people who think the division is enhanced by their visceral presence.

And much as we said this last time, yesterday could be the start of something good.

Thirty-five miles to the west of Leeds, another promotion party broke out last night.

Burnley are heading back up, too , driven by their own owners from the United States.

Its taken them just one year to right the wrong of relegation.

Burnleys shareholders, among them ex-NFL star JJ Watt, were probably more philosophical about the threat of time in the Championship when they bought in.

Historically, Leeds have carried great clout, but Burnley are every bit as deserving of promotion.

Over 44 games, theyve conceded 15 goals.

You have to read that stat twice to digest it.

Advertisement As with Leeds and Farke, who raised a laugh by promising to celebrate like a fire beast, what they face now is a question over head coach Scott Parker.

Neither he nor Farke have cut it in the Premier League previously and there is an increasingly stark trend of teams going up coming straight back down, almost as if sides need a specialist in the Championship and another in the division above.

Common sense says Leeds and Burnley deserve a chance, but big decisions are upon them already.

Although their promotion parties are less than 24 hours old, next season waits for nobody.

News round-up Wood from the trees: Forest win tightens Champions League race The irony of the Premier League offering up five Champions League qualification places this season is that it ought to have made the scramble for them less stressful.

Theres more to go round.

An extra slot takes the pressure off.

Or so it seemed.

Instead, we have three points separating third position from seventh and five clubs jostling to squeeze into three slots.

Its an epic scenario and having felt the squeeze from nowhere, Nottingham Forest produced a huge hold of serve last night , winning 2-1 at Spurs.

A month and a half ago, when they beat Manchester City, youd have been tempted to think Forest were home and hosed.

As it is, all bets are off.

But provided Chris Wood doesnt run dry his header against Spurs (above) takes him to 19 league goals they have it in them to see off a frantic pursuit.

Luka whos here! Why Modric has become co-owner at Swansea LeBron James at Liverpool, Tom Brady at Birmingham City, the Hollywood duo at Wrexham (with promotion in the offing and Rob McElhenney in the crowd ); were a long way past the point of raising eyebrows at celebrity investors.

That said, Luka Modric stepping out as a co-owner of Swansea City last week merited a double-take.

Here was Real Madrids finest, the most crafty midfielder of his generation, jumping aboard a middling Championship team in deepest, darkest Wales.

Advertisement Stu James has explained why this is happening and its fair to say Modric and Swansea is no vanity project on the Croatians part.

City are U.S.-controlled and the 39-year-old knows their owners well.

They were a Premier League side for many years and one Modric played against for Spurs.

Hell guide Swansea on recruitment and other footballing matters.

What he wont be doing is appearing in their midfield (if Modric gets his way, hell secure another year on his deal at the Bernabeu), but hes clearly serious about life in the game after retirement, and everywhere he goes, hes got the Midas touch.

This could be interesting.

Around The Athletic FC Catch a match (Selected games, kick-offs ET/UK time) Premier League: Manchester City vs Aston Villa, 3pm/8pm USA Network, Fubo/Sky Sports.

La Liga: Barcelona vs Mallorca, 3.30pm/8.30pm ESPN+, Fubo/Premier Sports.

Ligue 1: Nantes vs Paris Saint-Germain, 2.45pm/7.45pm beIN Sports, Fubo/Ligue 1 Pass.

And finally...

These 94th-minute acrobatics from Bolognas Riccardo Orsolini inflicted Inters fourth Serie A defeat on Sunday and created a novel prospect, with Inter and Napoli tied on 71 points at the top of the table.

A few years ago, Serie A introduced a new system for deciding the title if clubs finished the season level in first place .

Irrespective of goal difference, head-to-head records or anything else, the scudetto would be settled by a play-off between the teams.

Were a little way off that yet there are five games to go and Napoli, without Champions League or Coppa Italia duties, have a far easier run-in but it might just happen.

For the sake of the spectacle, Im hoping it does.

(Top photo: Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images).

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