Leeds United earned promotion to the Premier League by winning the Championship last season and are set to play their first game back in the top flight on Monday under the lights when David Moyes’ Everton pay them a visit to Elland Road.
The Whites spent two seasons in the Championship before fighting their way back up to the top tier of English football, and survival will be their biggest goal in the upcoming season. However, their long-term plans are based on establishing themselves as a Premier League club again.
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Leeds have plans to expand their stadium, and the owners are prepared to pump more money into the club without being reckless to make them an established top-flight side in English football in the coming years.
However, everything is based on Leeds surviving, and the Whites have an uphill task to achieve that goal, as promoted teams in recent seasons have found it hard to survive that first year in the Premier League.
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Jamie Carragher is backing Leeds United to survive in the Premier League
The former Liverpool defender believes Leeds could have identified a template for surviving in the Premier League by signing big, physical players in the transfer window.
He admitted that not being more physical was one of the regrets former Southampton manager Russell Martin had in the Premier League last season.
Carragher also insisted that a club of Leeds’ size belong in the Premier League, and he hopes that Daniel Farke’s men survive in the top flight next season.
“I read a report that Leeds were identifying only players who are above six feet, and everyone was going to be a giant”, he said on Radio X.
“And that’s what you might need.
“We had Russell Martin on, who was the Southampton manager last season. He lost his job and found it difficult.
“He said that he regrets not going more physical, and that was the thing that found them out. Maybe that’s the template Leeds are looking at.
“You want Leeds back in the Premier League, they feel like a Premier League team, and hopefully they will stay.”
Leeds still have work to do in the transfer window
Farke is under pressure to keep Leeds in the Premier League, but he doesn’t feel that it will be possible without the necessary attacking additions.
Leeds are in the market for a striker, a winger and a number 10, and the club are hoping to secure a few deals in the coming days.
The Whites are expected to make another bid for Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz amid competition from Serie A outfit Atalanta, who have an agreement in place with the striker.
Leeds also have the edge over Newcastle in the chase for Bilal El Khannouss due to the early legwork they put in through negotiations with his representatives.
The Yorkshire giants hope that by the end of the window, Farke will feel confident about the options he has at his disposal.
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