Leeds United will be back in the promised land of the Premier League next season, but the squad that targets top-flight survival could look very different to the one that has gained them promotion.
After a two-year absence, Leeds confirmed their return to the Premier League on Monday, when a 6-0 win over Stoke City was followed up by Burnley beating Sheffield United. The combination confirmed automatic promotion for both Leeds and Burnley with two games to spare.
The planning can now begin for Premier League football in 2025-26. But if anything has become obvious since Leeds suffered relegation in 2023, it’s that it’s becoming ever harder for promoted clubs to retain their place among the elite.
The teams that came up from the Championship in 2023 were Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town. They all finished in the bottom three, going straight back down.
Replacing them a year later were Leicester City, Ipswich Town and the Southampton side that beat Leeds in the play-off final. Once again, relegation has been confirmed for two of them and is almost certain for the third.
But the last time Leeds came up, back in 2020, they went on to finish in the top half of the Premier League at the first time of asking. While anything above 17th next season would be welcomed and the gap between the top two divisions has grown since, it’s proof that with the right kind of signings, they could establish themselves in the Premier League again.
So, what kind of lineup will Leeds be trying to build to give themselves the best chance of avoiding an instant Championship return?
GK – Caoimhin Kelleher
First and foremost, it will be right at the top of Leeds’ list of priorities to bring in a new first-choice goalkeeper ready for Premier League football.
Illan Meslier has lost his place as Leeds’ starting keeper over the past few weeks after a series of errors. If he’s no longer reliable enough in the Championship, he definitely won’t be trusted in the Premier League.
Last time Meslier played in the top flight, he conceded 67 goals from 34 games. Leeds simply can’t afford a record like that if they’re to stand any chance of staying up.
Karl Darlow has done fairly well since taking Meslier’s starting place, but the 34-year-old won’t be seen as the solution for the Premier League either. A new addition will almost certainly be made.
On that front, a dream target for Leeds would be Caoimhin Kelleher, who is eager to leave Liverpool to become a No.1 elsewhere after proving his reliability on a number of occasions as their stand-in for Alisson Becker.
Leeds are among Kelleher’s plentiful suitors. Their chances of signing him hinged on whether they could get back in the Premier League, and now that they’ve met that objective, they will hope to be in contention for the 26-year-old.
With more than 60 appearances behind him for Liverpool, Kelleher could be capable of aiming higher than a Premier League newcomer, but it’s guaranteed gametime he wants for his next step and Leeds would be able to offer him that.
However, the Whites would need to set aside some significant funds to land Kelleher, who Liverpool are looking for a fee north of £20m for despite there only being one year left on his contract at Anfield.
Ben Jacobs has confirmed to TEAMtalk that Kelleher is one to watch for Leeds, who also have Chelsea’s Djordje Petrovic – currently on loan at Strasbourg – on their shortlist.
RB – Jayden Bogle
It was an astute bit of business by Leeds to sign Bogle from Sheffield United last summer after the Blades came down from the Premier League.
The right-back has gone on to become a key player and regular starter for Daniel Farke’s side, enjoying an outstanding season. In fact, he has been their second most-used player in terms of minutes on the pitch.
Bogle has previously played 50 times in the Premier League in a Sheffield United shirt, divided between the 2020-21 and 2023-24 seasons, and has earned every right to give the top flight another crack in Leeds colours.
He will be 25 years old by the time the new season begins and remains under contract until 2028.
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CB – Joe Rodon
Rodon was one of Leeds’ standout players during the 2023-24 season while on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, so it was cause for delight when his move to Elland Road became permanent last summer.
Once again, the Wales international has been entrusted majorly by Farke, who has given him more minutes of action than any of his teammates. Indeed, Rodon is the only Leeds player to have logged more than 4,000 minutes across all competitions, after also surpassing that milestone last season.
Rodon’s last opportunity in the Premier League with Spurs only saw him make 15 appearances, and a loan to Ligue 1 with Rennes only included 16 appearances in the French top flight.
