Former Premier League stars Ian Wright, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville are all in agreement over Leeds United’s chances of remaining in the Premier League next season.
With the news that Dominic Calvert-Lewin looks set to complete a move to Elland Road, Leeds are finally putting the finishing touches to their squad.
Daniel Farke remains in the market for a winger, as the Whites continue to be linked with former loanee Manor Solomon, to give his side the cutting edge in attack that they need.
With earlier arrivals such as midfield powerhouse Anton Stach providing a strong physical presence in United’s spine, the addition of these attacking talents would give them a fighting chance of remaining in the Premier League.
This view was backed by Carragher, Wright and Neville, who all believe that Farke’s side will remain in the top flight at the end of the season.
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‘That’s predictable’ – Leeds United backed for Premier League survival
Speaking on the Overlap podcast, Roy Keane, Jill Scott, Neville, Carragher and Wright were asked to provide an outlandish prediction for the new Premier League season.
In response to the request, Roy Keane asked, “Does anyone think that the three teams that came up will go back down? That would be three years in a row. Can any of them survive? I think one of them will stay up. Is that silly? Is that outlandish?”
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The response from the panel was unanimous as all of them tipped to remain in the top flight. Ian Wright stated, “I don’t think Leeds are going down.”
Having already tipped Leeds to survive earlier this week, Jamie Carragher added: “I think Leeds will stay up.” This was backed by Jill Scott, who argued that both Leeds and Sunderland can survive.
This prompted an incredulous response from Gary Neville, who declared, “That’s not outlandish! That’s predictable!” Before adding his own opinion, saying, “I believe Leeds will stay up as well!”
Daniel Farke Leeds United manager.
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Leeds need a fast start to the Premier League campaign
Although a fast start to the season is not a guarantee of survival, as Leeds found out to their peril in the 22/23 season, the first five games are crucial in a team’s hopes of avoiding the drop.
Leeds broke the mould under Jesse Marsch in their relegation season, picking up eight points from their opening five games, and nine from their first seven, before a run of four consecutive defeats killed their early momentum.
Leeds’ first five games in 2022/23:
Leeds 2-1 Wolves
Southampton 2-2 Leeds
Leeds 3-0 Chelsea
Brighton 1-0 Leeds
Leeds 1-1 Everton
According to a recent article from the BBC, the vast majority of teams in the top flight finished within two places of where they sat after five games. Leeds’ first opponents, Everton, were the notable exception, leaping seven places from 20th to 13th at the end of the campaign.
As a result, a fast start to the current season is key. With fixtures against Arsenal and Newcastle in the first month, this looks to be an uphill task for Farke.