Mighty Leeds Weblog

Will Butcher West Ham United are closing in on a deal to sign Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United, and Ben Jacobs has shared how much Leeds will receive for the Dutchman. The 22-year-old has been strongly linked with the Elland Road exit door all summer and was targeted as the one big sale Leeds needed to make before the Profit & Sustainability Rules deadline this month. But instead, Leeds sold Archie Gray for £40m to Tottenham. Leeds have since sold five more players in the form of Diego Llorente, Marc Roca, Kris Klaesson and Charlie Cresswell – raking in around £60m in total. But more exits were always likely and Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday afternoon that West Ham had agreed personal terms with Summerville, and talks for a fee were ongoing with the Yorkshire side. Now, the story has moved on with multiple sources claiming a deal is done between Leeds and Angus Kinnear’s old club. The Dutchman is expected to sign a five-year at the London Stadium, until Jun...

By Graham Smyth Leeds United are in advanced talks with West Ham United over the sale of winger Crysencio Summerville. The Hammers’ interest in Summerville first emerged before he jetted off to Germany with Leeds for their pre-season training camp, where he was lauded for his commitment to the cause by boss Daniel Farke. Summerville featured in the side’s first friendly against Hannover 96 but the club revealed the youngster had subsequently reported a hamstring issue after training and prior to the second game. Farke himself confirmed that Summerville had reported an issue and it made no sense to risk him in the game against Schalke 04 on Saturday. But as reported first by Dharmesh Sheth of Sky Sports, West Ham and Leeds are now in advanced talks, with the Hammers hopeful of a deal. Leeds sources have confirmed that they are indeed in talks and Summerville’s wage demands are not thought to be an issue for the Premier League side. Leeds have consistently refused to rule out fur...

By Tom Coates A deal for Norwich City star Gabriel Sara may be beyond Leeds United, according to reports. The midfielder is among the Championship’s most revered midfielders and stood out for the Canaries last term. Since the end of the 2023/24 season, he has been linked with a move away from Carrow Road. Leeds have been reported to be among his admirers, although HITC have suggested a move for the 25-year-old may not be possible. Norwich will reportedly want £20m for Sara, which could prove steep for the Whites as they look to ensure they are financially responsible. However, if Leeds lose any more of their prized assets, there could be more funding for such a deal. Crysencio Summerville has been linked with a Premier League switch, as has fellow winger Wilfried Gnonto. Leeds have already generated significant income this summer, selling teenage sensation Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur for a reported £40m. They have also parted ways with Glen Kamara, allowing the Finland i...

By Stuart Rayner The Football League has announced a raft of fixture changes for more televised games. A new deal with Sky Sports which will see over 1,000 matches televised each year for the next five seasons will also mean fewer Saturday 3pm kick-offs than ever but at least the broadcasters have made good on their promise to give plenty of warning of what changes will be made in the first half of the campaign, announcing new dates all the way up to new Year's Day 2025. Leeds United and Sheffield United have had nine further Championship games moved for live television coverage, Sheffield Wednesday eight and Hull City and Middlesbrough six each. There are other games moved as a knock-on effect of television dates. With far more games in Leagues One and Two shown, there is greater disruption there too. York City have also had a Conference game moved after a request from the police. The new dates are: October 1, 8pm: West Bromwich Albion v Middlesbrough* Oct 2, 7.45p...

Leeds United confirmed their leadership group last week with Ethan Ampadu named captain and Illan Meslier made one of his understudies yet he had no warning from Daniel Farke it was coming Ten members of Leeds United’s squad are older than Illan Meslier, but only three began at Elland Road before him, only two of those have made more appearances and nobody has made more starts. Despite that longevity in the dressing room, the 24-year-old was surprised when Daniel Farke announced his vice-captaincy last week. Patrick Bamford and Sam Byram are the only players with more United outings than Meslier, but there’s not much in it and the goalkeeper may well overtake them before the end of 2024. Meslier has made significantly more starts than them both and has seen more of this latest chapter in the club’s history than many others. When he was confirmed, alongside Pascal Struijk, as second in command to Ethan Ampadu, it was a shock for him. There had been no prior conversation between th...

