A Leeds United star is nearing a Whites exit and he is unlikely to be alone in departing Elland Road this summer. So what will the new ‘base’ to build from look like?
Leeds are heading back to the Premier League as Championship champions and the club’s recruitment this summer will clearly be crucial to the club’s prospects of surviving the first season back.
But Leeds have already lost two key men from last season’s promotion winning team in former loanees Manor Solomon and Joe Rothwell and more player exits also appear very likely with the first of them seemingly imminent.
First choice left back Junior Firpo becomes a free agent this summer upon his contract expiring and the 28-year-old has reportedly digitally signed a three-year deal to re-join former club Real Betis.
Huge doubt also surrounds the future of another defender Max Wober who told Austrian press this week that Leeds wanted to sell him. With two of last season’s key men Solomon and Rothwell also returning to their parent clubs, the base to build from will most likely look very different to the one that ended the 2024-25 campaign.
Here, we run through our idea of the new best XI and bench after the summer’s most likely exits but with an attacker addition.
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7. CM: Ao Tanaka
With Rothwell going back to Bournemouth and now signing for Rangers it's a choice of Tanaka or Ilia Gruev alongside Ampadu and Tanaka probably gets the call. | Getty Images
8. RW: Dan James
The club's player of the year from the Championship-winning team and first pick out wide with Solomon having gone back to Spurs. | Getty Images
9. LW: Willy Gnonto
Manor Solomon's exit paves the way for Gnonto to come into the XI as things stand although the Italian is also an option in the no 10 role. | Getty Images
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10. ACM: Brenden Aaronson
Farke's continued call in the no 10 role although it appears an obvious position in which Leeds need to strengthen in, along with several others. The arrival of Nmecha could also pave the way for Piroe to drop back into a no 10 role. | Getty Images
11. ST: Joel Piroe
Lukas Nmceha will no doubt have his eyes fixed on being first choice striker but Piroe was last season's top scorer and indeed Championship Golden Boot winner so has to be considered first choice striker as things stand - despite also Patrick Bamford's return towards the end of the campaign and also the presence of Mateo Joseph. | Getty Images
12. Sub: Illan Meslier
There's clearly plenty of speculation about Meslier's future having lost his no 1 spot, added to the fact that he is out of contract next summer. But whether an exit is 'likely' remains to be seen. Back up keeper as things stand. | Getty Images