With the decline of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in recent years and the constant challenge from Leicester to enter the top-four race, English football seems to be on the verge of a new shift in power. And one name that is standing out to fight for the top spot is, by no surprise, Leeds United.
Finishing 9th under manager Marcelo Bielsa in their first season in the English top-flight after 16 years, Leeds will surely look to capitalize their positive start to the league by holding firm grounds and making themselves an established side in the Premier League. Considered as an unpredictable side from the start of the season, The Peacocks didn't disappoint, and to some extent, overachieved.
Many were eager to see the newly promoted Leeds side marshaled by the legendary manager Marcelo Bielsa, the man who was under fire from British media for months for the infamous spy-gate incident. Starting the opening fixture of the campaign against the title holders Liverpool, Leeds made sure to preach the message loud and clear. They are not to be treated like any other ordinary newly-promoted side this year.
Leeds secured the transfer of Rodrigo, Llorente, Helder Costa, Raphinha, Robin Koch, and Illan Meslier in the opening transfer market of the season for a total estimated sum of 106 million euros, indicating that they have the ambition to stay here for a long while. This huge sum spent after signing players also suggests that the club has enough financial power to keep up with most of the established sides of the Premier League.
With 26 paid TV games under their belt, Leeds received an estimated good sum of around 160.9 million euros from the Premier League with no rebate due from the club. Following the agreement with SBOBET shirt sponsorship reportedly worth around 7.55 euros a year, along with the 5-year kit-supplier deal with Adidas will see the club recover most of the costs spent after promotion bonus and wage increases.
The 9th position finish in the Premier League also saw a rise in the brand value of the club, as according to Branddirectory, Leeds has gained the third-largest increase in brand value after Zenit and fellow league-side Aston Villa, about up to 26% to €117 million which will see the club compete with some of the big names of world football.
Already showing ambition by having talks about planning to expand Elland Road stadium's capacity to up to 55,000 seats, scraping off the plans for a training ground at a former school site nearby, the club is looking to increase its brand value as well ticket revenue for the upcoming years. The influx of cash following the promotion from 49ers Enterprises has pushed the club to add another 5,000 extra seats to their original plan of a 50,000 seat stadium expansion.
With the upcoming season in their plans, Leeds would likely want to invest in signing some quality center-backs to overcome their set-piece defending as the side led the chart for the most set-piece and penalty goal conceded out of any other club in the league. Following their massive success in the first season, Leeds will likely want to replace some of the old players in the search for young blood. And they are also likely to fight to keep hold of Kalvin Phillips for the upcoming season as interest is at an all-time high for the England international. The return of Jack Harrison in a permanent transfer is also hugely likely as the English winger proved himself to be a vital figure for the side last season.
The new season can also see some new faces from Leeds U23 as Joe Gelhardt, Crysencio Summerville, Alfie McCalmont are some of the exciting names passing around Leeds fans. With one of the deadliest attacks in the front and the superb Meslier in the back, it is unlikely to see any changes in those fronts. However, a new left-back can be a very possible singing to improve upon Alioski. With some big transfers linked to Leeds for the upcoming campaign, it is evident that the club hopes to push the team to achieve the same success of the last season, if not improve on it.
Bielsa's brand of football has been the subject of major discussion throughout the last few years as English Football has seen nothing like it before. Stretching the field to the full width, quick passes to attack, putting a lot of men behind the ball to attack, and non-stop pressing and track-back for the entirety of the 90 minutes. The Leeds side saw each and every player transform into their best self as Patrick Bamford came 4th in the top scorer list with an impressive 17 goals beside his name. The end 20/21 season meant that Luke Ayling will be leading the chart for most tackles in the campaign with a whopping 108 tackles. Luke Ayling has been sensational this season with his ball-winning ratio and touches. The right-back has been a vital part of Bielsa's master plan alongside Kelvin Phillips this season.
We have seen Leicester City build upon its dream season in the Premier League back in the 2016/17 season and is now seen as one of the strongest contenders for Premier League top-four fight for the last two seasons. Leeds can also go for a similar route to claim their old glory days, and it will probably be a bit easier for them as they have had a head-start since the Championship days as their massive participation income saw them beat even some of the Premier League outfits.
The excitement to see Bielsa's brand of football with some new recruitments and an even more strengthened, ambitious squad will surely be one of the key topics to talk about next season as Elland Road will like to keep hold of their precious manager for the days to come.
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