Leeds United are back in the Premier League as EFL Championship champions, so will they be able to stay there? The last time the Yorkshire giants gained promotion, they managed to stay in the top division for three seasons, but can they become an established Premier League outfit this time round?
What are Leeds United's confirmed transfers?
Leeds United's arrivals
- Sean Longstaff: Newcastle United - £12 million.
- Lucas Perri: Olympique Lyonnais - £15.6 million.
- Anton Stach: Hoffenheim - £17 million.
- Jaka Bijol: Udinese - £15 million.
- Gabriel Gudmundsson: LOSC Lille - £10 million.
- Sebastiaan Bornauw: Wolfsburg - £5 million.
- Lukas Nmecha: Wolfsburg - free transfer.
Leeds United's departures
- Junior Firpo: Real Betis - free transfer.
- Rasmus Kristensen: Eintracht Frankfurt - €9 million.
- Mateo Joseph: RCD Mallorca - loan.
- Joe Gelhardt: Hull City - loan.
- Maximilian Wöber: Werder Bremen - loan.
- Josuha Guilavogui: free agent.
Pleased note: all information is correct as of the date of publication.
What happened at Leeds United last season?
After two seasons away, Leeds United are back in the the promised land. Back in May 2024, Daniel Farke's side were devastatingly defeated by Southampton in the EFL Championship play-off final at Wembley, so were doubly determined to gain automatic promotion the following campaign.
Well, the Whites certainly achieved that and with flying colours, collecting 100 points in a single season for the first time in the club's history, but still needing to win their final six matches to pip Burnley to the title, with Manor Solomon's stoppage time winner at Plymouth Argyle on the final day doing just that. So, having blitzed their way through the second-tier, can Leeds make the step up?
How will Leeds United do this season?
The last two seasons, all three promoted clubs have gone straight back down, something that had only ever happened once in the previous 31 Premier League seasons, and Leeds are certainly going all out as they attempt to break the sequence. The Whites have so far spent big money this summer.
Lucas Perri will be the new number one goalkeeper, Sebastiaan Bornauw and Jaka Bijol are in line to be the centre-back duo, while fellow new recruits Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach could form a partnership at the base of midfield.
Of course, there is a tendency to get excited about new faces, but worth mentioning some of Leeds' stars from last season, namely Joël Piroe, who scored 19 goals in the Championship, and midfielder Ao Tanaka, who's poised to take the Premier League by storm. One concern has to be Daniel Farke's miserable record in the English top-flight, winning only six of 49 Premier League matches in charge of Norwich, losing 35 and shipping 101 goals; a slow start could immediately put him under pressure.
We'll surely learn a lot from Leeds' season opener, welcoming Everton to Elland Road on Monday night, and that's the sort of fixture, a home game against a likely fellow-struggler, that they'll need to be winning if they stand any chance of survival, but we are backing them to, just, do it.
What is our predicted Premier League finish for Leeds United?
- Our predicted finish for Leeds United in the Premier League this season: 17th.
What are Leeds United's first 6 Premier League fixtures?
- Everton (H). Monday 18 August. Kick off 20:00 (BST).
- Arsenal (A). Saturday 23 August. Kick off 17:30 (BST).
- Newcastle United (H). Saturday 30 August. Kick off 17:30 (BST).
- Fulham (A). Saturday 13 September. Kick off 15:00 (BST).
- Wolverhampton Wanderers (A). Saturday 20 September. Kick off 15:00 (BST).
- Bournemouth (H). Saturday 27 September. Kick off 15:00 (BST).
What are some other key dates for Leeds United supporters?
- 13 August: Carabao Cup second round draw - taking place around 22:30 (BST).
- 1 September: The transfer window closes at 19:00 (BST).