Daniel Farke’s side earned promotion back to the Premier League after earning a remarkable 100 points in last season’s Championship. Just 11 games into 2025-26, it’s starting to look like they might go right back down.
With just one win from their past five league games, including potentially devastating defeats to Burnley and Nottingham Forest, who are also fighting at the wrong end of the table, only bottom placed Wolves have a worse record.
So, is relegation inevitable or could they save their season in the January transfer window?
A missed opportunity for Leeds?
Looking at the fixtures Leeds have had so far, they should probably be averaging more than one point a game. Of the promoted sides, they had the easiest start to the season, with games against Arsenal, Tottenham, and Newcastle ones that could have been written off.
Their next ten games aren’t quite as forgiving. The West Yorkshire side will face Aston Villa, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool (twice) and, Man United all within that time frame. Based on current form, it’s hard to see them pick up a single point from those fixtures.
Speaking ahead of the 3-1 defeat to Forest, Farke didn’t necessarily agree: “I know we face Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool within seven days, but I don’t judge,” he said. “Why shouldn’t we win some points there?
“(We had) more or less the same scenario, when we played Newcastle (United), Champions League side, new signings. They had just signed my German fella, Nick Woltemade, for I’m not sure how much money.
“Everyone said, ‘They will outclass you, (you have) no chance’. We won one point, and we were even closer to winning this game.
“I also got the feeling against Tottenham, home game, also normally in a good position, fighting for the Champions League. No one expected us, but we dominated many periods of this game and should have won some points.
“I don’t see why this should not happen against Liverpool, or against Man City, or against Chelsea or teams of this calibre.”
Leeds need to start scoring
Their lack of goals is by far Leeds’ biggest issue. Only Wolves (7) have scored fewer than Farke’s side this season with 10 as defender Joe Rodon sits as joint top goal scorer with two, alongside Noah Okafor and Lukas Nmecha.
Interestingly enough, Leeds create chances like a mid-table side with 22 big chances created and 17 missed, so it’s those that have been tasked with sticking the ball in the back of the net that are ruining it for the rest of them.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the one that’s been starting more often than not in recent weeks, but he’s yet to make much of an impact, with just one goal from eight shots on target and an xG of 2.02.
Where do Leeds need to strengthen and who could they sign?
Both Burnley and Sunderland spent more than Leeds in the summer as they prepared for the altogether different challenge of staying in the Premier League, they’ll need to change that in January.
As we mentioned, they need to address their lack of goals. Finding a striker that will hit the ground running in the toughest league in the world is tricky at best, but there are few knocking about that have the potential.
Promise David, a 6’5” Canadian striker with a record of 31 goals in 59 appearances for Belgian side Union St.Gilloise is one of them. He has the physicality to make it in the Premier League, winning 46.5% of his duels and 64.7% of his aerial duels.
His five league goals this season have come from just 11 shots or target too, so he’s clinical, even if he is underperforming his xG by 1.52. Leeds will have to act fast if they want him, though, Europe’s elite are circling.
Left back is also an issue. Gabriel Gudmundsson was brought in from Lille in the summer but has struggled to get to grips with the pace of the Premier League thus far. Perhaps some competition would help raise his game.
Ipswich’s Leif Davis would be fantastic. A more attacking full-back than Gudmundsson, Davis would give Farke a different option to help break down opposition defences considering Leeds love to cross.
The former Premier League side haven’t had a fantastic start to life back in the Championship either, sitting down in seventh, so perhaps Davis would be more open to joining a struggling Leeds side.
Verdict
Hope is not completely lost for Leeds, but they will have to spend in the winter if they want to stay in the Premier League. Either way, with the fixtures they have in coming weeks, it’s going to take an incredible effort from Farke’s lads.
The Elland Road factor will doubtless be important, if they make home a fortress, who knows what might happen.