Leeds look to build on survival and FA Cup run as 2026-27 Premier League season begins
Leeds, managed by Daniel Farke, enter the 2026-27 Premier League season at Elland Road after securing top-flight survival last season and reaching an FA Cup semi-final.
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 12th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips).
A second season after promotion is traditionally viewed as hazardous, but the club believe they can avoid that fate and possibly disprove the cliché by improving on last term’s finish of 14th. The spine of the side has been strengthened by the club-record £40m signing of James Trafford from Manchester City and the £34m acquisition of the 23-year-old left-sided central defender Tarik Muharemovic from Sassuolo. Much hinges on Dominic Calvert-Lewin remaining fit after he showed at times last season that he could be unplayable, while the forwards should gain service from Harry Wilson, signed on a free transfer from Fulham. Leeds’ form improved markedly after a switch to a broadly 3-5-2 formation in December; had a separate Premier League table been kept for the second half of the season, their form from the start of December would have left them seventh.
Pre-season has given the squad confidence after impressive results against strong opposition, a point Farke highlighted when he said: "Pre-season has given us confidence." The manager has spoken of ambition while urging caution, adding: "Everyone is talking of Europe and trophies but it’s important we stay humble and grounded." That mixture of optimism and restraint frames Farke’s stated aim to take Leeds to "a new level" without overreaching.
Elland Road is undergoing a wholesale redevelopment instigated by owners 49ers Enterprises, with capacity planned to rise from 37,792 to 53,000. The project is intended to increase commercial revenue streams and help the club be less restricted by football’s spending rules, while also reducing a lengthy season-ticket waiting list. Club officials say the stadium should remain fully operational on match days as work progresses and the redevelopment is meant to be the centrepiece of wider local regeneration. City council plans for a new tram network have once again been heavily delayed, and public transport infrastructure is poor in a part of Leeds notorious for serious traffic congestion, which could prove a big problem on match days at an expanded arena.
The 49ers’ arrival has been credited with bringing a sense of stability, professionalism and vision after a period of unpredictable ownership. Commercial income has been boosted appreciably and Trafford’s signing as a record acquisition is cited as evidence of the ownership’s ambition. The senior executive team comprises chair Paraag Marathe, managing director Robbie Evans and sporting director Adam Underwood, a group that "is generally regarded as efficient, sensible and sufficiently realistic to remain on the right side of football’s spending rules."
Farke, who describes his personality as "95% coffee and cake on the sofa and 5% fire beast," is an economics graduate who originally intended to become a sporting director and is a 49-year-old one-time lower-division German striker and, later, Norwich manager with a stated love of literary fiction. In steering then newly promoted Leeds to the safety of 14th position last season while also reaching an FA Cup semi-final, he says he lost the "trampoline man" tag. Muharemovic has been praised for looking outstanding in pre-season, bringing physicality, controlled aggression, assurance on the ball and a refined passing range; he delighted fans by bundling Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey over in pre-season and has already been labelled the Bosnian King after helping Sassuolo win promotion from Serie B and playing a big part in securing a mid-table Serie A finish last season.
James Trafford, 23, is an England goalkeeper who was signed for a club record fee and is described as currently understudy to Jordan Pickford in Tuchel’s squad; he shone at Burnley in the Championship and is said to have "excellence with his feet" and impressive poise under pressure. The club note that his all-round talent should yield valuable points and add that he is the son of a Cumbrian farmer who still tries to lend a hand at lambing time. Noah Okafor, who finished last season in fine form for Leeds, played just 25 minutes as a substitute — against Algeria — as Switzerland reached the quarter-finals and eventually bowed out to Argentina; his previous rift with Murat Yakin made his World Cup inclusion a surprise and it was suggested he had "not done quite enough to earn Yakin’s full trust." Brenden Aaronson made one appearance for the United States as they reached the last 16 and briefly left the US pre-tournament training camp in late May, returning a married man after his long-planned wedding to Milana D’Ambra.
Farke has repeatedly urged measured progress, noting: "In the last 25 years our highest Premier League finish has been ninth so we need to go step by step. The second year after promotion can be difficult and dangerous but we are hopeful we can have a good season."