Mighty Leeds Weblog

Where'd that come from?! Words by: Chris McMenamy Back in September, I wrote a story in issue two of our magazine about our old pal Andrea Radrizzani buying the ailing Italian club Sampdoria after he left Leeds in the summer of 2023, a deal he made with his business partner Matteo Manfredi: Manfredi was seen as the reference point for the investors, several of whom have ties to Singapore and were reported to have been involved thanks to Radrizzani’s connections in that part of the world. Last week, investigative football journalists Josimar published a story titled ‘The Singapore connection’ about the relationship between Radrizzani and the operators of FUN88, the illegal Asian betting firm ‘operating’ from the Isle of Man. You might remember that a different betting company operating from the Isle of Man once paid millions to sponsor Leeds United when Radrizzani owned the club — SBOTOP. The crux of the issue raised in the story by Philippe Auclair is that Radrizzani and ...

By Graham Smyth A striker viewed by Leeds United as a possible reinforcement for Daniel Farke’s attacking options has so far been declared unavailable by his club. The Whites have long admired Cameron Archer of Southampton and made enquiries in previous windows but as reports emerge that an approach has been rejected by the Saints, the YEP understands that Leeds will continue to monitor his situation. Southampton are not currently willing to sanction an exit for a player who has started 10 games in the Premier League and made 25 appearances in all competitions so far this season. Archer, 23, has scored five goals for the Saints, only two of which came in league action. He has previously proven prolific at Championship level in loan spells for both Preston North End and Middlesbrough. Southampton have already shipped on one striker in the January transfer window, with the loan move of Ben Brereton Diaz to Leeds’ title rivals Sheffield United. The Chilean international struggled fo...

By Kyle Newbould Leeds United are well-placed to challenge for Championship promotion again following last year’s play-off final heartbreak. Danny Mills would worry if Leeds United fell into the play-offs again from such a position of strength, with promotion the only successful outcome for Daniel Farke. Leeds look set to play their part in another thrilling four-team promotion race, with Monday’s 0-0 draw at third-placed Burnley keeping the gap at three points. Sheffield United sit between the pair in second while Sunderland are not far behind. All four are tracking towards 90-point campaigns once again. Farke’s side hit 90 points last season but that was only good enough for third, with a poor run-in seeing the hard work that got them top in March quickly disappear before the all-too-familiar misery of play-off failure. Leeds are in a better place this time, compared to 12 months ago, but there is still a long way to go and Mills cannot foresee a third year for the German if ...

By Graham Smyth Leeds United's 0-0 draw at Burnley was a crime against football of the most egregious nature but who should stand trial? Everyone expected a tight game when Daniel Farke's league-leading top goalscorers visited the Championship's best defence but it didn't have to be one of the most boring Whites games in recent memory. Sheffield United and Sunderland dropping points presented an opportunity for Leeds to pull away. For Burnley this was a chance to reel the leaders back in. There's no doubt that the side sitting top were the ones to be shot at because to be the king you've got to kill the king, but there was a statement to be made by either side. Yet by the time Turf Moor had emptied one side had said little more than 'actually we're fine with a point in front of our own fans.' They didn't shoot at goal let alone shoot their shot at the league leaders. It became clear long ago that very few teams in the Championship are wil...

By Graham Smyth The YEP’s take and off-camera moments from Monday night’s goalless draw at Burnley. Leeds United and Burnley's sparring match at Turf Moor told us little about individuals on the pitch and yet two men stood out for the Whites. There are 0-0s and then there are games that should instantly be forgotten and this was decidedly the latter. Here's the YEP take. Good day Jayden Bogle Given there were players on the pitch who appeared to have little interest in winning the game, Bogle's approach was refreshing. He got forward well and gave Leeds their best chance of something happening in open play. Joe Rodon This was a game for a big brutish centre-back. Lots of long balls to deal with. Horrible conditions. Defences on top. But Rodon did all the ugly stuff well and also showed a bit of class in possession. Bad day All present What a terrible night to watch football and a terrible game. Joel Piroe The striker was simply not a factor in the ga...

