Chelsea v Everton - Premier League
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 13: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, former Chelsea player looks on prior to the Premier League match between Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge on December 13, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Lee - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
After five Premier League games, Leeds United sit fifth in the league on nine points.
Chants of ‘Get your passports out for Daniel Farke‘ can be heard reverberating around Elland Road on a matchday, like when Leeds dismantled Newcastle under the lights.
Of course, as supporters, we should get excited about our positive start to the season. We certainly have the right to dream about qualifying for Europe this season. More absurd things have happened in football.
However, a former Leeds United ace has seemingly poured cold water on the prospect of the Whites getting their hopes up when it comes to qualifying for Europe, for now at least.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink gives brutally honest assessment of Leeds United’s European chances
When he’s been asked about the prospect of qualifying for Europe this season, Farke has stressed that further cementing ourselves as a Premier League side this season is our main priority.
Once we hit 40 points for the season, that’s when we can begin to look up the table.
United have certainly signed a couple of players this summer who are certainly capable of playing in Europe, like Tarik Muharemovic or James Trafford, whilst Nico Elvedi has already proven he can compete at that level.
Michael Zetterer, Melvin Bard and Jean-Matteo Bahoya also have experience of playing in Europe, and former Leeds striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes that this recruitment has played a large part in United’s success so far this season.
“They have done very well in recruitment. Really good. They look stronger than last year. They’re improving,” Hasselbaink told Goal.
However, despite looking like a stronger side, as Hasselbaink put it, he believes that talk of qualifying for Europe is a bit premature for now.
“It’s too early to talk about UEFA spots. I think they have to just keep on going. And 10 games before the end, that is where you look to see where you are. In the meantime, they need to stay far, far away from the bottom three.
“What they are doing, that was a little bit different last year in the beginning; they are looking like a proper Premier League club team. So they are building, keep on building. And who knows? You never know.”
Europe should be a dream for Leeds this season, not an expectation
Overall, I’d agree that Hasselbaink’s assessment for us is a fair one, and seems to be a very similar stance to the one that Farke himself has adopted.
For me, I still think we lack a bit of firepower in the final third until we firmly say we have a squad that can really challenge to finish in those European positions.
Take our last game before the international break against Crystal Palace as an example. With the game 0-0, we subbed on Dan James and Brenden Aaronson to be our match winners. If we’re serious about getting into Europe in the future, this can’t be the case.
At the end of the day, it’s only our second season back in the Premier League. Qualifying for Europe is a dream scenario, and I don’t think it’s a realistic one for us this season.
This season, qualifying for Europe should be viewed as this: a dream, not an expectation.
It would be unrealistic to hammer Farke and the players if they didn’t sneak into one of those spots this season. I still think we’re a couple of years off our expectations being to challenge for Europe.
But this won’t stop me from enjoying the ride this season for as long as it lasts. If we qualify for Europe, fantastic; if it’s another mid-table finish, that still represents an incredibly successful season from Farke and Co.