Burned sausages Written by: Rob Conlon “If it would be that easy,” Daniel Farke said after Leeds’ 2-0 win over Schalke, “we’d have each and every day just a little barbecue.” Somewhere in the deepest, darkest depths of Cornwall, Neil Warnock’s thin lips must have broken into a shit-eating, I-told-you-so grin as he heard the music to his ears. A barbecue on the beach has been a staple of Colin’s pre-seasons for decades. A couple of burgers and a few cans can’t do any harm, can they? It doesn’t matter whether he’s preparing for a promotion challenge in the Champo or a relegation battle in the Premier League, he takes his great bunch of lads to the South Coast for a rigorous training camp that just so happens to be close to his own house and Sharon’s home comforts. It was no different during Warnock’s summer in charge of Leeds, but he insisted it wasn’t going to be a holiday for his players: “We’ll mix it up a little bit. They can play a bit of golf and I’ll personally cook them a...

By Will Jackson Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe has previously spoken about 49ers Enterprises desire to make improvements to Elland Road Leeds United’s owners could be looking at a bill of £50 million if they're to make the improvements they want to make to Elland Road. That's according to former Everton and Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, who believes 49ers Enterprises have big ambitions for the Whites' stadium Chairman Paraag Marathe spoke about redeveloping Elland Road in the aftermath of the club's play-off defeat and revealed that the ownership group had put money aside to work on small stadium improvements. He also admitted that while talk of stadium renovation plans were dependant on the Premier League were not strictly true, he did suggest that such big plans take time to finalise. Elland Road has needed investment for some time, with previous owner Andrea Radrizzani speaking openly about his desire to renovate the stadium, which has been ...

By Graham Smyth The YEP’s take on Leeds United’s 2-0 victory against Schalke 04 and some ‘off-camera moments’ from the behind-closed-doors friendly. Leeds United can finally emerge from under their veil of German secrecy as the end of their training camp beckons. A 2-0 victory over Schalke 04 on Saturday heralded almost the final action of the 10-day trip and Leeds will fly out of Paderborn on their charter on Monday afternoon, back to England and Thorp Arch. Daniel Farke was pleased with the performance in the win and has seemed generally very happy with how the camp has gone, how the facilities have served he and his squad and how the mood has been around the place. As they spend their final night at the stunning Hotel-Residence Klosterpforte and begin to eye Valencia and the competitive challenges that lie ahead, here is the YEP take on the penultimate pre-season friendly. Good day Mateo Joseph He was at it again, lurking in and around exactly the right place at the ...

By Graham Smyth Leeds took on Schalke 04 on Saturday afternoon in their second friendly in Germany. Leeds United had a tougher time of it in their second pre-season friendly in Germany thanks to a far more evenly-contested arm wrestle with Schalke 04 behind closed doors. But Daniel Farke's men eventually took over the contest, played at Kümpel und Hellmeister Arena in Hamm, and ran out 2-0 winners with second half goals from Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe. The Schalke team included Malian international attacker Moussa Sylla and former Bristol City and Fulham defender Tomáš Kalas. Leeds, meanwhile, were without Crysencio Summerville [hamstring], Daniel James [groin] and Patrick Bamford, whose workload continues to be carefully managed during his return from knee surgery. Leeds set up with Brenden Aaronson on the left again, with Willy Gnonto on the right wing and the latter was on the end of the away team's first chance on eight minutes, getting in on his flank and drawin...

Leeds United's new away shirt has sold more units in its opening 24 hours on sale than any other jersey in the club's history More than 15,000 of Leeds United’s new away shirt were sold in the first 24 hours on sale, breaking a club record and shattering a myth about popular kit colours. The club has said the new yellow number has sold more units in its opening 24 hours than any other shirt in their history. LeedsLive understands the club hierarchy had to move heaven and earth with Adidas to commission a yellow away shirt. The manufacturing giant and industry at large had told United yellow football shirts do not sell enough to justify their production. Elland Road’s decision makers had been hopeful fans’ positive reaction on social media would translate into enough sales to offer hope of future designs in that colour. If it does not continue to sell well, this yellow shirt may be the last United have in a long time. However, the fanbase has been out in force across the...