By Lee Sobot Leeds took a goalless draw from their Monday night clash at Burnley. Whites captain Ethan Ampadu has given his verdict on Leeds United’s goalless draw at Burnley with a “two per cent” declaration and avoidance of a potential excuse. The league’s best defence and best attack went head to head in Monday night’s top-of-the-table clash at Turf Moor which failed to produce a single goal and indeed only one shot on target. Championship frontrunners Leeds finally provided that shot on target in the 89th minute through a rasping Dan James half-volley from a corner which Clarets keeper James Trafford tipped over the bar as the two sides left with a point apiece. The draw extended the Leeds advantage over second-placed Sheffield United to two points and also kept Burnley three points away in third. Speaking post-match to LUTV, Ampadu just about concluded that the draw was a good point but declared that his side needed an extra two per cent of energy as he pointed to Unit...

In the division where ambition meets attrition, neither side was willing to concede ground as they look to navigate back into the Premier League Richard Jolly Burnley and Leeds played out a dull goalless draw with neither willing to concede ground in the chase for promotion Daniel Farke had sat through a grim northern drama of a match, an exercise in downbeat realism as he tried to shelter himself from the teeming rain in the Turf Moor dugout. He then showed a nice line in understatement. “I wouldn’t say it was the most sexiest piece of football,” he reflected. “I can’t say it was an unbelievable advertisement.” And yet there was an accuracy to it. This is the Championship, a division where ambition and attrition collide. The biggest game of the Football League season staked its claim to be the dullest, the number of goals matching the number of shots on target until Dan James’ 89th-minute half-volley was tipped over by James Trafford. At its end, Leeds had marched a little clo...

By Tony Harber A game between two teams with 35 clean sheets between them this season was never going to be a six-goal thriller so no-one was surprised that Leeds United’s trip to Burnley resulted in a goalless draw. Whether it will prove to be a good point only time will tell, but it left the Whites two clear at the top of the Championship and three ahead of third-placed Burnley so in the short term the pragmatic approach they took on their trip to Turf Moor has paid some dividends. Neither manager made any apologies for the cagey match that took place with so much at stake. Perhaps it was case of both sides having more to lose than to gain from the contest at this stage of the season. United boss Daniel Farke admitted it had not been the most exciting game he had been involved in, but he was happy with the way his players handled it, wishing only that they had been a bit more confident in and around the box. “It was a good result for us, good point on the road,” he said. ...

Shamoon Hafez Monday's top-of-the-table clash between Burnley and Leeds United was billed as a Championship blockbuster but turned out to be a damp squib. The rain lashed down on Turf Moor but Scott Parker's men maintained their watertight defensive record in the goalless draw against their promotion rivals. Let's be honest here, this was a drab affair which won't live long in the memory, featuring only one shot on target which came in the 89th minute. Leeds maintain their position at the top but, with a wry smile, manager Daniel Farke acknowledged it was not much of a spectacle for those who were watching. "I can't say it was an unbelievable advertisement today," said the German. "I wouldn't say it was the nicest piece of football. "When two of the best sides in the league play against each other, no-one wants to make a mistake and looks like a chess game. It wasn't the most entertaining one. "It was a really good poin...

A point and clean sheet for the Whites. Leeds United travelled away from home to face Burnley in battle at the top end of the Sky Bet Championship table, taking away a point in the late Monday evening kick-off in Lancashire. Both teams were in fine form coming into the match, scoring goals and also keeping plenty of clean sheets between them at the opposite end, so an intense tactical battle was expected under the lights of Turf Moor. When the starting XI was announced, Daniel Farke had made just the one change from our last outing - the win over Norwich City - as Ilia Gruev came into the side, he replaced Joe Rothwell who was named on the bench. The early stages were as expected, both teams looking to work each other out, with the visitors having the majority of the possession. When chances did come, they went without trouble to either goalkeeper. Brenden Aaronson struck a free-kick into the wall, Jayden Bogle’s left-footed effort missed the target, whilst at the other end Z...

