Leeds United have enjoyed an impressive return to the Premier League heading into the international break.
The Whites secured a 1-0 win against Everton at Elland Road upon their return to the top-flight courtesy of Lukas Nmecha’s 84th-minute penalty.
Although the 5-0 loss against Arsenal presented a minor setback for Daniel Farke, the result was to be expected, given the nature of playing away to top-quality opposition. However, Leeds responded with an impressive 0-0 draw against Newcastle United.
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Despite suffering several relegations in recent years, Leeds are widely known as Premier League royalty, having been one of the 22 founding members of the division.
And after a long summer transfer window, Farke will be looking to end the newly promoted clubs’ curse in the top flight at Elland Road, as all three sides that have emerged from the Championship in the past two years have suffered immediate relegation to the second tier.
Daniel Farke looks on during a Leeds game
Photo by Linnea Rheborg/Getty Images
Leeds United struggled to sell Illan Meslier
When speaking on the Inside Elland Road podcast, journalist Graham Smyth shared his belief surrounding the Whites’ failure to offload unwanted players this summer, particularly former number one goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
“I thought we’d see the departure of a (Ilia) Gruev or maybe even (Joel) Piroe. I certainly thought (Illan) Meslier would go. The club’s defence, I suppose, to not selling some players will be that fans and people like me, the players that we want them to sell are the players that would probably be hardest to sell.
“You know, you look at Meslier, you think, is a club going to give him the wage that he’s on at Leeds? Given what’s happened over the last two, three seasons, given what happened last season?
“He’s no longer number one at a Championship club, nevermind a Premier League club. He’s been replaced by Karl Darlow. He’s then found himself third in the pecking order, and it’s quite clear there’s no place for him in the league squad.
“So, that’s a big red flag, you know, for a buying club. I’m not really surprised that they find it difficult to shift him.”
TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey revealed Leeds were confident about selling Meslier this summer, who had emerged as a potential back-up target for Paris Saint-Germain, but the Whites received no concrete offers for the goalkeeper.
Leeds considered a late move for Solomon, who was on loan in West Yorkshire last season, but the forward completed a temporary switch to Villarreal with alternative target Emiliano Buendia remaining at Aston Villa.
Meslier was once highly rated at Elland Road, but a series of catastrophic errors, most notably his mistake leading to a Sunderland equaliser during the 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light last season, have found him at the bottom of the pecking order.
Farke echoed the claims when he backed the “highly rated” goalkeeper in comments relayed by BBC Sport following another error in the 3-3 draw against Hull City, but now it appears the Frenchman’s spell as a regular starter at Elland Road has come to an end.
How did Leeds United fare in the transfer market?
In an ideal world, Meslier, alongside Ilia Gruev and Joel Piroe, would have departed Elland Road before the deadline, allowing Farke to reinvest the funds recouped into the squad.
Sunderland blew the three newly promoted sides out of the water in the transfer market, but Farke’s business has somewhat flown under the radar.
Leeds United 2025 Transfer Window
Player Transfer Fee
Noah Okafor £18m
Anton Stach £17m
Lucas Perri £15.6m
Jake Bijol £15m
Sean Longstaff £12m
Gabriel Gudmundsson £10m
James Justin £10m
Sebastiaan Bornauw £5.1m
Dominic Calvert-Lewin Free
Lukas Nmecha Free
Total £87.7m
Noah Ofakor’s £18 million arrival from AC Milan stands as the Whites’ marquee signing of the summer, but Farke has done remarkably well, adding proven Premier League and European experience to the squad.
Indeed, Leeds would have preferred to bolster the squad further, but with four points taken from the opening three fixtures, the early signs that the West Yorkshire outfit can retain their top-flight status this season are positive.