Richard Keys makes parachute payments claim involving Burnley, Leeds United and Sheffield United | OneFootball

Keys has blasted what he feels are the detrimental effects of parachute payments for relegated teams.

Richard Keys believes the fact Sheffield United, Leeds United and Burnley are in the top three reinforces the negative effects of parachute payments.

Writing for his blog, the TV presenter didn't hesitate to voice his opinion on this subject, as the debate continues about whether parachute payments should continue to be a thing.

The Football Governance Bill, which was published back in October, is currently making its way through the House of Lords.

It looks as though parachute payments and financial distribution deals could be included in the scope of the Bill and the Independent Football Regulator, which looks set to be established if or when the Governance Bill receives Royal Assent.

The Bill still needs to go through the committee stage in the Lords and have a third reading in the HoL chamber before it reaches MPs in the House of Commons.

However, the establishment of a Regulator could be drawing nearer and those who are relegated from the Premier League in the next few years could be affected by the content of the Bill.

The Blades and the Clarets were relegated at the end of last season after failing to perform anywhere near the standard required at the top level - and Leeds were relegated back in 2023 after Sam Allardyce's last-ditch attempt to save the Whites failed to pay dividends.

All three have received parachute payments because of their recent relegations.

Richard Keys drops parachute payments claim amid Sheffield United, Leeds United and Burnley success

Currently, the three sides mentioned above are sitting in the top three and look to be strong contenders for automatic promotion for the remainder of the campaign.

The trio deserve credit for plenty of their results and performances, but Keys believes the makeup of the current top three highlights a systemic problem within the game.

He wrote: "Have you looked at the top of the Championship recently? Two of the top three were relegated last season - Sheff Utd and Burnley - and squeezed in between them are Leeds, who went down the previous season.

"Are we surprised? Rick Parry is right when he argues that parachute payments distort competition in that league."

Sheffield United, Leeds United and Burnley fans may take issue with Richard Keys' comments

It's fair to say that parachute payments probably need to be looked at.

However, the fans of all three teams may take issue with what Keys has said.

The Blades have had to rebuild their squad and make quite a few additions during the summer. As well as this, they started the season on -2 points, so they have done a remarkable job so far this season under Chris Wilder.

Leeds had to cash in on quite a few key players during the previous window but have managed to remain competitive - and they deserve a lot of credit for that.