By Stuart Rayner Daniel Farke was satisfied rather than delighted by his side's 0-0 draw against Burnley. The Clarets have the best defence in the Championship, incredibly having only conceded nine goals all season and they seemed more intent on another clean sheet than on drawing level on points at the top of the table. Whilst Leeds wanted to win more, they were reluctant to take too many risks to go for the throat. The result was a dull game which saw its only shot on target from Daniel James in the 89th minute. Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford tipped it over the bar. With Sheffield United losing 3-0 at Hull City, it leaves Leeds in a slightly stronger position at the top of the Championship after the latest round of matches. "It was a good result for us, a good point on the road," reflected Leeds manager Farke. "(I was) happy with our defensive behaviour, happy with a clean sheet. "We've had a really difficult game here, two of the best sid...

Dan Owen While the pre-match media channels may have attempted to drum up anticipation ahead of Monday’s clash between two of the Championship’s top-three sides, anyone expecting a thriller between Leeds United and Burnley were fooling themselves. This was, after all, a battle between the team with the best defensive record in the division. Burnley have conceded only nine goals in 29 matches. And, on the other side of the coin, a Leeds United team boasting some ‘ground-breaking’ numbers of their own. Leeds concede around two shots on target per game on average in England’s second tier. So, as Leeds and Burnley cancelled each other out on the night, the eventual 0-0 draw at Turf Moor felt about as inevitable as a half-baked plot twist at the end of an M Night Shyamalan ‘thriller’. Though, while pleased with a point which maintains daylight between Leeds United and second-place Sheffield United – let alone a Burnley team three points adrift – Daniel Farke could not help wonder ...

Dan Murphy Daniel Farke was spotted embracing two Burnley players following the 0-0 draw with Leeds United on Monday. A top of the table Championship clash that promised to be a firework factory ended up keepings its powder dry as Leeds United and Burnley played out a tepid goalless draw at Turf Moor. The dull affair didn’t even produce a shot on target until the 88th minute when Dan James stung the palms of James Trafford and, though Leeds were the better side, they couldn’t breakdown a resolute defence. Daniel Farke was pleased with the away point, which ensures his side remains alone at the top and keeps a three-point advantage on the Clarets. After the game, the manager was spotted reuniting with two of his former players. After the game, Farke made his way to the rammed away end to give the customary applause to the travelling Leeds faithful. However, he also found time to say hello with two of his former players in Connor Roberts and Jaidon Anthony. According to j...

By Lee Sobot Third played first as Burnley hosted Leeds on Monday night. Leeds United's top-of-the-table clash at Burnley failed to produce a goal as a stalemate moved Daniel Farke's Whites two points clear of Sheffield United and stayed three points ahead of the third-placed Clarets. Leeds had plenty of possession in a cagey first half and often got into good areas in and around the Burnley box but without fashioning any particularly good chances. Jayden Bogle again looked particularly threatening down the right and often linked up well with Dan James but the Clarets saw Leeds off every time they got into the box. Burnley had less of the ball but the better of the chances, albeit not great ones as two headers from Zian Flemming were both sent wide following crosses from either flank. Flemming also blasted an awful effort over and wide from the edge of the ball as the first half ended goalless, both teams having four shots but neither able to muster anything on targ...

By Matt Scrafton Promotion rivals Burnley and Leeds United played out a dull and lifeless goalless draw in a top-of-the-table clash that neither side wanted to lose. In a game between the Championship’s meanest defence against the most potent attack, it was Burnley’s backline that came out on top. The 90 minutes brought about virtually nothing in the way of goalmouth action, with the only shot on target coming from the away side in the 89th minute. For the Clarets, they missed out on the opportunity to move into the top two, but they do cut the gap to second-placed Sheffield United to just a single point. Defensively they were supreme yet again, keeping their 20th clean sheet of the season as they played out their ninth 0-0 draw of the season. It was also their seventh straight shutout, meaning they haven’t conceded a goal in over 10 hours’ worth of football. At the other end of the pitch they created very little, other than two early glancing headers for Zian Flemming th...