Now, he seems far better equipped to become a Premier League regular at a club where he fits in extremely well.
CB – Nico Elvedi
After a decade of service to Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga, one of which was spent working with Farke, Nico Elvedi could be ready for the next step this summer.
Leeds have shown interest in reuniting him with Farke and it’s understood that Elvedi is interested in playing in the Premier League.
The Switzerland international was hesitant to leave Gladbach mid-season, but his stance could change this summer. His view of Leeds will be more favourable now they have top-flight football to look forward to.
“Nico Elvedi is an absolute leader for us,” Farke said during his time in Germany.
“When he is at his best, he is one of the best central defenders in Europe. He has proven that over the years.”
And with a release clause worth little over £8m, Elvedi could be a good value-for-money addition to Leeds’ centre-back options.
LB – Kostas Tsimikas
Left-back is a big position of intrigue for Leeds ahead of the transfer window. Junior Firpo has redeemed himself there this season after previously struggling in the Premier League, but his contract expires this summer.
While Firpo’s future remains unclear, Leeds may prefer a more established top-flight option in his position, in spite of his return to form.
And with Kelleher potentially on his way in, Leeds could theoretically make a double raid on Liverpool by going for Kostas Tsimikas too.
Tsimikas has served as Liverpool’s backup left-back for five years, but with the Premier League champions elect planning to sign a new starter in the position to phase out Andy Robertson, the Greece international could be demoted to third choice.
About to turn 29, Tsimikas will still feel like he has something to offer and it may be time for a new challenge.
As things stand, it’s too early to predict who will fill the left-back vacancy for Leeds, but Tsimikas has spoken positively about the club before.
He said in 2023, when preparing to face a Leeds side managed by the ill-fated Javi Gracia: “They are a very hard-working team, everybody runs so much. They had a desire to win the game, even when it was at Anfield. I like the way they play, they fight for every ball.”
DM – Ao Tanaka
Leeds might have had a hard time keeping hold of Tanaka had they failed to secure promotion. The £3m signing from German second-tier side Fortuna Dusseldorf turned out to be an absolute bargain.
“Many observers may soon be asking why he only plays in the second English league. I am firmly convinced that he can make it in the Premier League,” agent Marijo Knez admitted in December.
Tanaka will now have that opportunity at a prime stage of his career, given that he will be turning 27 in September.
📈 Congratulations to Leeds United and Ao Tanaka on securing promotion back to the Premier League!
Delighted for Tanaka, who will now play in one of Europe’s top five leagues for the first time in his career 👏 #LUFC pic.twitter.com/BnfXlPgx72
— Japanese Football (@JapaneseFbl) April 21, 2025
Leeds will also have club captain Ethan Ampadu, who suffered relegation last time he played in the Premier League with Sheffield United, and then twice consecutively in Serie A with Venezia and Spezia, to call upon for either a defensive midfield or centre-back berth.
Ampadu, two years Tanaka’s junior, will be eager to finally prove he can be part of a stable top-flight outfit after finding a home at Leeds – but there could be more investment into the midfield department.
DM – Julian Weigl
On the topic of a new midfielder, Leeds links have started surfacing recently for another player Farke has worked with before: Julian Weigl.
After his time in Portugal with Benfica, Gladbach brought Weigl back to his native Germany ahead of Farke’s season in charge at Borussia-Park.
Weigl, who turns 30 in September and was previously capped six times by Germany, remains under contract with Gladbach until 2028 and has become their captain.
However, Leeds’ interest has been confirmed and they are believed to have been in contact to see if he would be interested in a move to England.
Like with many of these potential targets, Premier League football was a determining factor for Weigl, who could in theory now consider Leeds due to their promotion.
“Julian is a great footballer and person,” Farke said recently, with the pair known to still have a positive relationship. “He could enrich many teams with his qualities.”
