The YEP Leeds United reporters look ahead to the 2026/27 Premier League season ahead of Saturday’s trip to Nottingham Forest.
Leeds United’s 2026/27 Premier League campaign gets underway with a trip to Nottingham Forest this weekend.
Daniel Farke’s side won four of their six pre-season friendlies, the latter a 4-0 victory over FC Augsburg on Saturday. Leeds also beat Sunderland, Liverpool and RB Leipzig through the summer but lost against Wrexham and Manchester United.
Ahead of another exciting season ahead, YEP reporters Kyle Newbould and Lee Sobot outline their predictions...
Leeds United look set for another exciting Premier League season.placeholder image
Leeds United look set for another exciting Premier League season. | Getty Images
Kyle Newbould
League position
Survival is the priority again, of course, but Farke and his squad will surely be looking to improve on 14th. For large parts of last season their form was much better than lower mid-table and with so much change across the Premier League, there is a lot to be said for the stability felt around Elland Road. And how many times over the past two decades have Leeds been seen as a model of stability compared to league rivals?
It was really tight in mid-table last season, with Leeds as close to Brighton in eighth as West Ham in 18th points-wise. It will probably be just as compact again this time round below the top six or seven, which obviously makes it hard to predict an exact position but we’ll give it a fair swing anyway.
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With impressive recruitment, a settled group already in place and new contracts for a trio of key players, Leeds can enter the season with plenty of optimism. Europe feels ambitious but they could climb a few places within that mid-table pack, perhaps challenging for the top-half but falling just short. Prediction: 11th.
Top-scorer
Dominic Calvert-Lewin with 14 was a good distance away from his teammates last season, with Noah Okafor the second most prolific on eight. And he doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon either, with three goals in pre-season against Liverpool and RB Leipzig - all of which came from about five yards out and between the posts, of course.
Can he match that tally? Or with more final-third quality will Leeds’ goal burden become more spread out? I think it’ll be somewhere in the middle, with the striker still out in front but a chasing pack - Harry Wilson and Okafor included - much closer. Prediction: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (13).
Signing of the summer
Leeds have made four signings so far and all look promising. Alongside free agent Wilson, a combined £82million has been splashed to sign centre-back Tarik Muharemovic, goalkeeper James Trafford and versatile defensive cover option Nico Elvedi, who signed a three-year deal on Wednesday.
Trafford feels like the calibre of goalkeeper that can take Leeds up a position or two in the table on his own - think of those games last season where a good save or two would have turned a defeat into a draw, or a draw into victory. That ability to almost single-handedly earn points could prove crucial. And with it being such a problem position beforehand, that upgrade could be massive. Prediction: James Trafford.
Surprise package
Naturally hard to predict, given the nature of something being a surprise, but here we are. It must be said that those on the fringes of Farke’s starting-XI are there for a reason - be it a lack of consistency or better options ahead of them in the pecking order- but pre-season performances could provide a few clues.
Sean Longstaff looks like he has a point to prove and like someone with plenty to offer Farke this season, with those box-crashing runs and smart finishes a trademark of his summer. Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach will be near-impossible to displace but through injury or suspension, Longstaff will get minutes - and hopefully a handful more goals. Prediction: Sean Longstaff.
Lee Sobot
League position
Leeds finished their first season back in the Premier League in 14th place but only six teams bagged more points than Daniel Farke's side in the 25 games following the formation change during November's defeat at Manchester City. United took 36 points from their last 25 games and now look even stronger following some big summer signings. Higher than seventh then? Maybe.
But it's unlikely to be quite that simple and it should be highlighted that Chelsea, Spurs and Brighton were among the sides finishing below Leeds in the table taken over the last 25 matches, three teams from whom much better is expected this time around. Nevertheless, it definitely seems reasonable to expect the Whites to kick on a bit this year, for all that survival has to remain the first port of call.
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The defence looks solid and it's not hard to envisage plenty of clean sheets and 1-0 wins - but will there be enough goals at the other end? Possibly not enough for Europe which still seems a tad too far at this stage but something like tenth ought to be achievable, although confidence would increase if the club sign another striker as competition and cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Prediction: 10th.
Top-scorer
Calvert-Lewin appears a banker bet to be the club's top scorer again and just a case of how many. The new no 9 bagged 14 in a fine first season for Leeds last term, six more than Noah Okafor who himself had two more than Lukas Nmecha.
If Leeds are going to kick on then it's reasonable to expect DCL to do likewise, especially with Harry Wilson to provide further assists. A banker to start when fit and also on pens, something like 16 feels about right if he can stay injury free. Prediction: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (16).
Signing of the summer
James Trafford really could prove key in taking Leeds to the next level as the club's new No.1 and Harry Wilson is a fantastic signing to get on a free transfer. But Tarik Muharemovic has looked an absolute Rolls-Royce of a defender in pre-season and is still only 23 years old.
He wasn't cheap at £34.1m but there's good reason for that and he could well reach the very top. Expect commanding displays at the back but with classy touches and passes - and probably a few goals at set pieces too. Prediction: Tarik Muharemovic.
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Surprise package
Brenden Aaronson suddenly feels a bit under the radar following the arrival of Wilson and Okafor's clear status as one of the team's star men. It might be that Calvert-Lewin flanked by Wilson and Okafor ends up being a first choice front three in front of two centre mids and a back five featuring two wing backs.
But Aaronson can play on either flank or as a 10 in a front four and Calvert-Lewin was the only Leeds attacker to get more league minutes than him over the 2025/26 campaign. It should also be remembered that Aaronson was himself a £25m signing who is still only 25 years old and likely has much more to come.
The energetic American bagged four goals and five assists last season and might well improve that tally further this time around. The equally versatile James Justin in defence, midfielder Sean Longstaff and youngster Callum Mills are other surprise package contenders although how many minutes Mills gets remains to be seen. Aaronson, though, feels like the strongest 'under-the-radar' pick. Prediction: Brenden Aaronson.