Speaking after the defeat at Arsenal, he said: "Those promoted teams will be looking at West Ham and thinking, we can finish above them. On that showing tonight, those teams will believe that they will finish above them. The three sides that have come up are going to do much better than last season. Leeds just found out today that you don’t have the time on the ball you get in the Championship. You don’t get as much time in the Premier League. But they won’t be too worried, these games don’t define their season.”placeholder image
Speaking after the defeat at Arsenal, he said: "Those promoted teams will be looking at West Ham and thinking, we can finish above them. On that showing tonight, those teams will believe that they will finish above them. The three sides that have come up are going to do much better than last season. Leeds just found out today that you don’t have the time on the ball you get in the Championship. You don’t get as much time in the Premier League. But they won’t be too worried, these games don’t define their season.” | Getty Images

What pundits and opposition managers are saying about Leeds United this season

Mark Carruthers
By Mark Carruthers

Football writer

Published 16th Sep 2025, 19:30 GMT

Everyone has had their say on how Leeds United are performing on and off the pitch this season.

It has been a month of contrasting fortunes for Leeds United after they struggled to find consistency in the opening weeks of the new Premier League season.

With the distraction of what became a hectic summer transfer window rumbling on in the background, the Whites endured mixed fortunes during the opening weeks of the campaign with a heartening home win against Everton followed by a heavy defeat at title contenders Arsenal and a stalemate with Newcastle United.

The summer transfer window came to a close just 48 hours after that draw with the Magpies and there were plenty of talking points before and after the deadline. Daniel Farke’s men returned to action with an agonising late defeat at Fulham on Saturday as a last minute own goal from Gabriel Gudmundsson condemned the Whites to a loss at Craven Cottage.

With all eyes now on this weekend’s trip to fellow strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers, we take a look back at what has been said about Leeds during the opening month of the season.

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Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast: “I think the big difference for Spurs was that Leeds had more possession, more shots, had the better chances and they put Spurs under huge pressure at times - but what impressed me was how good Spurs were on the transition, on the turnover. They got the ball forward quickly, the two full-backs were great I though in Porro and Udogie and I gave great credit to Mathys Tel because he’s left out of the Champions League squad. I was really impressed with Spurs and it was a great win for them.”

13. Alan Shearer on Spurs' win at Leeds United

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast: “I think the big difference for Spurs was that Leeds had more possession, more shots, had the better chances and they put Spurs under huge pressure at times - but what impressed me was how good Spurs were on the transition, on the turnover. They got the ball forward quickly, the two full-backs were great I though in Porro and Udogie and I gave great credit to Mathys Tel because he’s left out of the Champions League squad. I was really impressed with Spurs and it was a great win for them.” | Getty Images

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Speaking about winning at Elland Road, the Spurs boss said: "I've been in the Championship for many years, so I know how difficult a league it is and I always respect it. So, any weaknesses? I think before this game, and I think it's the same today, they concede very little chances on the XG. So, if you look at the XG today, also in that sense they concede very little. I think the one that maybe is hidden a little bit from the performance today is the thing that we had five or six top situations where we flashed the ball across the box, where we need to be there. Then it's maybe two goals and an XG of two. I think I rather want to praise Leeds. I think they were good today. I think they were difficult to play against. I think they defended well and I felt they were very brave also on the ball."

14. Thomas Frank on Spurs win at Leeds United

Speaking about winning at Elland Road, the Spurs boss said: "I've been in the Championship for many years, so I know how difficult a league it is and I always respect it. So, any weaknesses? I think before this game, and I think it's the same today, they concede very little chances on the XG. So, if you look at the XG today, also in that sense they concede very little. I think the one that maybe is hidden a little bit from the performance today is the thing that we had five or six top situations where we flashed the ball across the box, where we need to be there. Then it's maybe two goals and an XG of two. I think I rather want to praise Leeds. I think they were good today. I think they were difficult to play against. I think they defended well and I felt they were very brave also on the ball." | AFP via Getty Images

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