20/21 Summary
After sixteen long and painful years in the EFL wilderness, Leeds United returned to the top flight of English football with a stellar performance, finishing 9th.
Missing out on a place in the inaugural Europa Conference League by a mere three points, Marcelo Bielsa's side finished the season unbeaten at home versus the controversially-known Super Six sides. And, the Mighty Whites stayed true to their tag of "entertainers", capturing the imagination of the footballing world with their swashbuckling style from the get-go.
Only three sides (West Ham, Wolves & Brighton) managed home-and-away victories over Leeds last season, meanwhile the Whites ended the season boasting 100% records against six of the eleven sides that finished below them.
The apparent struggles (Messers Moyes, Santo & Potter aside) came against the teams above; Leeds were tonked by Manchester United, Chelsea, Leicester City & Tottenham Hotspur away from home.
Leeds ended the season in scintillating form, achieving the 2nd highest number of points and boasting the 2nd best defensive record in the last eleven league games, but with clear objectives for how to improve in this upcoming season.
The final-day victory over West Bromwich Albion afforded 10,000 lucky Leeds fans the opportunity to bid a fond farewell to club legends Pablo Hernandez & Gaetano Berardi, but it was also to be the last appearances of Ezgjan Alioski & Kiko Casilla.
Summer Wishlist
Primary objective: sign a genuine, first-team quality left-back to replace Alioski.
Secondary objective: sign a highly-rated, young, back-up goalkeeper to provide stiffer competition for Illan Meslier.
Other objectives: continue the promising under-23's recruitment drive, to improve the quality of academy players in preparation for their first season in PL1 & keep an opportunistic eye out for any potential no-brainer signings (in the mould of Raphinha) to fill potential gaps in midfield/wide areas.
Summer & Pre-Season Chronology
27th May 2021:
Leeds United submit retained list to Premier League.
1st June 2021
Gaetano Berardi, Ouasim Bouy, Barry Douglas, Cole Gibbon, Niklas Haugland, Eunan O'Kane & Matthew Turner all released upon contract expiry.
Ezgjan Alioski (North Macedonia), Liam Cooper (Scotland), Mateusz Klich (Poland), Robin Koch (Germany), Diego Llorente (Spain), Kalvin Phillips (England) & Tyler Roberts (Wales) all selected to represent their countries at UEFA Euro 2020.
9th June 2021:
Tyler Roberts signs new three-year contract, extending his stay to June 2024.
11th June 2021:
Ryan Edmondson joins Fleetwood Town on a one-year loan deal.
16th June 2021:
2021/22 Premier League fixture list announced.
22nd June 2021:
Oliver Casey completes permanent move to Blackpool, fee undisclosed.
28th June 2021:
Kun Temenuzhkov leaves to re-join Real Union Club on loan for a second season.
Leeds announce signing of young winger Amari Miller from Birmingham City, for an initial £200k (reported fee). 18-year-old signs three-year deal, to keep him at Elland Road until 2024.
2nd July 2021:
Stuart Dallas signs new three-year contract, extending his stay to June 2024.
Rafa Mujica joins UD Las Palmas on a permanent basis, leaving for free.
Alfie McCalmont joins Morecambe on one-year loan deal.
Leeds finally complete permanent signing of Jack Harrison from Manchester City for £11.52m. Winger signs three-year deal, keeping him at Elland Road until Summer 2024.
6th July 2021:
Leeds sign Junior Firpo from Barcelona for £13.5m. Spanish under-21 international full-back signs four-year deal, to keep him at the club until June 2025 and is handed the #3 shirt.
Laurens de Bock joins Zulte Waregem on one-year loan deal.
7th July 2021
Mateusz Bogusz joins Ibiza on loan until the end of the season.
8th July 2021:
Leeds sign teenager Sean McGurk from Wigan Athletic for undisclosed fee.
11th July 2021:
Kalvin Phillips becomes the first Leeds player to represent England in a European Championship final, as Three Lions are beaten on penalties by Italy.
12th July 2021:
Kiko Casilla joins Elche, initially on season-long loan, although with a view to a permanent move. Elche retain an option to make move permanent next summer.
22st July 2021:
Adidas & LUFC unveil new season Home (& GK) kit.
Leeds announce signing of Chelsea youngster Lewis Bate for a reported fee of £1.58m. 18-year-old midfield joins on three-year deal, committing himself until 2024.