By Lee Sobot Four teams are breaking away at the top of the Championship. A massive Sunderland twist has provided another fresh boost in Leeds United’s promotion quest. Leeds received a big boost on Friday night and not one that was envisaged as Hull City recorded a 3-0 win at second-placed Sheffield United who had the chance to overtake the Whites at the top of the division. The Blades, though, suffered a rare big reverse, big underdogs Hull leaving with a 3-0 success in a huge boost for both Leeds and third-placed Burnley who lock horns at Turf Moor on Monday night. Saturday afternoon then saw the automatic promotion race spotlight fall on fourth-placed Sunderland who were presented with the opportunity to make inroads with their hosting of struggling Plymouth Argyle at the Stadium of Light. The bottom-of-the-table Pilgrims were walloped 5-0 by visiting Burnley in midweek and Sunderland lined up as long odds-on favourites to condemn the Black Cats to another defeat. A s...

Defender looks ahead to Burnley clash. Leeds United’s impressive run of form continued during the week with another important home victory over Norwich City. Keeping a clean sheet at Elland Road, goals from Manor Solomon and Dan James ensured the Whites claimed all three points. After back-to-back Sky Bet Championship wins on home turf without conceding a goal, defender Joe Rodon was full of praise for his teammates, as he spoke to LUTV. “I think when you are winning, it is always happy around you,” the Wales international explained. “We just want to keep adding and putting points on the board. I think everyone knows the schedule is, you know, it is carnage. The good thing is, of course, everyone wants to play and I think we have a very hungry group here and the players who don’t play and then come in, they make an impact. That is the most important thing because as we go back and talk about the schedule, we are going to need everyone. We saw that last year. It is a very long s...

By Lee Sobot A monster Leeds United boost is expected. Leeds United have received big backing ahead of Monday night’s huge Championship clash at Burnley with a massive boost in the club’s promotion bid expected. Daniel Farke’s Whites have a three-point cushion in the division’s automatic promotion places and are now heading for a huge clash against their nearest pursuers outside of the top two. Burnley are just three points behind Daniel Farke’s Whites in third place and now have the chance to draw level with Leeds by beating them in Monday evening’s 8pm kick-off at Turf Moor. The bookmakers, though, have issued huge backing for Farke’s side who they expect to leave Turf Moor with all three points for a massive change in the automatics landscape. Burnley are unbeaten in 16 games in league and cup and the Clarets have conceded just nine goals from their 28 league fixtures so far this season. Scott Parker’s side have let in just four at Turf Moor. Leeds, though, are strong ...

By Danny Hall A game too far for Sheffield United as Hull City defeat hands Leeds United momentum in promotion race Chris Wilder acknowledged that there would be a “dramatic reaction” to Sheffield United’s heaviest defeat of the season after they were beaten 3-0 by struggling Hull City tonight - but the Blades boss will not be “beating up” his players as a result. In truth United have been running on fumes for a while with their squad stretched and that caught up with them on a night to forget at Bramall Lane. Hull went ahead after just six minutes, when Matt Crooks capitalised on some slack defending from Alfie Gilchrist and curled home, before second-half strikes from Matty Jacob and Harrison Burrows’ own goal sealed a memorable evening on the road for the Tigers. Defeat for the Blades gives their promotion rivals Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland the chance to seize the advantage over the weekend. “There'll be a dramatic reaction to this,” Wilder admitted afterwards. “I'...

Always liked him Written by: Chris McMenamy I didn’t fully comprehend Jayden Bogle’s role in Leeds’ opening goal against Norwich at the time. Angus Gunn’s wayward long ball straight from kick-off had distracted me. By the time Illan Meslier collected this Champo copyrighted hoof, surveyed his options, and launched a flat throw toward Bogle, Leeds were on the move and my mind frenzied as Manor Solomon scored yet another early goal. Bogle received Meslier’s throw and set off down the right wing with intensity. He played a quick double one-two with Brenden Aaronson that created the space for Dan James to sprint into and set up Solomon’s goal. Leeds were up and running. Bogle was, as always, running — and he didn’t stop until the final whistle. It was always going to take time, but it appears Daniel Farke has found his ‘preferred’ starting XI, his winning formula. And it includes a potent combination on the right side between Bogle and James. Every Leeds United promotion-winning si...

