Promoted clubs: All you need to know about Leeds United

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With Leeds United's formally confirmed as a Premier League team on 4 June, football writers Ben Bloom and Adrian Clarke look at the club's history, key players and what we can expect from Daniel Farke's side in 2025/26.

Club analysis: Leeds United

Origins

Formed in 1919 as a successor to the short-lived Leeds City, Leeds United bounced between English football’s top two tiers for the first few decades of existence until the appointment of Don Revie as manager in 1961.

The Revie era remains the most successful in the club’s history, with the new boss promoting young talent, implementing a rigorous training regime and adopting a white kit to emulate Real Madrid.

In 13 years at the helm – before leaving to manage England – Revie guided Leeds to two First Division titles, one FA Cup, one EFL Cup, two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, as well as a European Cup Winners’ Cup final and a European Cup semi-final.

Following a period in the second tier, the arrival of Howard Wilkinson in 1988 then sparked a re-emergence.

The club won the Second Division, now the Championship, in 1989/90 before claiming the First Division title two seasons later, ensuring they began the Premier League era as reigning English champions.

Modern history

For more than a decade, Leeds were a permanent fixture in the Premier League, propelled by players such as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Mark Viduka to five years of successive European football around the turn of the century, even reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-final in 2000/01.

Major financial troubles then prompted the departure of manager David O’Leary and many senior players, and the club plummeted from the Premier League to League One via points deductions for entering administration.

A decade in the Championship preceded a return to the top flight under the inspirational Marcelo Bielsa, who secured a ninth-place Premier League finish in 2020/21 and the highest points tally by a promoted club for two decades.

Leeds' Premier League stay was limited to just three seasons though, and they spent the last two campaigns back in the second tier.

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2024/25 promotion

It will not be remembered quite as fondly as Leeds’ swashbuckling Championship triumph that brought about a Premier League return under Bielsa, but Daniel Farke’s 2024/25 iteration etched their name into the competition’s history with a 100-point campaign.

In any other season, that would have been sufficient to run away with the title; on this occasion they only triumphed over Burnley on goal difference.

Despite the loss of influential figures Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter early on, Farke’s men lost only four times in the league all season – all narrow 1-0 defeats that could easily have ended in draws.

After hitting top spot on Boxing Day, fear that their luck might run out never materialised, and they only briefly relinquished the lead at the end of March before closing the season with six consecutive wins to claim the title.

Led by Joel Piroe – who topped the Championship scoring charts with 19 goals – Leeds found the net a whopping 95 times; no other team managed more than 71.

They also had the second-most miserly defence in the league, conceding 30 goals, bettered only by the 16 of Burnley.

Captain Ethan Ampadu did not lose a single league match that he started at centre-back, while Daniel James made the Championship Player of the Season shortlist.

Fact file

Premier League seasons: 15

Highest Premier League finish: Third (1999/2000)

Honours: First Division (1968/69, 1973/74, 1991/92), FA Cup (1971/72), EFL Cup (1967/68), Second Division/Championship (1923/24, 1963/64, 1989/90, 2019/20, 2024/25)

Most Premier League appearances: Gary Kelly (325)

Most Premier League goals: Mark Viduka (59)

Three key players

Ao Tanaka

Japan international Tanaka was the Championship’s standout defensive midfielder.

Tanaka is Leeds' tempo-setter in possession, while he shows discipline and tenacity when they don’t have the ball.

His passing is excellent - he averaged 64.16 successful passes per 90 minutes during their promotion campaign - and his accuracy was an impressive 89.89 per cent.

The ex-Fortuna Dusseldorf star is strong in the air, snappy in the tackle and superb at picking up ball recoveries, adding plenty of value out of possession too.

This of course, will be a vital quality when Leeds step up to the Premier League.

Tanaka was voted Players’ Player of the Year at the club’s end-of-season awards; he won their Goal of the Season and was also named in the Championship Team of the Season.

He is somebody who looks completely ready to take on the challenge of top-flight football.

Daniel James

Speedy right-winger James returns to the Premier League stage brimming with confidence.

The Welshman has just delivered the most productive campaign of his career to date, producing 21 direct goal involvements (12 goals and nine assists).

James' game has developed in other aspects too, namely his ability to pop up at the far post to finish low deliveries across the face of goal.

Joining in as a second striker in those situations, James showed he is a classy finisher en route to Leeds' title success.

Taking 99 shots, you can see below (red circles = goals) how much of a lethal six-yard box predator James was in the season just gone.

With 12 Premier League goals and the same number of assists in the top division, the former Manchester United wide man has good pedigree and experience.

Named the club's Player of the Year and shortlisted for Championship Player of the Year, he is very much a key man at Elland Road.

His rapid raids down the right, where he combines well with full-back Jayden Bogle, will be something opponents need to focus hard on stopping.

Ethan Ampadu

Where will Leeds' captain play this season? That remains unknown at this stage, but do not be surprised if Ampadu is used both as a central midfielder and as a centre-back during the 2025/26 season.

The Wales international is outstanding in each position, so the availability of certain team-mates will likely dictate how often he is used in both positions.

Ampadu provides his head coach with valuable tactical versatility.

In last season’s Championship, he started as Leeds' left-sided central defender in 57 per cent of their league matches, also ending the campaign in that role.

So, he is more likely to start there for the Yorkshire club in August.

Click here to zoom in on graphic

Ampadu is a fabulous passer. No one averaged more successful passes in the Championship than his 78.19.

His accuracy of 90.44 per cent also shows that he is technically ready to shine on the Premier League stage.

Confident spraying long passes wide, and positionally astute in his defensive work, Ampadu is a top class all-rounder.

Manager: Daniel Farke

Farke is an attack-minded head coach who used a 4-2-3-1 formation in all 46 Championship matches last season.

His teams play fast, fluid football and this helped Leeds score 24 more league goals than any other side in 2024/25.

Farke wants to control matches through possession but will also encourage his players to attack directly too. They will counter at speed and are not afraid to go long with balls over the top either.

His Premier League record with Norwich City was poor, winning only six of 49 matches, but this Leeds side has been galvanised by Farke's calmness and terrific man-management.

The key to success will be how he develops Leeds' off-the-ball work, finding a more pragmatic style that still sees his attackers offering a goal threat.

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