Leeds United have been outstanding in the Championship but must now look to find a way to translate those performances to Premier League level.
Daniel Farke and the 49ers have built a Leeds United side who have blown away numerous teams in the second tier, with one of the most dominant Championship displays in recent memory.
With Burnley matching Leeds every step of the way, they both eyed the title and 100 points in the Championship. The title went to the right-hand side of the Pennines and to West Yorkshire but both achieved centurion status.
Now, Leeds must spend wisely in the transfer market and the 49ers could green-light heavy Leeds investment in the summer window soon. In order to stop the promotion and relegation cycle from the Premier League, Leeds have to recruit well and upgrade in most areas of the pitch.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesLeeds United told to use Fulham’s Premier League blueprint
Leeds scored more late goals than any other team after the 86th minute, which is perhaps one of their most impressive accolades. Farke also beat Marcelo Bielsa and Don Revie records en route to the top flight.
Although impressive, their dominance won’t translate to Premier League level in the majority of games, but that doesn’t mean Leeds cannot be competitive next season and survive at the first time of asking.
Clubs like Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, AFC Bournemouth, and Fulham have been able to quickly consolidate and establish themselves higher up the table. Leeds have been compared to Fulham previously by EFL expert Ali Maxwell.
However, he has since doubled down on that comparison as something to try and emulate amid praise of Leeds over the Clarets. Speaking via The Square Ball, he said: “It’s not a surprise to us that Leeds got to 100 points.
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“Therefore, the biggest surprise, and fair play to them that Burnley got to 100 points, they sorted out a lot of turnover and built a team from the back.
“It might have been boring and might have looked really tough to watch in the first half of the season, but you have to say, Parker constructed a promotion campaign. But you guys were the better side.
“There’s many ways you can measure that, and even if you ended up level on points, the strength of our conviction very rarely wavered.
“When you look at the points tally of 100 points and the goal difference of +65, and yes, the nerdy layer, [it’s] probably the best underlying numbers and expected goal ratio we’ve seen.
“I think only Fulham under Marco Silva run you guys close. And, actually, I think Fulham are something to discuss. The team most reminiscent of Leeds in terms of Championship promoted teams I can think of in the last five or six years.
“And a team who, in the Premier League, have kicked on and done very well. A team to try and look and possibly emulate as a reference point — more so than some of the recent sides.”
Photo by Harry Trump/Getty ImagesAdam Pope’s ‘deep pockets’ claim is needed for Leeds to survive
Adam Pope has outlined 49ers Enterprises ‘deep pockets’ compared to Andrea Radrizzani in Leeds’ last top flight stint. Victor Orta and Radrizzani mostly signed players with no Premier League experience in 2022.
That is not necessarily going to deter Leeds from looking further afield and at somewhat unknowns, but they will also invest well in Premier League proven talent to ensure their survival. That can often come at a premium when building a squad.
There is pressure on the 49ers and Paraag Marathe to ensure that this summer. Marathe says Leeds will spend every penny available to improve the squad and the early signs are promising from a Leeds perspective.
Fulham are a club to aim at emulating and to be mixing it with next term. However, there are numerous examples now of the kinds of blueprints that work. There is an emphasis on physical and athletic advantages and many of the mid-table sides have a multitude of players like that throughout their spine.