27th July 2021:
Leif Davis joins AFC Bournemouth on initial season-long loan, although Cherries retain an option to make move permanent next summer.
Young Leeds side led by Mark Jackson beats Guiseley AFC 3-2 in opening fixture of pre-season, with goals from Crysencio Summerville, Sam Greenwood & Charlie Allen.
Adam Forshaw completes final half hour in first senior appearance for 2 years.
28th July 2021:
Leeds draw 1-1 with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, with first appearance for Junior Firpo and a return for away supporters.
30th July 2021:
Another young Leeds side under the charge of Mark Jackson lose 2-1 away at Fleetwood Town, with Adam Forshaw completing 45 minutes, and a first appearance for Lewis Bate.
31st July 2021:
Leeds announce signing of Norwegian goalkeeper Kristoffer Klaesson from Valerenga for a fee in the region of £1.6 million. 20-year-old, Norwegian under-21 international will wear the #13, and signs a five-year contract.
4th August 2021:
Leeds humbled twice in one day in prestigious pre-season friendly double-header with Ajax in Amsterdam, with Leeds under-23’s (featuring 1sthalf cameos for Kalvin Phillips & Liam Cooper) beaten 3-1 at De Toekomst Arena (Ajax training facility), before the senior squad were trounced 4-0 at Johan Cruyff ArenA.
7th August 2021:
Leeds closed out their pre-season with a 2-2 draw with Europa League winners’ Villarreal in behind-closed-doors friendly at LNER Stadium in York.
12th August 2021:
2nd Round Carabao Cup draw sees Leeds drawn at home to Crewe Alexandra
Marcelo Bielsa announces signature on a new one-year contract extension.
13th August 2021:
Illan Meslier signs a new five-year contract, tying him to the club until summer 2026.
14th August 2021:
Leeds set face fierce rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford in season opener.
Transfer & Pre-Season Summary
Victor Orta had the majority of Leeds' primary objectives ticked off the to-do list before August; Barcelona full-back Junior Firpo & Valerenga 'keeper Kristoffer Klaesson came in to fill the essential gaps, meanwhile youngsters Lewis Bate, Sean McGurk & Amari Miller joined to plug the gap between the under-23's and the first team.
A host of permanent and temporary departures ranged in all manners of significance; from a host of the core foundations of the Championship title-winning side of 2019/20 (Hernandez, Berardi, Alioski, Casilla & Douglas) to the 'forgotten they were here' (Mujica, O'Kane, de Bock & Bouy), via those nobody is quite sure whether or not there is or isn't a future at the club (McCalmont, Bogusz, Temenuzhkov & Edmondson).
The departure of Leif Davis (including an option to buy), along with the sale of Oliver Casey were perhaps the only real surprises, with the formers departure (alongside three other left-back's) begging the question of whether Leeds may need more than just Firpo coming in this summer to cover that position.
With a net spend of under £30 million and the vast majority of their primary objectives met, despite the contrast to last summer's outlay, the Elland Road hierarchy will likely be more than satisfied with their work in the transfer market once again.
In-Depth Player Analysis (New Arrival's)
Junior Firpo
On 6th July Leeds announced the marquee signing of Barcelona full-back Junior Firpo for £13.5 million. The arrival of Firpo is further indication of the significant shift in status at Leeds in recent seasons, with the Whites beating the likes of AC Milan to the signature of the Spain under-21 international.
Firpo is eligible to represent the Dominican Republic, the country of his birth, but is widely touted to succeed Spain captain Jordi Alba as the future first-choice left-back for Las Rojas.
After a sensational start to life in La Liga with Real Betis, with whom he graduated from their academy to make 43 senior appearances, Firpo was snapped up by Barcelona for £18 million in 2019. Since his arrival at Camp Nou Firpo has mostly always been on the periphery of the Barca first team, having to play second fiddle to Alba at both club and international level.
Firpo made 41 appearances in two seasons for the Blaugrana, although mostly in cup competitions. That, however, does mean that Firpo arrives at Elland Road with prior experience of elite European competition, having featured in Betis’ 2018/19 Europa League campaign, as well as in the Champions League for Barcelona.
