Mighty Leeds Weblog

Walking the plank Written by: Rob Conlon We’ve had a long time to prepare for Pascal Struijk leaving Leeds United. Speaking to ESPN Netherlands in January, Struijk revealed he “had some options to leave” last summer and, “from my side, there was something I would have liked to do — but that didn’t happen.” Later, when Leeds’ safety was secured, The Athletic reported that Leeds received an offer for Struijk last August they would have been tempted to accept had it not been so close to the end of the transfer window and left them scrambling around for a replacement. So perhaps Struijk’s exit has been pencilled into the accounting books ever since. Had both the player and the club had their heads turned and eyes opened at the sums available? Leeds’ statement on the official website confirming his move to Brighton contradicts itself. On one hand, the club wanted him to stay and offered him ‘a significantly improved contract’. On the other, Paraag Marathe has warned us there were goin...

By Kyle Newbould Pascal Struijk’s decision to join Brighton was impacted by talks with former Leeds United teammate Georginio Rutter. Struijk signed a five-year deal at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday following the agreement of a £20million deal with Leeds. Elland Road chiefs will receive an initial £18m, with another £2m of potential add-ons and the insertion of a sell-on clause. His sale before the June 30 accounting deadline helped keep the Whites from breaching Profitability and Sustainability Rules. Fresh contract terms were on the table for Struijk, whose previous Leeds deal expired in 2027, but his decision was to seek a new challenge elsewhere. At Brighton, he will reunite with Rutter, the pair spending 18 months together at Elland Road before the attacking midfielder’s £40m move to the south coast in 2024. "Of course, I know Georgie," Struijk told Sussex World. "I've seen some stuff about the group and Georgie has told me a lot of stories, which I'm ...

Struijk leaves Elland Road after eight years James Smailes Head of All Out Rugby League and Yorkshire sport at Reach plc Pascal Struijk's eight-year tenure at Leeds United has officially ended with the defender completing a move to fellow Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion. Out of contract next summer, Struijk turned down a new offer this summer from Leeds and instructed the club of his decision to fly the nest having arrived at Elland Road as an 18-year-old in 2018. Due to his great service and the manner of how the negotiations have gone, Leeds have worked with the Dutchman to facilitate an exit this summer, with the Whites selling Struijk to Brighton for an undisclosed fee. Leeds Live understands the Whites will receive £18m up front, with add-ons potentially lifting the deal to £20m, while a sell-on clause has been added to the contract. It's also been confirmed Leeds needed to complete the deal before the end of June to ensure the club complied with this ...

Leeds United are seemingly on the verge of agreeing a deal that would see a key member of their squad leave Elland Road this summer Mark Wakefield Sport Central Audience Writer Leeds United are reportedly close to confirming the departure of defender Pascal Struijk with a deal agreed with Premier League rivals Brighton. United are gearing up for another busy summer of transfer business as they look ahead to the new campaign, which gets underway in August. Daniel Farke and Co. will already have an eye on their plans for the summer transfer window, but Leeds now look set to lose one of their key players. The Athletic have reported that Leeds have reached a verbal agreement with Brighton that would see Struijk swap Elland Road for the Amex Stadium. It has been reported that United have agreed a fee worth £20million for Struijk to leave Leeds this summer and join Brighton, who will be competing in the UEFA Conference League next season. The report goes on to claim that, with ...

Mark Whiley Sports Reporter Marcelo Bielsa lost his cool in a post-match interview after brutally hooking off a Uruguay legend during the country's humiliating World Cup exit. After draws with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, Uruguay needed to at least avoid defeat against Spain to have a chance of going through to the knockout stage. A desperate tournament for the South Americans went from bad to worse in the 42nd minute when a tame effort from Alex Baena slipped through the grasp of iconic keeper Fernando Muslera, the 40-year-old who came out of retirement ahead of the tournament at Bielsa's request. However, Muslera probably wishes he hadn't answered the former Leeds United manager's plea as he faced the ignominy of being taken off at half-time. Bielsa also took off Federico Valverde in the second half and Uruguay couldn't find a leveller as they limped out of the tournament with just two points. After the match, as he waited to conduct his post-match inter...

The independent chair of the Leeds United Supporters Advisory Board, Jane Dowson, has provided the update below as her SAB Annual Report for the 2025/26 season: Over the past year, the Leeds United Supporter Advisory Board (SAB) has continued to grow as an important link between supporters and the club’s leadership. This review reflects a year of real progress in supporter engagement and stadium planning, alongside some ongoing challenges that matter to fans. The first thing I would like to do is thank all the members of the SAB. Those nominated through supporter groups: Josh Cawthorne from the Leeds United Supporters’ Trust, formerly Paul McManus and now John Mann from the Leeds United Supporters Club, Dean Pearson from the Leeds United Supporters Network, Maz Ferguson from Marching Out Together, Anders Palm from Leeds United Supporters Club of Scandinavia, and Michelle Draper from the Disability Advisory Group. I would also like to thank the independent members, who are there to ...

Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter Leeds United capturing Harry Wilson would be a coup, but maybe an expected coup. It’s worth remembering that the attacker signed terms on deadline day last summer before Fulham pulled the plug late on denying him a switch to Elland Road. Nevertheless, Leeds arguably had a tougher task to get him through the door this time around. Sure, while Fulham offered him a new contract, the Cottagers could not shield Wilson behind lock and key given his soon-to-be-free agent status. But other clubs were sniffing around Wilson, with mention that some Champions League outfits were taking a look. How far they ventured is unknown but they look to have lost out to Leeds, completed medical dependent. Wilson is set to join a sizeable Welsh cohort at Leeds with Joe Rodon, Daniel James and Ethan Ampadu - who recently signed a new contract - all countrymen as is Karl Darlow, who is in renewal talks with the club. Jayden Lienou and Charlie Crew, who have both fe...

The age of opulence Written by: Rob Conlon Having been warned that signings would likely have to wait until after the World Cup, the cogs of Leeds United’s summer transfer window have slowly started whirring in the last week. But enough about Alex Cairns agreeing a new contract. Discussions continue with Southampton after a £20m bid was rejected for Shea Charles. Harry Wilson is due to join on a free transfer and complete his Dan James arc following the collapse of a move on deadline day last year. And most eye-catchingly of all, another free agent, Julian Brandt, has emerged as Leeds’ most ambitious target so far. In The Athletic’s report on Leeds’ interest in Brandt, their German football writer Seb Stafford-Bloor urged caution. Form and fitness issues have often prevented Brandt from reaching the levels of superstar consistency expected from him when he joined Borussia Dortmund from Bayer Leverkusen for €25m in 2019. Two years earlier, Jurgen Klopp wanted to sign him for Liver...

Wales international Wilson is currently on 69 caps for his country ByNizaar Kinsella, Football reporter and Adam Pope, BBC Radio Leeds reporter Leeds have agreed a four-year contract with Fulham attacker Harry Wilson to become their first signing of the summer on a free transfer. The 29-year-old Wales international is out of contract next week, although the move remains subject to a medical and the formal signing of terms in the coming days. It would represent a major coup for the Yorkshire club if completed. They faced competition from Premier League rivals for his signature. Wilson has been a long-term target for Leeds, who attempted to sign him on deadline day last summer before the move collapsed. His departure would be a significant blow to Fulham, who offered their player of the season several contracts in an attempt to keep him. He registered 11 goals and eight assists in 38 appearances in all competitions last season - an average of one goal involvement every othe...