Joe Cole, Daniel Farke
(Credit: Imago)
Niall Togher
Thu 7 August 2025 21:00, UK
Leeds United are up against it if they want to stay in the Premier League next season.
With the last two campaigns seeing all the promoted teams instantly relegated back down to the Championship, Leeds will be hoping to buck the trend.
It will be far from pretty like Marcelo Bielsa’s spectacular in the top flight, but if Daniel Farke and the 49ers can mastermind a 17th-place finish next season, it will be a job well done.
While some exceptional signings like Jaka Bijol and Lucas Perri have arrived at Elland Road, certain pundits like Chelsea legend Joe Cole are still not convinced by Leeds ahead of the new season.
Marcelo Bielsa Leeds United
Bielsa is still revered at Leeds United
Cole predicts Leeds to be relegated upon Premier League return
There’s certainly no love lost between Leeds and Chelsea, with the two clubs having a historic rivalry and disdain for each other.
MORE LEEDS STORIES
Whether that has influenced Cole’s prediction is unclear. The Englishman has predicted via TNT Sports (6 August) that Leeds will finish second-bottom this season in the Premier League, above only Sunderland.
Joe Cole’s predicted Premier League table 2025/26
17th – Burnley
18th – Wolves
19th – Leeds United
20th – Sunderland
Cole has surprisingly tipped Burnley to avoid the drop.
Given the rest of the quality that the other teams in the Premier League have at their disposal, it is no real shock to see pundits predicting Leeds to be relegated.
Read more: Leeds United final 2025/26 Premier League position predicted by supercomputer
Farke and Co. should use this as fuel for next season
If you’re Farke, these are the sort of images you’d have plastered all around Thorp Arch and the Elland Road dressing room ahead of next season.
Everyone is doubting Leeds, and they could harness it to create a siege mentality to prove everyone wrong.
Quality additions are still needed to their squad to make this somewhat realistic, however, with a new striker and another quality winger needed to bolster United’s forward line.
Aleksandar Mitrovic has been one of the names linked with a move to West Yorkshire, with the Serbian potentially adding the physicality that is currently lacking from Leeds’ current options up top.
Sign up for the MOT Leeds News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Leeds United news sent straight to your phone.
Related Posts