To the envy of most, Firpo has lined up alongside Lionel Messi on 30 separate occasions, completing 1,488 minutes with a points per game ratio of 2.40. In rather more tenuous links to Leeds, Firpo has also played seventeen times alongside Ousmane Dembele (the self-confessed Leeds fan, with an affection for Patrick Bamford) at Barca, and twice with former Leeds loanee Alfonso Pedraza for the Spanish under-21’s.
Firpo has made four appearances for Spain at under-21 level, winning the 2019 UEFA under-21 European Championship's. Also in his trophy cabinet sits a Copa del Rey winners medal, won last season with Barcelona.
As with any Victor Orta signing, Firpo is versatile and has experience playing at an elite level in a variety of positions. Predominantly a left-back, Firpo has featured regularly on the left-hand side of a midfield four at both Betis and Barca, and also has experience playing as a left-sided centre-back, as well as sporadically experimenting as an inverted right-back and defensive midfielder (or single pivot, in the mould of his new teammate Kalvin Phillips).
Firpo has scored and assisted in every league campaign he has featured in during his senior career, notching seven goals and nine assists in 62 La Liga appearances. His most productive season came in his final year at Betis, where he registered three goals and five assists in 29 appearances (in all competitions).
When comparing directly to his predecessor at Leeds, Firpo does appear to have similar strengths (and perhaps also weaknesses) to Ezgjan Alioski, albeit boasting more impressive numbers than the North Macedonian in a host of areas.
Firpo was used sparingly in La Liga for Barcelona last season, but still vastly over-performed his expected goals and assists, exceeding Alioski’s output’s in virtually all offensive metrics. Alioski’s defensive numbers may appear superior to Firpo, however this can be best explained by the difference in status between the two clubs in their respective leagues; Barcelona finished 3rd in La Liga and boast one of the finest front-line’s in world football, whilst Leeds defied expectation to secure a top-half finish in their first season back in the English top tier.
Firpo burst onto the season with two sensational season at Betis, before earning a dream move to Barca. A lack of regular first-team action may have stunted his progress, but taking a look at the numbers posted by Firpo in his final season in Seville it’s clear to see what Leeds saw in the 24-year-old. When comparing the numbers posted by Firpo for Betis in 2018/19 versus four of the best left-back’s in the Premier League last season, Leeds’ new number 3 came out impressively higher than the likes of Andrew Robertson, Ben Chilwell, Kieran Tierney and Luke Shaw for goals and assists per 90, pressures and successful aerial duels.
If Bielsa can help Firpo recapture the form that earned him his move to Catalonia, judging on his numbers, Leeds could have a left-back to rival the very best in the league. Defensive actions such as tackles, interceptions and clearances may require some attention, plus a speedy integration and quick building of understanding with Jack Harrison ahead of him are imperative if Firpo is to prove a significant upgrade.
But, generally speaking, at £13.5 million Firpo has the potential to be the bargain buy of this transfer window. A powerful attacking full-back, with dangerous delivery, could be a crucial piece to Bielsa’s puzzle.
Kristoffer Klaesson
On 31st July 2021 Leeds announced the signing of 20-year-old, Norwegian under-21 international goalkeeper Kristoffer Klaesson from Valerenga on a five-year deal, for a fee in the region of £1.6 million (rising to £2 million).
Klaesson will wear the number 13 shirt recently vacated by Kiko Casilla, and will act as understudy to first-choice ‘keeper Illan Meslier. Widely regarded as a future first-choice number one for his country, Klaesson is expected to provide stiffer competition for Meslier, while being given time and opportunity to develop initially in under-23’s and cup matches this season.
Angus Kinnear recently revealed that Klaesson was presented to Bielsa and the Leeds United board by Victor Orta at the same time as Meslier, and was thought of in equally high regard. The pair are only eight months apart in age and have had similar trajectories, both making their senior debuts within a few months of each other.
Both caught the attention of Orta as stand-in goalkeepers for their respective former clubs, and both made the switch to West Yorkshire after being informed they were due to drop back to second-choice.
Based on recent evidence Meslier is certainly further on in his development, likely thanks to a full season as an established first-choice for a top-half Premier League side, but prior to Leeds’ promotion season the pair were deemed to be performing and developing at similar levels.
Klaesson’s breakthrough season at Valerenga (19/20) and Meslier’s at Lorient (18/19) bear striking similarities, as does the perception of the pair as confident distributors according to Kinnear.
