Ex-Leeds United man sends blunt transfer message as squad strength assessed for Championship promotion push

Danny Mills insists Leeds United will come out of the summer transfer window stronger than when they went into it, despite the likely need to sell one or two star players.

Those in charge at Elland Road have made no secret of the need to sell after last month’s play-off final defeat to Southampton consigned Leeds to another year of Championship football. The drop in Premier League parachute payments, plus the reduced three-year loss limit within profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), has constricted finances from both sides and player sales remain the most obvious route to serious cash.

While a Peter Ridsdale-era fire sale is not necessary, interest in the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto will likely turn into bids that Leeds simply cannot turn down. But as well as plugging that financial gap, chairman Paraag Marathe insists funds will be allocated to strengthening Daniel Farke’s squad and former Whites defender Mills believes a more well-rounded squad will be good enough to go up at the second time of asking.

“Leeds will still have a very, very strong squad next season - it's still around half the squad they had in the Premier League so they should be able to compete,” said Mills. “Elland Road is always a difficult place to go of course. If you offered Leeds fans second place now and promotion back to the Premier League, they'd take it all day long. They will have another good season and build on what they've done this season. 

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“If they have to sell a couple of players to recruit four or five, they will do that. As a group – manager and players – they will be in a stronger situation next season than they were this season, because at the start there was huge turmoil, the amount of players going out on loan. The manager had no idea who was coming in, who was staying and it was difficult. You saw that in the first few results. A more settled pre-season and start to the campaign will put Leeds in good stead.”

Leeds were the only team who came down from the Premier League not to go straight back up, with Leicester City winning the Championship title while Southampton came out on top at Wembley. England’s top two tiers would have experienced a complete 12-month reset, had Ipswich Town not secured a second consecutive promotion under Kieran McKenna.

Burnley, Luton Town and Sheffield United all lasted just one season in the top-flight and will come down hoping to join Leeds in the battle for a top-two finish. But while the Championship will almost certainly throw up a surprise or two, Mills expects Farke’s men to be the strongest of the lot. 

“There's always a surprise to watch out for - we saw it this year with Ipswich,” he added. “But in terms of the teams coming down, Sheffield United were poor and it's difficult to bounce back from that. Luton, if they keep some of their players will be there or thereabouts. They're strong and aggressive but they will have to get over their hangover very, very quickly.”