Having secured the Championship title and promotion back to the Premier League last season, there was some speculation regarding manager Daniel Farke and his future at Leeds United.
The club’s board have since come out and backed the German tactician, and their decision to stick with Farke might well be justified by the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
Leeds Have Momentum After Championship Success
Losing just four games, accumulating 100 points and scoring 95 goals on their way to the title, it was a 2024/25 Championship season to remember for the Whites.
The West Yorkshire outfit, who are understandably outsiders at 500/1 in the Premier League winner betting odds for next season, lost some big names ahead of last term but were arguably a better team because of it.
Instead of relying on individuals, Leeds, who are 7/10 in the betting on football to be relegated next term, managed to spread the goals around the team.
Striker Joël Piroe finished as the Championship’s top goalscorer, while Daniel James and loan winger Manor Solomon contributed 22 goals between them, with the latter scoring a decisive goal in injury time on the final day to claim the trophy at Plymouth Argyle.
Scoring goals will be key for Leeds back in the Premier League, and not just relying on individuals to find the back of the net should serve this side well in the top flight.
The Whites like to dominate the ball under Farke, and while that will be harder to do against the elite of English football, working under their manager for the last two seasons has given some continuity to much of this Leeds squad and how they go about the game.
Playing a 4-2-3-1 system, Leeds likes to get plenty of bodies forward when they win the ball in transition, and they have proven they have multiple players capable of finding the back of the net.
Defence Will Be Key
The last time Leeds United were promoted to the Premier League, they dazzled with their attacking football to finish ninth in their first season back in the top flight under Marcelo Bielsa.
The issue for Leeds came in their second campaign when other sides had finally figured out how to counter this high-energy and all-action Bielsa side.
The issue then was the defence, and those problems ultimately saw Bielsa lose his job at Elland Road and eventually saw Leeds relegated the following season.
Farke was brought in to steady the ship at Leeds, and he has certainly done that, delivering the promotion back to the Premier League that the club desperately needed.
Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk look set to play important roles in the heart of the defence, while Leeds will also dip into the transfer market to bolster their options at centre-back.
With the way Leeds spread the goals around, their determination to play possession football, and their improvement at the back last season, Farke might well be able to prove some of his doubters wrong and show he is a manager who can thrive in the Premier League.