Whilst Meslier’s status as first-choice doesn’t appear to under any immediate threat, it is clear that the presence of Klaesson as opposed to Casilla as second-choice has been a decision made with long-term vision for the benefit of all parties, and confidence in Klaesson pushing Meslier harder over the coming seasons at the club is high.
Klaesson has represented his country at every level from under-15’s through to under-21’s, but, like Meslier, is yet to receive his first call-up to the senior squad. With Andre Hansen (31) and Orjan Nyland (30) advancing in years, it is expected that Klaesson will compete to take over as the established first-choice for the Norwegian national side in the coming years as a result of furthering his development in LS11.
Klaesson has five caps for the under-21’s, and stands at 6ft’2in. Having made 55 previous senior appearances, Klaesson’s final game for Valerenga came in a 4-0 Europa Conference League Qualifying defeat to Belgian side KAA Gent. Watching his final pre-season outings for his former side, it’s believed his performances were affected by the ongoing transfer speculation, but again according to Kinnear, Klaesson was considered to have made a positive impression on Bielsa in a behind-closed-door friendly with Manchester City after his arrival.
Lewis Bate
18-year-old Chelsea midfielder Lewis Bate turned down offers from several other Premier League sides in order to work under Bielsa at Leeds, citing the 'style of play' as a fundamental reason for joining. Signing for a fee of around £1.58 million, Bate will initially join Mark Jackson's under-23's squad for their first season in PL2 Division 1.
A central-midfielder, who can play in a defensive-midfield role similar to the one associated with Kalvin Phillips in the first team, Bate has represented England at under-17's and under-18's level, and was an unused substitute for Thomas Tuchel's side as they beat Barnsley 1-0 in the FA Cup 5th round in February.
Captain of the Chelsea side beaten in the FA Youth Cup 2020 Final, last season Bate made the step up to Under-23's football, making 20 appearances as Chelsea finished 2nd in PL 2 Division 1.
Another promising, left-footed Orta signing, Leeds' fifth summer signing joins on a three-year deal, tying himself to the Whites until June 2024.
Amari Miller
Leeds' first summer signing came in the shape of 18-year-old Birmingham City winger Amari Miller, arriving on 28th June 2021 for an initial fee of £200,000. The deal to bring Miller to West Yorkshire is believed to include several performance-based add-on's which could see the potential transfer fee rising to around £1.5 million.
A product of Birmingham's academy, Miller featured in five of the Blues' last six Championship games last season, making his senior debut as a last-minute substitute in 2-0 win over Stoke City at St. Andrew's. Miller went on to complete 187 minutes in City's final four matches, starting twice and featuring on both wings under the charge of former Leeds midfielder Lee Bowyer.
Miller has signed a four-year-deal at Leeds, committing himself to the club until June 2025.
Sean McGurk
On 8th July Leeds finally secured the signing of 18-year-old Wigan Athletic midfielder Sean McGurk for an undisclosed fee. McGurk is known to have been on Orta's radar for some time and will join former Wigan teammate Joe Geldhardt in the under-23's.
A product of Liverpool's academy, McGurk joined Wigan in 2016 and has impressed at youth level, helping Wigan’s under-18's to back-to-back Professional Development League National titles.
A regular goalscorer during his time with the Latics, Leeds were believed to be in for the youngster at the same time as signing Geldhardt, but Wigan initially fended off Orta's interest.
A versatile, right-footed attacking midfielder, also capable of playing in wide areas, McGurk has signed a three-year deal, keeping him at Leeds until June 2024.
Watch This Space
Despite Kinnear batting away whispers of discontent around the clubs transfer activity, some further moves are anticipated prior to the end of the transfer window. Long-term focus is always a priority at Leeds, but as seen with Raphinha last summer, some deals can pop up towards the end of the window that may be too difficult to turn down.
In the coming weeks one can almost certainly expect to see a young midfielder, alongside another potentially young left-back to add depth to a problematic position at both first-team and under-23's level, whilst hope for another relatively big-name winger is not completely dead.
Huddersfield Town's Lewis O'Brien seems to be the man in the middle, although having recently tested positive for coronavirus any chance of confirming the signing in time for the season opener at Old Trafford does now appear unlikely. Bielsa has not hidden his intention to watch O'Brien during pre-season, being spotted at the John Smith's Stadium and the indication from sources close to the club prior to O'Brien returning a positive coronavirus test were that the signing was expected to be completed before the start of the season.
