Leeds United are familiar with needing two paths when transfer planning.
They were in the same situation last year. Plan A would see them navigate the challenges that come after winning promotion to the Premier League. Plan B is a more difficult task based on them being a Championship club again next season.
Nobody wants to think about plan B as a possibility. While Daniel Farke’s side top the table, there is reason to hope that reality will never see the light of day. The summer window was a lesson in the hard choices and brutal realities that come with failing to secure promotion and had Leeds won the play-off final in May, Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter might still be at the club. Fending off more sales would be inevitable should Leeds be in the same position again.
Here, The Athletic looks at Leeds’ plans for 2025 across January and the summer.
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Who will make key decisions over the two windows?
Tweaks to the recruitment team already mean that the upcoming winter and summer windows will take a different shape, at least in who has a say on targets and who leads negotiations with other clubs. Technical director Gretar Steinsson and head of recruitment Jordan Miles have left but Leeds have benefitted from some continuity. Miles’ replacement Alex Davies has been promoted internally and Nick Hammond, an influential figure from recent windows, is still on board in his consultancy role. The streamlined team will have plans for both eventualities for United — careful planning has been a feature of the 49ers ownership.
Leeds will dip their toe in for winter recruitments only if they feel it is strictly necessary. The senior leadership team were confident after the summer window that they had provided Farke with enough quality and squad depth to win promotion.
What positions will they be looking at in 2025?
Although they had to enter the free agent market to bolster central midfield by signing Josuha Guilavogui, Leeds are well covered in most areas. With the injured Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev due back in the new year (the former likely to be well before the latter), midfield concerns should ease. They might look at attacking midfielders but Farke found it tough to find a suitable No 10 target. Farke does not want a backup and whether it is in January or the summer, a playmaker who can challenge Brenden Aaronson would come at a cost if the signing is permanent.
Central defence looks to be the main area of the squad lacking depth, with first-choice options Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon backed up by the unconvincing Max Wober and 19-year-old James Debayo. Defensive midfielders Guilavogui and Ampadu can also cover at centre-back but this could be an area that United look to bring in cover.
January might be a time for outgoings. Leeds have not hesitated to send their young academy players on loan with Cian Coleman, Luca Thomas and Joe Richards heading out to Buxton, York City and South Shields already this season. Farke’s squad remains relatively small so despite rumoured loan interest, it might require incomings before Debayo, Charlie Crew or Joe Gelhardt are sent out on loan when all three have made matchday squads this season.
In the long term, regardless of Leeds’ division, regular minutes would benefit all three. Immediately after relegation from the Premier League, Mateo Joseph was in the same position and backed himself to carve out a role in the squad. He did that with 24 substitute appearances (and two starts) last season and he now shares lead striker duties in rotation with Joel Piroe. These are the factors for young players, and Leeds, to consider this summer.
Which players’ contracts are expiring?
From January, three United players can sign pre-contract terms with foreign clubs as they enter the final six months of their deals. Junior Firpo, Sam Byram and Guilavogui are all coming into the final part of their deals. Like with all Leeds’ planning and contract discussions in the coming months, whether or not they offer new contracts to all three will depend on whether they see them being part of their Premier League ambitions.
Contracts expiring at the end of next season are also worth considering if Leeds want to tie down their best talent for years to come. Illan Meslier, Dan James, Patrick Bamford, Karl Darlow and Alex Cairns make up the group of players with deals running until summer 2026. United fans have less to worry about with captain Ampadu, Struijk and Piroe, who are among a batch of players whose contracts end in 2027.
But as with everything, the shape of the squad falls on whether Farke can mastermind promotion.
Should Leeds go up, there would be serious work to be done this summer to build a Premier League-ready squad. The struggles of Southampton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City in the first half of the season show how hard it is to bridge the gap and assembling a competitive top-flight team would require a rebuild. Largie Ramazani, Ao Tanaka, Ilia Gruev and Piroe are among the untested prospects in the squad with top-flight ambitions. Bamford, Meslier and Wober were all part of the bruising final season at that level two years ago.
What is their PSR position?
After their flurry of summer sales, Leeds are in a good position with the EFL’s profit and sustainability regulations (PSR).
Their relatively low spending on players and high incomings from the fees garnered for Summerville (£25million/$32m), Gray (£30m) and Rutter (£40m) eased their PSR pressures. United still have one of the highest wage bills in the Championship. But should they win promotion, the EFL’s PSR will no longer be a concern.
What is the manager’s priority?
Promotion. Farke is not the type of manager to talk on matters too far in the future and he knows that patience will wear thin if he needs a third attempt to get Leeds out of the Championship.
He is often coy on new signings and avoids praising them too highly to manage expectations, while generally keeping his cards close to his chest regarding targets. Keeping his squad in good health will be a priority.
Farke prefers players who buy into the project and the dressing-room environment, a mentality Guilavogui has demonstrated.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
