Leeds United will have to be active in the transfer market if they’re to have a realistic hope of staying up in 2025-26, and Daniel Farke’s first-choice XI could be transformed by the time they kick off their campaign at home to Everton in August.
It’s more difficult than ever before to stay in the Premier League. All three promoted sides have gone straight back down in each of the last two seasons. Leeds can’t afford to rest on their laurels, even though they reached a tally of 100 points in the Championship last term.
Using the latest speculation and the best players from the promotion-winning team, we’ve put together what Farke’s dream Leeds starting XI could look like in 2025-26.
GK: Nick Pope
Surely the position Leeds are most in need of strengthening, transfer links have been surprisingly thin on the ground.
Illan Meslier’s days at Elland Road appear numbered, having been dropped for the promotion run-in after a series of costly errors. Karl Darlow did well when he came in, but it’s a stretch to imagine he’ll be entrusted as the No.1.
Pope is the name dominating the column inches. He’d more than fit the bill in terms of experience and proven Premier League quality. But for this one, Leeds would be relying on other dominoes to fall – i.e. Newcastle United signing James Trafford from Burnley first.
The 49ers ownership group run a pretty tight ship when it comes to negotiations and transfer targets. There’s every chance a fresh target, who hasn’t appeared on anyone’s radars, will emerge in the coming weeks. Watch this space.
RB: Jayden Bogle
As with many of his Leeds team-mates, Bogle’s previous experience in the Premier League was chastening. He was a near-ever-present for Sheffield United as they finished rock bottom with a paltry 16 points in 2023-24.
Returning with a point to prove, Bogle was exceptional as Leeds made it over the line at his former club’s expense – arguably their very best player in the run-in last term. A constant threat going forward.
CB: Joe Rodon
“Being respectful to everyone, I just felt like I belonged here,” Rodon told BBC Radio Leeds on his decision to join Leeds permanently from Tottenham last summer.
His original loan from Spurs ended in play-off heartbreak at Wembley, but he evidently believed in Farke’s project and that it would only be a matter of time before Leeds were back in the big time. That faith has been rewarded.
CB: Jaka Bijol
Leeds are yet to formally announce the signing of the strapping Slovenian from Udinese, but it appears a done deal.
The 6’3″ centre-back will add real physicality to Farke’s backline. The club tended to recruit nippy, technical players in the Championship, but now their remit has changed and big, athletic beasts are the order of the day.
Bijol will be integral to Leeds’ hopes of survival next season. He looks as though he has all the makings of a fan favourite.
LB: Gabriel Gudmundsson
Given that Leeds head into July with precisely zero established left-backs, it’s safe to assume that there’ll be a new face occupying that spot in Farke’s XI in 2025-26.
Junior Firpo completed his redemption arc, becoming a cult hero and one of the best attacking full-backs the Championship has ever seen, but a return to boyhood club Real Betis sounds like it’s done after his Leeds contract expired.
Lille’s Gudmundsson has emerged as a name on the radar. He represents a similar kind of offensive profile to fill Firpo’s boots.
Leeds probably need to sign at least two left-backs, and a more defensively-minded alternative might be better suited for what the club will be up against.
DM: Ethan Ampadu
Necessity has dictated that Ampadu slot into defence, as he often did in his last Premier League stint at Sheffield United, but the addition of Bijol adds further reinforcement to the idea that Leeds see the skipper’s future in midfield.
The Welshman’s last three top-flight campaigns all ended in miserable relegation, but they were in dysfunctional teams as a loanee from Chelsea.
Now a settled starter, Ampadu will remain one of the first names on Farke’s teamsheet and will relish the opportunity to prove he belongs at the top level.
CM: Ao Tanaka
An absolute revelation as £3million signing from Fortuna Dusseldorf, Japan international Tanaka was undoubtedly one of the best players in the Championship last term.
Next season will be a major step up, and the ruthless reality of promotion is that his place in the first-choice XI isn’t guaranteed.
Circumstance denied Tanaka the chance to line up next to Ampadu all that often in Leeds’ 100-point promotion campaign, but theoretically there’s a top-quality midfield pairing in waiting.
CM: Habib Diarra
A centre-back has been acquired. A goalkeeper and striker are presumably next on the list. Then there’s the question of a centre-mid as they look to rebuild their spine and make Farke’s team Premier League-ready.
Diarra has emerged as a major target. Strasbourg’s captain at just 21 years of age, this one would represent a major coup for Leeds. Brighton have also been linked, which offers a further seal of quality.
Leeds might not be able to pull this one off, but if they did, he’d be a serious asset. Diarra, who recently scored for Senegal against England, looks as though he has all the tools to thrive in the Premier League.
A potentially Raphinha-esque statement signing that could be flipped for a major profit a few years down the line.
FWR: Daniel James
The Wales international only spent one season in the Premier League with Leeds, but he struggled as a makeshift centre-forward as Marcelo Bielsa tinkered unconvincingly with an injury-ravaged squad.
It may well have simply been the step down, but James really does appear to have refined his game over the past couple of years, particularly when it comes to decision-making and finishing.
James was superb for two seasons in the Championship, but you wonder if Leeds having less possession and looking to play on the counter might suit his particular skillset even better. He’s earned a proper shot at the Premier League in his natural position.
Mark Viduka of Leeds United celebrates his goal against Manchester United during the FA Barclaycard Premiership game at Old Trafford, Manchester. 27 October, 2001.
QUIZ: Can you name every player to score 10+ Premier League goals for Leeds United?
ST: Rodrigo Muniz
Seventeen goals and two assists in 57 top-flight appearances for Fulham is a solid if unspectacular record.
The Brazilian’s signing isn’t likely to set too many pulses racing within the fanbase were Leeds to pull it off, but ongoing reports in the media suggest he’s the club’s primary target.
There’s a logic there. He’s a decent enough Premier League No.9 and, at 24, still has room to develop and improve.
Lecce striker Nikola Krstovic has been touted as an alternative option, while Lukas Nmecha – the first signing of the summer, on a free – looks likely to usurp Patrick Bamford in the supplementary pecking order.
Joel Piroe, top scorer in the Championship last term, should provide further competition.
FWL: Emiliano Buendia
We’re well aware that Buendia isn’t really a left winger, although he has filled in on the left side of Aston Villa’s attack on numerous occasions in the Premier League.
For the purposes of this XI, that’s where we’re sticking him, but he could also slot in his favoured No.10 role in a 4-2-3-1 – where he’d be an obvious upgrade on the lightweight Brenden Aaronsen.
The Argentinian playmaker looks set to depart Villa Park this summer. A reunion with Farke, under whom he produced the best football of his career at Norwich City, has long been mooted. A no-brainer.
Largie Ramazani and Wilfried Gnonto aren’t bad options when it comes to the attack, either.
Leeds United Dream Transfer XI for 2025-26 including transfer target Habib Diarra
READ NEXT: Comparing Daniel Farke’s record after 100 Leeds United matches with Marcelo Bielsa’s
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every Leeds United manager since relegation in 2004?