Jayden Bogle speaks to LeedsLive in Germany during Leeds United's pre-season training camp and opens up on the reunion with Ethan Ampadu as well as his memory of that Derby County play-off semi-final. Being faced with a fine was not quite the first impression Jayden Bogle wanted to make at Leeds United, but he enjoyed this first week with the club nonetheless. There was a brief chance to meet his new team-mates last Saturday, but as they flew to Germany, he was at Elland Road finalising his transfer from Sheffield United. Once he eventually arrived, later on Sunday, he was reunited with Ethan Ampadu, a former Sheffield United colleague, who promptly asked fines master Sam Byram what the charge was for a late arrival. The Wales international finalised his loan to Bramall Lane in 2020 on the same day Bogle arrived from Derby County. “Eth’s a good guy,” Bogle tells LeedsLive. “A big character in the group. It’s nice to know him coming into the group. He's made it made it a b...

By Joe Donnohue Leeds United saw a £3.3 million bid for Austria and Koln midfielder Dejan Ljubicic rebuffed as the German club seek to maximise the player's market value with less than 12 months of his contract remaining at the RheinEnergieStadion. Watch a four-minute highlight reel of Ljubicic during his time at SK Rapid Wien and one might assume the 6ft 2in Austrian international is the perfect, all-round, box-to-box, play-creating central midfielder Leeds have been pining after for years. He can hit it long, switch play with diagonals, thread through-balls into the path of attackers, complete recovery runs with a cleanly-timed tackle, score goals and celebrate as though he's won the World Cup. Sign him. Of course, 'YouTube scouting' is not advised, for any player, as clips are designed to demonstrate a player's strengths in the most positive light with their shortcomings quite literally not making the cut. Leeds' monitoring of the 26-year-old is sai...

By Graham Smyth Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford was put through his paces with an intensive fitness session while his team-mates worked on recovery after Wednesday's friendly game. Bamford and Daniel James were joined by rehab and fitness coach Ruben Crespo out on the pitch during the morning session on Thursday at Leeds' training camp. The day began with a team meeting, before the squad were split into groups for various recovery and regeneration activities. But Bamford and James were given much more strenuous work, with neither showing any signs of ill effects from their respective issues that kept them out of the 4-1 win over Hannover. James missed the game as a precautionary measure due to a slight adductor strain, but was twisting and turning fine and receiving passes from Bamford to take on and beat Crespo, after some running and light passing work. Bamford, whose workload has been carefully managed since a minor knee operation on a season-ending injury, stayed...

Don't tell anyone Written by: Rob Conlon Such is Leeds United’s commitment to keeping our pre-season tour of Germany a covert operation, they orchestrated an advertising campaign and kit release that meant on the morning of our surprise friendly against Hannover, fans were queuing up outside the club shop at Elland Road rather than the runway of Leeds-Bradford Airport. It was probably for the best. The internet can only cope with so much hype for one day. So whisper it quietly, Leeds weren’t just good in beating Hannover 4-1, they might even have been proper good. After experimenting with an exotic 3-4-3 at Harrogate last week, Leeds reverted to the familiar 4-2-3-1 of last season. New club captain Ethan Ampadu returned to central midfield next to Ilia Gruev, two players thought to be too similar to play alongside each other. The formation was irrelevant for the first thirty minutes, however, as the Peacocks were trialling total football. One minute Ampadu was pressing high u...

By Graham Smyth Leeds United are off and running in Germany after a comprehensive win over Hannover 96 that saw a young player stake further claim to a position he covets. Mateo Joseph was on target twice in the 4-1 victory and helped cause further problems for the Bundesliga 2 side, in an impressive second half display. Joseph as one of a number of Leeds players catching the eye, along with newboy Jayde Bogle and midfielder Ilia Gruev, who grabbed himself the opening goal. Here’s the YEP take and some off-camera moments. Good day: Mateo Joseph. Didn't get the start but that rarely matters in pre-season friendlies when so many changes are made at half-time. He was one of those and it took him next to no time to make his mark. His first goal was all about the run in behind the last man and composure to finish. His confidence is clearly sky high at the minute, he looks in great shape and his manager is pleased with what feels like a step up since last season. The second goal wa...