By Graham Smyth Leeds United and Burnley will enjoy a rare luxury this week in a situation that will further frustrate Chris Wilder and add to his theory. Both the Whites and the Clarets played on Wednesday night and will next do battle against one another at Turf Moor on Monday, by which time Sheffield United will have hosted Hull City to complete a three-game six-day period. The Hull game comes hot on the heels of a Tuesday night win in Swansea City and a Saturday victory over Norwich City. It's the second time this season Sheffield United have faced such a situation. Leeds have also had to deal with this, but just last week Wilder was quoting a document he had drawn up to substantiate his suggestion that the Blades have had it worse this season when it comes to broadcast scheduling issues. Speaking ahead of Saturday's win over Norwich he said: "I’ve had a document done. We suffer the most out of all the top clubs over turnaround in fixtures, by quite a long way. I...

Harry Dimond Leeds United fans will be hoping that Manor Solomon will be able to continue his fine form in the Championship. The Leeds winger is currently on loan from Tottenham and has been flourishing under Daniel Farke. Much has been made of the Israeli’s future at Leeds as he seems like he’s right at home at Elland Road, as Tottenham fans want Leeds to sign Solomon. Solomon joked about his love for Dan James as he clearly has a great relationship with the Leeds squad and doesn’t feel unsettled with the Whites. Spurs have endured an incredibly unlucky season with injuries, as Ange Postecoglou has given his verdict on whether Solomon will be needed back at his parent club. Leeds fans are clearly in love with Solomon, and the saying ‘never fall in love with a loan player’ becomes increasingly likely. Solomon himself loves it at Leeds and it seems like a match made in heaven for the 25-year-old winger. However, Postecoglou may have had Leeds fans on edge when he was ask...

Ilia Gruev said he found his injury "tough" to deal with but is delighted to be back Leeds United midfielder Ilia Gruev has admitted that he himself was “surprised” at how quickly he managed to recover from knee surgery, given he was back on the pitch just three months later. The Bulgarian damaged the meniscus in his knee just 20 minutes into October’s 1-1 draw at Norwich City. He was required to have an operation on his injury, which left him on crutches. Gruev made an astonishingly quick return and was able to earn his first appearance since his setback against Harrogate Town in the FA Cup earlier this month. “I’m really good, it’s a really nice feeling to be back on the pitch,” said Gruev in an interview with club media. “I missed this very much and now to be back with the group, back with the team, everything is much more enjoyable. I really enjoy being back and being able to help the team.” Gruev poetically completed 35 minutes - his longest stint since recover...

The forward scored a quite brilliant debut goal on his 100th career appearance in midweek Joe Gelhardt says he told Daniel Farke about his desperation to make a loan move away from Leeds United in a bid to play regular football. The 22-year-old striker joined Hull City on loan earlier this month and made an instant impression by scoring a stunning goal on his home debut on Tuesday night as the Tigers were beaten 2-1 at home by QPR. Gelhardt penned a loan deal at City until the end of the season after Leeds sanctioned his departure from Elland Road, granting the Liverpool-born frontman's wish to get games under his belt, and he's relishing the chance to add to his tally against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Friday night. Despite City's perilous league position, which sees them mired inside the bottom three after Portsmouth's 3-1 win over fellow strugglers Stoke City on Wednesday evening, the Liverpool-born frontman admits he's relishing the challenge of...

By Graham Smyth Leeds United have three areas in which they will keep an open mind for potential transfer activity in the last days of the January window, but Daniel Farke wants a trio of boxes to be ticked first. The Whites went into the window making it clear they expected it to be a quiet one. Club sources were adamant it would come as no surprise if they made no signings and instead just sent a couple of youngsters out on loan. Those youngsters turned out to be Joe Gelhardt, who joined Hull City, and Charlie Crew, who is now on loan with Doncaster Rovers. Despite the annual flurry of reports suggesting Leeds are targeting players X, Y and Z, there has been nothing close to a new arrival with 23 days of the window gone. Farke has gone on record to say he would only consider additions if they improved the group, adding how difficult he feels it would be to find players who could do that in January. But he has also hinted that there were a couple of positions in which further st...