Mighty Leeds Weblog

Former Leeds United defender and First Division title winner Tony Dorigo offers his thoughts on the number of outgoing loans currently being sanctioned at Elland Road. By Tony Dorigo Clearly, it's not ideal. And again, I'm certainly not privy to what's in players' contracts but there's no doubt that the club will do the best with what they can. Clearly those contracts allow for this sort of thing and it is frustrating. I'm sure not ideal, but I suppose the gamble was clearly made when you're trying to attract these players, that you're thinking relegation isn't going to be an option, but unfortunately, the worst has happened and we're kind of paying for it. We're going to have to take some short term pain it seems, no doubt. It's difficult. It really is because any successful side, I've certainly been at, you don't want to leave. You certainly don't want to leave you want to stay in there, you want to fight for your plac...

Leeds United could have two of the best right-backs in the Championship fighting for one spot next season with Luke Ayling and Cody Drameh battling it out Competition is to be expected when you play for a football club like Leeds United. Luke Ayling is relishing the battle with Cody Drameh for right-back minutes next season. Drameh, 21, has impressed on loan for two consecutive seasons in the Championship, but now he has the chance to put down a marker with his parent club at the same level. The former Fulham trainee was crowned Cardiff City’s Player of the Year after playing less than half the 21/22 campaign, while he was also a fixture in Luton Town’s watertight backline and run to winning the play-offs at Wembley this year. With Rasmus Kristensen now shipped out to Roma on loan, the way has been paved for Drameh to assert himself three years after arriving. Ayling, 31, is not shying away from the fight for his shirt. “I play for Leeds United,” he said. “I expect a bit of com...

Daniel Farke is having to make himself more patient as he and Leeds United wade through the harsh reality of attracting players to the Championship when exits are generating virtually no transfer fees Spending at Leeds United is limited by the plethora of low-income loan exits going through, while the reality of the Championship’s limited appeal is killing off some transfer targets. At no stage has Daniel Farke pulled any punches in his assessment of this summer’s predicaments at Elland Road. The Whites manager is having to put the reins on his own impatience with the window as he waits for the club to find the right recipe this summer. Farke’s also made it clear neither he nor 49ers Enterprises have any interest in putting the club at risk with careless spending. Eleven days out from the start of the new season, the Whites have one senior acquisition in the shape of Ethan Ampadu through the door. In the opposite direction, 11 players with first-team experience have left since th...

By George Overhill The 49ers have already got started at Leeds United with the plan to develop Elland Road, which is set to cost £200million, the Daily Mail reports. The Whites’ home ground, subject to controversy in the final days of Andrea Radrizzani’s reign as he reportedly tried to use it as security against a loan for his purchase of Sampdoria [The Athletic, 1 June], has been a key part of the new regime’s long-term goals for the club, and consultants have apparently started work on realising them. Tottenham’s glittering new 62,850 capacity stadium, which opened in 2019, is generally seen as the benchmark in England and reportedly brings in £5m in match-day revenue per game, £4m higher than the 37,792-capacity Elland Road generates, but Paraag Marathe and the new regime have got consultancy work under way already. Mike Keegan writes in his Mail report Tuesday (25 July): “Plans are being drawn up to increase capacity to 55,000 with a raft of new corporate hospitality offeri...

Leeds United 'in advanced talks' to sign Newcastle United's Karl Darlow with AFC Bournemouth reportedly recruiting Inter goalkeeper Leeds United are reportedly in advanced talks to sign Newcastle United goalkeeper Karl Darlow. By Tom Coates The 32-year-old was strongly linked with AFC Bournemouth, although the Cherries have an agreement to sign Ionuț Radu from Inter according to journalist Fabrizio Romano. This appears to have opened the door for Leeds to pounce and the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth has claimed talks for a permanent deal are at an advanced stage. He tweeted: “Leeds United are in advanced talks with Newcastle United for goalkeeper Karl Darlow. Permanent deal. Club didn't feel Bournemouth was ever a done deal for the keeper last week, liked their chances and kept working on the deal.” Hull City and Middlesbrough have also been linked with the Magpies stopper, although Tigers boss Liam Rosenior played down his club’s chances of landing ...

Leeds United's first summer signing was a defensive one and their second might well be a goalkeeper but Daniel Farke has goals on the brain. By Graham Smyth In his presentation to the Leeds board, Farke came prepared with statistics and data, including the number of goals he believes it will take to win the 2023/24 Championship title, or at least to earn automatic promotion. Coming to a precise prediction is a difficult task yet recent history grants an insight into the levels of team and individual goalscoring required to achieve what Leeds would like to in the upcoming campaign. Over the past five years the second tier title winners have scored 88 goals, on average. While Farke's Norwich and Fulham may skew the data a little with their 93 and 106 goal tallies respectively, zooming out further to take in the past decade reveals an average of 86 to lift the trophy. Automatic promotion has required an average of 80 goals over the last five years, with the runners-up sc...

SQUAD POLITICS Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman Football being how it is, Saturday afternoon’s friendly between Leeds United and Monaco became remarkable less for the playing in United’s 2-0 defeat, more for the injury and transfer updates from new manager Daniel Farke after the match. Coulda skipped the game and held a press conference. Farke said that Tyler Adams and Jackie Harrison will be injured beyond the start of the season and the end of the transfer window. They’re predicted unavailable until September’s international break. There was something about Junior Firpo as well but pre-season injuries are just what he does, so we’ll see him again when we see him. We won’t see Max Wöber, though, whose contract has a relegation get-out clause that he intends to use. He’s Bundesliga bound. The injuries mean that a season that was already lining up several intertwining personal and personnel subplots just had its squad-political factor multiplied. Getting the guys together...