By Graham Smyth Leeds United have been in action in Germany as part of their pre-season preparations Leeds United eased to a comfortable 4-1 victory over Hannover in the opening friendly of their training camp in Germany on Wednesday. Daniel Farke's men bossed the majority of the fixture and made their superiority count through two goals from second half substitute Mateo Joseph, as well as first half goals from Ilia Gruev and Joel Piroe. The returning Brenden Aaronson began on the left, with Willy Gnonto on the right and Georginio Rutter at 10, behind Piroe in the first half. Leeds dominated possession early on, switching the ball left and right but not getting behind the Hannover backline. It took four minutes for the Whites, in their brand new yellow away kit, to threaten to really penetrate with a one-touch passing move that began deep in their own box. After five minutes, Ethan Ampadu's line-breaking pass set Brenden Aaronson on a run and a cut inside before a sho...

COLD WATER Written by: Rob Conlon It doesn’t take long for Dom Poleon to work out why I want to interview him. “Ahhh, do you mean this one?” he asks, when I mention the trip to Italy in 2014, folding his arms and frowning like in the photo of him miserably sitting in a stream, summing up the mood of a club and fanbase experiencing their first summer of being Cellino’d. “That river was cold as hell, man!” says Dom. “After every training session you had to go down and do a certain amount of time in the river. I remember thinking, ‘This is so cold!’ And it wasn’t like you could get in and get out, you had to do whatever the time was. I got caught looking like, just hurry up and get this over with. “It pops up still. It’s just a funny photo, innit? I don’t look happy. It was more the online [reaction]. For us, there were others dreading it as well. I happened to get snapped, but they could relate. Everyone was going through the same similar thing.” Other memories of the pre-seaso...

By Ben McKenna Leeds United have unveiled their away kit for the 2024-25 season Leeds United have officially unveiled their 2024-25 adidas away kit with a nod back to the club’s illustrious history. The shirt is inspired by the one wore during the 1973-1974 campaign, when Leeds won the First Division title under Don Revie when they beat Liverpool to top spot by five points. The shirt for the upcoming season also brings back the iconic smiley crest, which was used during the title-winning campaign under Revie 50 years ago. The shirt is a bold yellow with a distinctive blue tipped button-up collar and the signature adidas 3 stripes in split blue and white across the shoulders. Head of Digital, Marketing & Retail at Leeds United, Aaron Duckmanton said: “We are delighted to partner with adidas once again to deliver a truly special away shirt for the upcoming season. Both the colour yellow and the smiley crest are iconic parts of the club’s history, and we hope fans will enjoy w...

By Stuart Rayner Leeds United have named Ethan Ampadu as their new club captain, with Pascal Struijk and Ilan Meslier as vice-captains. Liam Cooper was last season's captain, but has not taken up the offer of a new contract. Cooper was a bit-part figure last season, and in the first half of the campaign, it was centre-back Struijk who wore the armband in his absence. But when injury ended the Dutchman's season at Christmas, Ampadu led the side for the remainder of the campaign. Now the Wales international has been confirmed as the senior figure. “Ethan, Pascal and Illan have all played such a big role in the team since I arrived last summer," said manager Daniel Farke. “I believe with all three players we have a really strong leadership group, who are respected by everybody. “Both Ethan and Pascal proved last season they can handle the responsibility of leading the team and I look forward to them continuing to do so in the upcoming campaign.”

By Graham Smyth Daniel James believes he could have done more for Leeds United in the final third last season and has set himself new targets for the 2024/25 Championship campaign. The ball came to Dan James on the right hand side of the penalty area and in one perfectly-fluid chain of coordinated movements he flicked it up with his right foot, threw himself into the air and volleyed it home with his left. In the blink of an eye a counter attack became a beautiful goal. The description does it no justice. Had it taken place in a Championship encounter at Elland Road it would have taken up semi-permanent residence on your social media algorithm. But it didn't. It was a six-a-side game in training. So up he got and the game went on. Surely, though, there's still a little bit of that buzz that you got as a kid when you scored a 'worldie' isn't there? "I think a little bit, not so much as you would at Elland Road in front of all them fans, but Karl [Darlow] r...