Daniel Farke’s starting XI by the end of the transfer window could be ready to take the Premier League by storm
Leeds United enter the 2025/26 Premier League season aiming to be the first promoted side to survive in the top flight since their relegation year, and they’ve made and continue to make the moves in the transfer window that could set them up for success.
A 4-1 routing by Tottenham on the final day of the season doomed Leeds to the drop in 2023, as Sam Allardyce deployed a characteristically defensive 5-4-1 line-up that excluded Junior Firpo, Brenden Aaronson and Wilfried Gnonto.
The 11 starters that day were Joel Robles, Luke Ayling, Rasmus Kristensen, Liam Cooper, Maximilian Wober, Pascal Struijk, Weston McKennie, Adam Forshaw, Robin Koch, Jack Harrison and Rodrigo, with Harrison the only scorer in white as Harry Kane’s brace inspired Spurs to victory.
So with Daniel Farke looking set to pick a 4-2-3-1 (despite alternating with a 4-3-3 in pre-season), how does Leeds’ potential 2025/26 starting lineup stack up against that doomed side?
Overhauled defence hoping to provide solid foundations
Lucas Perri (£13.9m), James Justin (£6m), Joe Rodon (£10m), Jaka Bijol (£15m), Gabriel Gudmundsson (£10m)
Despite Leeds boasting the second-best defence in the Championship last season, but Farke knows that will mean little after promotion and has reinforced accordingly, bringing in Lucas Perri from Lyon and Jaka Bijol from Udinese who both slot straight into the first team, the latter partnering sole survivor Joe Rodon.
The arrival of 15-cap Swedish Gabriel Gudmundsson to take over at left-back from Junior Firpo indicates Leeds will be more defensively savvy this season and look to pick teams off on the counter-attack rather than being the offensive force of nature they were last season.
Likewise, the emergence of James Justin’s name as a target further hints at this switch. Jayden Bogle has plenty of potential but can be found wanting defensively and was in the bottom third of Championship fullbacks for tackling last season - by contrast Justin’s tackle success rate was almost twice as good in his last visit to the second division and the England international backed that up in the Premier League as Leicester went straight back down.
Justin only has a year remaining on his contract and at a reported value of £6m Leeds won’t be the only interested Premier League party, but can offer him more regular playing time.
How Leeds United’s new-look midfield could shape up
The midfield three (including the number 10) is the area that could see the most change week-to-week with Leeds currently targeting Premier League-proven creative players.
Assuming they do sign an orthodox number 10, the arrival of Sean Longstaff means either he, Ao Tanaka or Ethan Ampadu will miss out to accommodate that attacking talent and while Ampadu’s game resembles Longstaff’s more closely, we can’t drop the captain at least just yet.
In games particularly against other relegation rivals where the Whites can expect to enjoy more of the ball, the technically expansive Japanese midfielder will be perfect but for a team under the pump, Ampadu and Longstaff will make a fine shield for the defence.
Leeds’ potential attacking options if pre-deadline signings happen
Nico Gonzalez (£21.5m), Bilal El Khannouss (£24.5m), Noah Okafor (£12.9m),Dominic Calvert-Lewin (free)
How many of these four players were Leeds United players at the start of this week? Zero, and only one of them is now, but don’t let that deter you. Farke is targeting creative upgrades in the final weeks of the window and it seems unlikely in the extreme that Dan James, Longstaff and Harrison will all be starting by the end of the window in this attacking midfield trio.
Bilal El Khannouss is the number 10 most strongly linked with Leeds after the Moroccan was a rare bright spark in Leicester City’s relegated side, other Premier League teams are also interested but Leeds are said to be willing to meet his £24.5m release clause.
Another relegated Fox, Facundo Buonanotte, is also available this summer on loan but Leeds should be looking at a permanent signing - and El Khannouss may be encouraged by the way a year with a doomed team didn’t harm Liam Delap’s future prospects. And we’re not talking about his loan spells with Preston, Hull or Stoke.
If Leeds don’t land El Khannouss or Buonanotte then Farke may more seriously consider switching to a 4-3-3 and playing Tanaka, Longstaff and Ampadu together with whatever collection of wingers they end the window with.
Meanwhile Leeds have been linked with a double-swoop for Serie A wingers. Juventus’ Nico Gonzalez only permanently moved to Turin this summer for €25m (£21.5m) but is already close to an exit at the same fee while left-winger Noah Okafor has impressed in flashes for AC Milan and Napoli but fitness issues mean he’s on the market for €12-15m (£10.3-12.9m) and he’d be an instant upgrade on Harrison.
Did we mention he scored a brace against Liverpool in pre-season? And if they don’t come off, Manor Solomon isn’t part of Thomas Frank’s plans at Tottenham and is open for a return to Yorkshire to support Dominic Calvert-Lewin who should start the season ahead of Joel Piroe after Leeds missed out on other established strikers.
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