The Daly Brief | Leeds vs Spurs, Premier League
Fri 03 October 2025, 16:45|
Tottenham Hotspur
"Leeds United have added power to their squad upon their return to the Premier League. Points picked up against Newcastle, Everton, Wolves and Bournemouth have made for an encouraging start - while a former Spurs man remains crucial..."
Rob Daly, official club commentator, presenter and pundit
Making a new midfield...
The summer transfer window was busy for the Championship title winners, with 10 signings. Two notable acquisitions were midfielders Sean Longstaff, £12m from Newcastle, and Germany’s Anton Stach, sold by Hoffenheim for £17m. Longstaff didn’t actually start the season in the team, but upon an injury to fan favourite Ao Tanaka, he came in and cemented his place. An excellent strike last weekend in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth showed he can be a goal threat too, as he was in 23/24 for the Magpies scoring eight goals. Longstaff and Stach, who is standing up well to the physical demands of the Premier League, play either side of Ethan Ampadu - as part of a beefed-up midfield three.
The striker situation...
This means Leeds operate without a conventional number 10 and given they play with one striker, this has been bad news for last season’s top scorer, Joel Piroe. Despite getting 19 goals and earning a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Season, Daniel Farke moved to sign two big, strong strikers in Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha. Calvert-Lewin has been first choice of late and is likely to start on Saturday, having scored his first goal two weeks ago in a win at Wolves. A trial of using Piroe as a number 10 with Nmecha as the striker, in a Carabao Cup loss to Sheffield Wednesday, didn’t work. “It's tough, especially when you have a player like Joel who is giving his everything.” said Farke on Thursday. “For me, the best finisher I've ever worked with.”
Less dominant...
The Leeds manager hinted at the idea in his press conference, that things are different back in the Premier League - aware his side won’t dominate and create as much due to the step up in quality. They scored 95 goals in the 24/25 Championship season – the team closest to that was Burnley on 69. The idea he was going to change some things was expressed early. “We stay true to our DNA – proactive, lots of possession – but we also have to be able to defend in a structured way,” Farke explained back in August. “Romanticism mustn't obscure our view of reality. That requires tough decisions, even with deserving players. It's never easy, but it's necessary.”
The role of Rodon...
Despite the changes, Joe Rodon continues to play a crucial role at the heart of Leeds’ defence and scored his first Premier League goal last week against Bournemouth – a header from a corner. The Wales international made 24 appearances for Spurs before leaving, initially on loan, in the 23/24 season. Like in other positions, Leeds strengthened their squad signing centre-backs Jaka Bijol (Udinese) and Sebastiaan Bornauw (Wolfsburg). Some expected they’d come straight in - but Rodon, who played in all 46 Championship games last season, has held his spot in the team alongside Pascal Struijk.
Goalkeepers and goal threats...
It will be interesting to see if Leeds go with the same XI for the fourth league game running. The club clearly felt the goalkeeper position needed addressing in the summer having signed Lucas Perri from Lyon, however, he misses the game through injury. Karl Darlow finished last season so strongly having replaced Illan Meslier and will almost certainly start again. They’ve also freshened up the left-side with full-back Gabriel Gudmundsson (Lille) brought in as Junior Firpo headed back to Betis. Noah Okafor, in from AC Milan, plays in the front three - in place of Manor Solomon, who scored 10 goals while on loan from Spurs. including the final day strike that won them the Championship title.
