There is never a quiet day when it comes to Leeds United. The 2024/25 Championship champions have not kicked a ball for their club for 56 days yet so much has gone on since the trip to Plymouth.
No more than 24 hours after the trophy lift, Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe confirmed that Daniel Farke would be staying as manager to extinguish the rumours surrounding his future. Promotion, the league title and a century of points meant there should have never been any doubt.
Sources close to high-ranking figures have outlined that, in fact, there never really was. They expected Daniel Farke to stay in situ, Marathe an admirer of Farke’s cool-headed nature and handling of the scrutiny the team had faced at times.
It is not over-dramatic to say that the parade on the following Monday was a historic event for the city. Official estimates state that 150,000 spectators lined the streets but that seems a moderate call. The scenes were anything but moderate.
White, yellow and blue painted the city centre as Ethan Ampadu, having led the team all season, took the mic to lead the celebrations - albeit with a much more, erm, relaxed spirit. Farke let out his ‘fierebiest’ mode as promised.
A few days later, while some players partied in Vegas, the manager would be back to work. He sat down with the newly-revamped board - including new managing director Robbie Evans and sporting director Adam Underwood - to discuss how the reformed regime would operate and to discuss contracts.
By the end of May, these decisions were made public - Joshua Guilavogui was to be released and renewal talks would be held with both Sam Byram and Junior Firpo. James Debayo would, meanwhile, be offered new terms.
The 19-year-old is expected to ink the paper but as for the other two, no resolution has yet been found and by Tuesday, the pair will be free agents and off the books of Leeds as things stand.
Both can still re-sign after that date and the June 30 deadline does not denote a conclusion of talks - but Firpo, at least, looks bound for Betis.
A few days after the club published its retained list, it emerged that the 49ers were to collect £120million from the sale of extra shares to shareholders - money that will be split between squad reinforcement and the stadium expansion plans.
A lot has progressed regarding the Elland Road proposals since the end of the season. New illustrations of what the finished construction could look like have been released, a series of public consultations have been held, and a forecasted end date of 2030 has been outlined.
Planning documents have unpacked the details of the project, which confirm the seat capacity will rise to 53,000 and that the West Stand is to be concentrated on first before the North Stand - which could include an outdoor fan zone - is expanded.
The formal planning application is set to be submitted in the coming months, with early work potentially starting as soon as September before the main bulk gets underway in February - if all is approved. So this summer is a busy time for the 49ers, who in early June acquired a new club.
The firm’s involvement in a consortium which bought a majority stake in Rangers has seen Marathe become their vice-chairman. He has underlined that there will be no ‘feeder club’ policy between the two football outfits the 49ers own, with both painted as separate ventures.
Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh (left) and Paraag Marathe shake hands in front of the tunnel at Ibrox
Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh (left) and Paraag Marathe shake hands in front of the tunnel at Ibrox (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
The likelihood of players being traded between the two clubs also seems slim. The teams working on recruitment are separate from one another, and Leeds had already started reaching out to players by April having plotted market options since last year.
A mixture of data analysis, scouting and manager recommendations are funneled into identifying targets which get narrowed down into a shortlist. Chiefs are hoping to bring in at least five core players, one of which is Jaka Bijol, who arrived this week.
He became the second signing of the window after Lukas Nmecha agreed to join on July 1 once his Wolfsburg contract expires. More will follow next month, though Farke's joke to 49ers staff that he wanted all players in by the start of pre-season is not going to happen.
A goalkeeper and marquee striker is high up on the transfer list with a new left-back - should Firpo indeed leave - and a midfielder also priorities. In each area of reinforcement, the 49ers are targeting players who have the same characteristics.
So interest in Habib Diarra, for whom a £22m bid was submitted this month, hints at what type of midfielder the club are looking for - in this case, an all-rounder who is a leader and is not aged.
The same can be applied for playmaker Noah Sadiki or left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson. Each of these players are on United’s radar - though it has been confirmed that the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Nikola Krstovic are very much not right now.
There will be outgoings and a handful of players have already hinted at being unsettled. While Max Wober has outright confirmed Leeds intend to sell him, Mateo Joseph - admired by Strasbourg and Real Betis - has said he wants more game time and Isaac Schmidt has hinted he could look to leave if game time becomes even more limited.
Leeds United striker Mateo Joseph
Leeds United striker Mateo Joseph (Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The only sale of the window so far has seen Rasmus Kristensen move to Eintracht Frankfurt, which became official on June 1. His £7.7m package had been first agreed in April. More will inevitably follow, probably the bulk of outgoings being players loaned out last season.
They will all nevertheless return to Thorp Arch for the first day of pre-season on July 7, which is now under a fortnight’s time. Less than two weeks later is the friendly against Manchester United in Stockholm, Sweden on July 19.
That is the first of the summer with a visit to Dublin to take on AC Milan on August 9 bookending the pre-season schedule. It has also been confirmed that Elland Road will host Villarreal on August 2 and more preceding friendlies are expected to be announced soon.
In the meantime, the Premier League fixtures have been released with United kicking off their campaign at home to Everton in front of the Sky cameras on Monday, August 18. The first away trip is Arsenal the following Saturday.
All this and the new kit has yet to be released, despite certain designs being circulated on social media. The modelling of it was held before the end of last season, so it’s been in the pipeline for a while - though will not be released until early-to-mid July.
A lot has already gone on this summer but a heck of a lot more is expected from here on in.
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