Leeds supporters will be hopeful of a strong campaign heading into 2024/25 as the club aims for a return to the Premier League. Daniel Farke's side earned a massive 90 points in the Championship last time, but, despite a huge total, they had to settle for third place behind Leicester and Ipswich, who went up automatically. After such a strong season, Leeds lost in the play-off semi-finals against Southampton, and so they must do it all over again.
A similar tally to 2024 would put Leeds right in the mix again, and many football fans across the country are tipping the Yorkshire giants to earn promotion this time around. Leeds' prospects of success will be evaluated to look ahead to the forthcoming season.
Championship Rivals
Even before a ball has been kicked, Leeds are the favorites to win the Championship title and earn a ticket back to the Premier League, from which they were relegated in 2023. Considered to be one of the biggest clubs in the division based on history and the size of the fanbase, it's little wonder Leeds are being hotly tipped for glory.If you are keen to back Leeds this upcoming season, it is important to learn how to bet on football and properly assess different tips and strategies to wager with confidence and authority while making smart and informed decisions on the Whites.
So, what will Leeds have to do better to seal promotion? Well, three of the teams also being backed for strong campaigns are the demoted trio of Burnley, Luton Town, and Sheffield United, who dropped out of the top flight in May. While the Blades disappointed and the Clarets appeared toothless under Vincent Kompany, who is now in charge at Bayern Munich, it was the Hatters who perhaps gave the best account of themselves, fighting and scrapping for every point with spirited and battling performances. What they lacked in quality, they made up for in work rate and high energy.
Despite facing the likes of Manchester City, United, Arsenal, and Liverpool home and away last season, Burnley Luton and Sheffield United can't rely on those experiences and will quickly have to reacclimatize to life in the second tier to ensure they aren't caught out early in the campaign because a rough start can be difficult to recover from in a Championship that can be ruthless.
Elsewhere, Leeds will be aware of the challenge from the likes of Middlesbrough enjoying a period of sustainability under Michael Carrick, a West Brom side benefiting from the tactical nous of former Leeds youth coach Carlos Corberan, and a Coventry team enjoying a continued upward trajectory with long-serving manager Mark Robins, who has taken the club from League Two to within a kick of the Premier League.
Norwich and Hull will also be picked by some to mount a push, while Stoke, who were in the big time as recently as 2018, are always tipped to challenge despite six consecutive bottom-half finishes in the Championship.
The Squad
Leeds has experienced big changes to the squad since relegation from the Premier League, though it still possesses a great deal of quality, and there is no doubt Farke will be keen to add to the team in the build-up to the season and thereafter.While it was disappointing for fans to see 18-year-old Archie Gray leave the club for Tottenham, his massive talent did mean Leeds made around £30 million from his sale, which can be reinvested in other areas of the club and team. Glen Kamara, another midfielder, also left for French club Rennes.
Other departures this summer have included several players who were already out on loan last season following the club's drop into the Championship. Marc Roca and Diego Llorente have returned to Spain with Real Betis, while Rasmus Kristensen and Robin Koch joined Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. Luis Sinisterra, meanwhile, made his switch to Bournemouth permanently, and young center-back Charlie Cresswell has joined Ligue 1 side Toulouse.
When it comes to incomings, Leeds have started strengthening in several positions. Joe Rodon is at Elland Road to stay after a successful loan from Spurs, and right-back Jayden Bogle has arrived from Sheffield United. Goalkeeper Alex Cairns is back at Leeds after leaving for Chesterfield in 2015, and former Blackburn midfielder Joe Rothwell has joined to bolster the midfield.
However, much of Leeds' success this season depends on whether the club can keep its key assets. Wingers Willy Gnonto and Crysencio Summerville have been attracting interest from clubs in the Premier League and are important players for the team. While the former was subject to a sustained push from Everton last year, he rebounded and netted nine times, while the latter was the top scorer with 21 goals and also set up another ten to earn the Championship Player of the Season award. If Leeds can hold on to their talismanic figures, they will go into the season with much more confidence than if they lose one or, worse, both.
Fixtures Rundown
Of course, every team must play once at home and once away in the league, but the order in which you play can decide your overall standing at the end of the campaign. A difficult start can leave you playing catch-up, while a testing end to the season can derail your form, costing you automatic promotion or affecting your displays in the play-offs.When it comes to Leeds in 2024/25, the Whites kick off at home against newly-promoted Portsmouth. This could be a positive, as it's Pompey's first game back in the Championship after having played in League One, and the quality might not yet be sufficient to compete with Leeds. However, they may go into the game with no fear and spring a surprise. Farke's men then face consecutive away trips to West Brom and Sheffield on Wednesday before hosting Hull and Burnley. As starts go, they could have had it kinder, but a strong and competent beginning to the season will stand the team in good stead to push for promotion.
Looking to April and May and the run-in, Leeds take on Boro and Luton away, welcome Preston to Elland Road, travel to Oxford United, and host Stoke and Bristol City before a long final day trip to Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle. Judging by early season predictions, while Boro and the Hatters may be pushing for the top six, Preston, Stoke, and Bristol City could have little to play for in the mid-table, though the U's and Argyle may be battling to beat the drop. It seems Leeds' end to the season is a little kinder than their openers, and by that point, the team could have found their rhythm and been pushing to go up.