Another candidate to come into the Leeds midfield could be former hometown hero Kalvin Phillips, whose move to Manchester City never hit the heights he hoped for.
Phillips has been on loan at Ipswich this season, suffering relegation for the second time in his career, but would have strongly considered a Leeds return before if they’d got back in the Premier League. Now that they have, it’ll be interesting to see if that comes back onto the agenda.
RW – Dan James
The only player in Leeds’ promotion-winning squad with more Premier League appearances – one more, to be specific – than James with his 106 is Meslier.
And after back-to-back seasons with double figures of Championship goals, the Wales winger seems ready to take the step back up in his stride.
Previous spells in the top flight with Manchester United and Fulham – not forgetting his 36 top-flight appearances for Leeds themselves – haven’t been overly productive for James, but the 27-year-old has earned his place on the right wing since returning to Elland Road after his spell with the Cottagers.
James will, though, be entering the final year of his contract in West Yorkshire this summer, which is something Leeds may have to address if they want to keep him for longer.
AM – Emi Buendia
The no.10 position was expected to be reinforced last summer, but Brenden Aaronson returned from his loan spell with Union Berlin and Leeds looked to strengthen out wide instead with the addition of Largie Ramazani.
Aaronson has gone on to feature heavily, but Leeds would prefer to have an upgrade in the central attacking midfield for Premier League football.
With that in mind, their attention could drift back to a player they were in the mix for back in January – and another one Farke has worked with before.
Emi Buendia blossomed under Farke for Norwich City, eventually earning a transfer to Aston Villa in 2021. This winter, Villa sent him on loan to Bayer Leverkusen.
The defending Bundesliga champions’ intentions for Buendia’s future after his loan spell remain to be seen, but if they neglect the chance to buy him for good, Leeds could come back into the equation for the playmaker.
Buendia is still only 28 years old and his contract with Villa is due to last until 2027.
Leeds will have other options to consider, such as former target Gus Hamer if Sheffield United don’t navigate the play-offs successfully, but Farke has got the best out of Buendia before – witnessing all 24 of his Norwich goals and 41 assists – and a reunion would seem attractive.
LW – Manor Solomon
Last summer it was Rodon whose loan move from Spurs to Leeds became permanent. This year, Leeds will be hoping Solomon follows suit.
Solomon has been Leeds’ best provider of assists this season and has more than 20 goal contributions all in, which has made him an essential part of their team from the left flank.
Leeds don’t officially have an option to buy Solomon, but having become enamoured with him, they will likely be looking at every possible way they can keep him at Elland Road.
Solomon, who will be 26 by the time next season begins, is entering the prime of his career. He has already shown what he can do in the Premier League to a degree with Fulham, but struggled for opportunities with Spurs.
Leeds have given him a platform to thrive from and it’s believed he is open to staying with them in the Premier League.
Negotiations with his parent club, who have him under contract until 2028, will have to follow, but that’s expected to be one of the first things Leeds look at when it comes to their transfer planning.
CF – Evan Ferguson
Joel Piroe may have got a four-goal haul on the day Leeds secured promotion, putting him on pole position for the Championship Golden Boot, but the icing on the cake for their Premier League rebuild would be a new striker.
Patrick Bamford’s race appears to be run, while Mateo Joseph still needs to develop at the age of 21, so a new centre-forward could make all the difference to Leeds’ survival chances.
And just like this dream lineup started with an Irishman, it could end with one. Evan Ferguson is currently on loan at West Ham from Brighton, but that move looks unlikely to become permanent.
TEAMtalk’s Fraser Fletcher has confirmed that Leeds are monitoring Ferguson and have even been in initial contact over a move.
Still only 20 years old, Ferguson has had a frustrating season, but there’s plenty of time for him to fulfil his potential.
Leeds aren’t alone in admiring Ferguson, and he isn’t the only striker on their shortlist, but Brighton might make him more affordable than previously expected – and in that case, he would simply have to come under consideration.
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