19-year-old Hibernian left-back Josh Doig is rumoured to be the targeted full-back reinforcement, with talks believed to be ongoing. Liam McCarron has filled the role for Mark Jackson's side in pre-season, while Firpo's arrival is undoubtedly the first-choice left-back the club. But, the versatile Stuart Dallas aside, no natural left-back cover is currently on hand for Bielsa, so Doig could be heading to West Yorkshire before the deadline.
As for wingers, Leeds have been persistently linked with Rangers wide-man Ryan Kent throughout Bielsa's tenure, and the former Liverpool man is known to be a long-term target of Orta's. Rangers' failure to secure Champions League football could open the door for a move, but the Glaswegian side do face another qualifier for back-door entry into the Europa League before the transfer window closes. Keep an eye on that result, because it's likely others at Leeds will be too.
As for the likes of Noa Lang, Matheus Cunha and Daniel James, whilst there has been some admission that these names do feature on the scouting reports presented to the club by Orta and his recruitment team, it's thought to be unlikely Leeds would pursue a deal for the trio at this moment in time.
21/22 Season Prediction
Leeds may not have added heavily in terms of numbers, but those inside the club are confident that they have added well in terms of quality and filled the areas which were a necessity.
From a supporters perspective, looking ahead to the new season I'm inclined to lean towards positivity with a hint of caution. I don't fear 'second-season syndrome', nor do I think any Leeds fan should; a bold claim I know. At the time of writing the upcoming season is almost upon us, and judging by the state of the current squads I find more difficulty in identifying sides to finish above us once again, rather than worrying about those below.
The European dream (whisper it quietly) does not look a million miles away, although to achieve a top seven finish this term would be a frankly outstanding achievement once more. Equally, a 17th-placed finish (the bare minimum required) looks a laughable idea.
If Bielsa can find a way to better the likes of David Moyes at West Ham and Graham Potter at Brighton, then much of the same from last season would suffice to see Leeds improve on 9th. With Wolves under new management, an improvement against the three sides to stump us in 20/21 would go a long way to securing the points necessary to push for Europe.
The Champions League is unlikely, the Europa League slightly less so, but still unlikely. But, Leeds finished three points behind Europa Conference League qualifiers Tottenham with a squad of players for whom the majority were experiencing their maiden season in the top tier of football in any country.
With a full year to adapt and develop, plus the noticeable improvement made at left-back, plus the lack of strengthening done by other clubs, Leeds should be realistically aiming for another top-half finish.
Supporters of other clubs may find that an entitled view to accept, but Leeds have announced their return to the Premier League in serious style. The Whites are legitimately the seventh biggest club in the league in terms of revenue, still some distance behind the established 'big six' sides, but should certainly relish the challenge of being best-placed to break into that bracket based on current trajectory under the stewardship of a high-calibre coach and in the safe hands of trustworthy ownership; a far cry from the despairing depths of the not-so-distant past.
December looks to be a tricky month, but the same was said for April. Noted, any Leeds collapse usually takes place around the festive period, but last seasons handling of the month from hell must breed confidence.
Bielsa's move from borderline footballing warfare to sustainable pragmatism versus the 'financially superior' sides in the second half of last season showed a capacity to bend that the unknowing sections of the so-called mainstream media believed El Loco incapable of.
If Leeds can sustain their domination of sides beneath them in the table, whilst managing performances and expectations against those above then anything genuinely is possible.
And, with supporters back in stadiums, at full capacity for the first time since promotion, Elland Road has the potential to become the fortress it always should've been. Widely labelled the most intimidating atmosphere in English football, a packed Elland Road can strike fear into man. This does go two ways though. Sixteen years of hurt was often evident in the mannerisms of fans in the stadium; an anxious Elland Road crowd has the ability to suck the ball into either net. But, with that anxiety gone and the excitement of seeing the club back in the promised land in the flesh, possibly for the first time for some, I expect Elland Road to be a cauldron of positive energy this season.
Get behind the club, the staff and the players, and watch this team deliver exhilarating football to a global audience.
Looking at this squad of players and the coaching staff the head says 8th. I'd be lying if I said the heart didn't fancy 6th. And, I'd be lying even more if I pretended I hadn't already chucked a tenner on winning the league when the odds came out at 250/1.
(Sources: fbref.com, transfermarkt.co.uk, leedsunited.com, Twitter, BBC Sport & SkySports)