Clubs will soon be able to conduct inbound and outbound business, albeit Leeds still has a lot of work to do this season. It’s only a matter of weeks.
Leeds now has a second opportunity to secure an instant return to the Premier League after missing out on automatic promotion to both Leicester City and Ipswich Town. Leeds’ recruitment team will be making the required arrangements in light of this for both possible outcomes—promotion and staying in the Championship. After losing four of their previous six games, Leeds supporters are not very optimistic about their team’s chances of making it to the play-offs. They will need to create Championship history in order to win them.
If Leeds got promoted, they would undoubtedly have a more exciting summer because they would be able to shop in a competitive market without having to let go of players. However, 49ers Enterprises has already stated that in order to abide by PSR regulations and partially satisfy the £190 million in transfer payments due, they will need to sell some players from the team.
The 49ers, however, have no plans to rest on their laurels. In light of their long-term goals at Elland Road, they would like to reassemble a team that is prepared to make another push for promotion. And Leeds is reportedly tracking Royal Antwerp midfielder Mandela Keita in advance of the summer, per Het Nieuwsblad. Although it’s unclear what tier Leeds would need to be in to sign him, other teams rumored to be interested include Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, and Nottingham Forest.
It appears like Leeds will need to be in the Premier League in order to sign Keita, a 21-year-old central defensive midfielder who has already received one cap for Belgium.
He has played nearly 100 matches in his professional career for both OH Leuven and Royal Antwerp, with 53 appearances for the latter. Keita was part of the Antwerp team that defeated Barcelona 3-2 in the Champions League earlier this season.
Scouts who have observed him consider Keita an outstanding talent, with Manchester United reportedly scouting him on multiple occasions, according to Het Nieuwsblad.
Leeds have been previously linked with Keita, with reports suggesting their interest in him before.
Farke’s team dropped to third place and had to enter the play-offs as a result of Leeds’ inability to maintain their second-place position. Norwich currently faces Leeds after losing to Birmingham on the last day of competition.
He has played nearly 100 matches in his professional career for both OH Leuven and Royal Antwerp, with 53 appearances for the latter. Keita was part of the Antwerp team that defeated Barcelona 3-2 in the Champions League earlier this season.
Scouts who have observed him consider Keita an outstanding talent, with Manchester United reportedly scouting him on multiple occasions, according to Het Nieuwsblad.
Leeds have been previously linked with Keita, with reports suggesting their interest in him before.
Farke returns to Carrow Road for the second time this season, having done so earlier. In a previous match, Crysencio Summerville scored the winning goal in a thrilling 3-2 comeback at Carrow Road.
Leeds also defeated Norwich at Elland Road earlier this season, with Patrick Bamford netting the only goal in January. Jack Stacey acknowledges that Norwich will face a tough challenge on Sunday afternoon.
On The EFL podcast this week, Sheffield Wednesday’s Windass shared his predictions for the Championship playoffs and discussed the psychological impact of missing out on the top two spots.
Southampton will play Carlos Corberan’s West Brom in the other semifinal; the Baggies advanced to fifth position with their victory against Preston on the penultimate day, but the Saints are predicted to prevail over two legs. Windass was born in Hull, attended the academy in Huddersfield for ten years, and was raised in Yorkshire. Leeds will win the play-offs, in his opinion, but missing out on the top two can have consequences.
Bolton will rise. Leeds and Doncaster will still win the play-offs, in my opinion. I do believe that Leeds’ failure to place in the top two has a psychological impact. We lost on goal difference when I was at Accrington years ago. As I get older and reflect on the past, the manager said, “Argh, we have to do the play-offs.” Leeds may adopt that approach, but I’m not sure. It seems like a nightmare. In the semifinals, we were eliminated. “Leeds must move past that right now. West Brom and Norwich are even more excited about making the playoffs. This week, Windass stated on the most recent episode of the EFL podcast, “It can have a mental effect.”
He has played nearly 100 matches in his professional career for both OH Leuven and Royal Antwerp, with 53 appearances for the latter. Keita was part of the Antwerp team that defeated Barcelona 3-2 in the Champions League earlier this season.
Scouts who have observed him consider Keita an outstanding talent, with Manchester United reportedly scouting him on multiple occasions, according to Het Nieuwsblad.
Leeds have been previously linked with Keita, with reports suggesting their interest in him before.
Farke returns to Carrow Road for the second time this season, having done so earlier. In a previous match, Crysencio Summerville scored the winning goal in a thrilling 3-2 comeback at Carrow Road.
Leeds also defeated Norwich at Elland Road earlier this season, with Patrick Bamford netting the only goal in January. Jack Stacey acknowledges that Norwich will face a tough challenge on Sunday afternoon.
On The EFL podcast this week, Sheffield Wednesday’s Windass shared his predictions for the Championship playoffs and discussed the psychological impact of missing out on the top two spots
Windass isn’t the only one foreseeing Farke’s team winning the playoffs at Wembley on May 26. Micah Richards believes Leeds’ attacking prowess will carry them through the upcoming playoffs.
Leeds’ success hinges on breaking their recent poor form and recovering from missing out on the top two spots to Ipswich in the next few weeks, starting with Sunday’s match against Norwich.
Securing a positive result in the first leg is crucial before facing David Wagner’s side at Elland Road a few days later. A draw or narrow victory would significantly boost their chances of reaching the final at the end of the month.
After a strong first half of the season, Joel Piroe’s play had declined, but Patrick Bamford, who had not scored a goal in 2023, had returned to the team and had scored nine goals since January.
Leeds might have used a striker, but Bamford’s play likely eliminated the necessity for one, as Leeds only added Wales international Connor Roberts to the team during the winter transfer window while Burnley was loaned to Leeds. Kieffer Moore, another Wales star whose Premier League playing time at Bournemouth is limited, was being linked to Leeds at the start of the January transfer window. It was reported that Leeds was one of the teams monitoring the big striker and aware of Moore’s predicament. Naturally, Moore left Leeds to play for Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich team and has since become a star.
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